Since the start of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many businesses run. If you were used to holding corporate events and meetings in person, you may have found that restrictions laid out by the government have resulted in you altering how you operate.
If you have important information that you need to share with clients, webinars can be a great way to get your message across, as well as save money. Whether you’re sharing information about a new service or product, or want to attract more interest to your brand, here are five steps on how to plan and execute a successful webinar during COVID-19.
Determine the Purpose of Your Webinar
Before you start planning your webinar, you need to determine whether it’s the right option for you and your business. A webinar can be a powerful tool and propel your business forward. However, if you haven’t set an agenda for the event, you could be wasting valuable time. You also need to establish who your audience are and whether they’re tech savvy.
Find a Guest Speaker
There tend to be three main players involved in a webinar: the organizer, presenter, and assistant. The organizer is the individual who has developed the webinar topic, located a speaker, and marketed the event. The presenter is a guest speaker who needs to have excellent communication skills and deliver the right message to your audience, whereas the assistant can step in and answer questions that the presenter and organizer don’t have the time for.
Choose the Right Hosting Tool
There are numerous web conferencing tools to pick from to run your webinar. If you want to reach out to customers and grow your audience, it may be wise to use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and run a live stream. If you’re engaging with clients and stakeholders, there are tools like Zoho Meeting and GoToWebinar who you can use.
Run a Practice Session
Before you host your webinar, everything must be working as it should. The last thing you want is to run into technical problems during proceedings, as this can ground your webinar to a halt and result in viewers switching off. Running a practice session will ensure that all equipment is working correctly and gives you an introduction to the webinar software and what features you can use.
Know How to Market Your Webinar
The way you market your webinar can be the difference between full viewer capacity and no one tuning in. Reading guides on webinar marketing in COVID-19 will help you get as many people as possible viewing your event. Whether you create an event page on social media platforms like Facebook, or use email marketing tactics, there are lots of strategies you can adopt to spread the word.
If you factor in plenty of time for planning and preparation, your webinar should run smoothly. While we’re living in unprecedented times, advances in technology mean that you can communicate with clients, stakeholders, and customers virtually in the form of a webinar.