Webinar: definition and best practices
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 3:58 am
A contraction of "web" and "seminar", a webinar ("web" and "seminar" in English) refers to an online conference in which Internet users can participate remotely. Increasingly used by companies, it must be said that its organization is less laborious than that of a physical event. In addition, the fact that participants do not have to travel allows them to reach a wider target audience . Obviously, as we will see later, these are not the only advantages of webinars.
Here we go for a complete overview of the subject, including definition, advantages, ideal platforms for organizing and broadcasting your webinars, best practices, etc.
In the photo we see a person's hands in front of a laptop with the word webinar displayed on the screen.
Webinar: definition
A webinar is a virtual event that allows you to broadcast a presentation or conference online, live, delayed or in replay. And against all expectations, professions in the digital sector are not the only ones who can benefit from this tool. Indeed, companies can also use it to present their products or services, or even their ideas, to a wider audience and, above all, to a remote and dispersed audience in France or around the world.
Of course, it is still necessary to promote the virtual event so that interested people register. This implies that they receive an email containing the access link to the webinar, which they only have to click on to join it.
Good to know : It is also possible to set reminders for a live webinar.
You don't see yourself in this practice and don't see how you could use it in your business? Here is a non-exhaustive list of possible applications :
Educate your audience on a topic you are an expert in;
Present your products and/or services with an online demonstration;
Generate quality leads (convert a prospect into a customer) through engaging, expert and reassuring content;
Fuel an inbound marketing strategy by bringing prospects to you and collecting their information;
Build audience loyalty by creating social connections and emotion among the core target;
Organize internal training, especially if the company has several establishments, within the framework of teleworking or working with freelancers for example;
Etc.
Please note that webinars can be interactive and allow for exchanges between the presenter (or facilitator) and participants . Depending on the chosen platform and the type of webinar, these exchanges can be done in writing, orally or via different tools, such as surveys, questions and answers, quizzes, etc.
Finally, you can record a live webinar in order to share it in replay later. This is also very practical for people who were unable to attend, but also for the company that will be able to exploit it.
The advantages of the webinar
Why organize a webinar instead of a physical event? You probably already have part of the answer: for the simplicity of organization and the savings made!
While nothing can replace the proximity of a physical event, the webinar allows for a quality service to be provided even though the contact is made via a screen . Some people clearly prefer to participate in a webinar from the comfort of their own home rather than having to travel.
After all, we are in the digital age. Practices have evolved! Today, consumers (B2B), but also B2C players, are more receptive to quick-to-consume content , both on the subjects of information transmission (oral now prevails over writing) and for travel times.
On the side of the organizing company, the webinar also means many fewer constraints and costs (room and equipment rental, travel expenses, meals, accommodation for speakers, etc.). As part of internal training, you also save on travel, accommodation and meal expenses for your employees.
Given the reduced constraints, it is then possible to organize office 365 database more online events , not to mention that you (or your teams) can focus only on the most important thing: the content and information you want to convey.
Add to that the fact that a webinar offers greater visibility since it is broadcast online. Thanks to the replay, it can be seen by thousands of people around the world and without it costing them a cent (unless you opt for paid seminars).
The cherry on the cake is that the webinar is a format suitable for all companies, B2B and B2C, whether for a marketing or communication operation. The key is to carefully consider the context and the target to adapt the content, the format of the webinar and the platform used.
Webinar
Your BtoB digital marketing strategy
Watch the webinar!
Webinar: the tools
You can imagine that organizing a webinar necessarily involves using a tool that allows you to welcome participants into a virtual room, host the videoconference in front of your webcam and/or by sharing your screen, give the floor to other speakers or participants, record the webinar, encourage action, etc.
As such, there are many webinar organization platforms, most of them paid with many options, but some in a completely free version, although they are generally limited in number of participants and duration .
Zoom
Zoom is one of the leaders in videoconferencing and webinars, with an average of 300 million participants per day. The platform offers different plans that allow you to organize online meetings with a limited committee or webinars with a large number of people:
Zoom One for team meetings via single sessions on Zoom Meeting, from €0 and up to €21;
Zoom Spaces which allows you to keep the same conference room for each meeting via Zoom Rooms in the free version or at €46/month;
Zoom Sessions, an event platform that hosts up to 100 people for €91/month/license;
Zoom Events, a simultaneous multi-session version of Zoom Session, €137/month/license;
Zoom Webinar, the platform dedicated to large webinars (minimum 500 people), from €74/month/license for 500 participants and up to €6,036/month/license for 10,000 people (beyond that, you must contact them).
Good to know : The free version of Zoom allows you to bring together a maximum of 100 participants.
Depending on the type of license you choose, you can organize webinars that accommodate from 500 to 50,000 participants . The maximum duration of online sessions ranges from 40 minutes for the free version to 30 hours depending on the license.
In terms of features, the free version allows you to share documents or live videos. It also supports screen sharing and offers a writing discussion space, while allowing participants to speak.
Of course, let's point out that the paid versions are more advanced , with much more advanced features, particularly in terms of interactivity, integration with Facebook Live or YouTube Live, analysis reports, etc. However, the number of participants remains limited to 100, except for Zoom Webinars.
The only downside is that there is a certain lack of clarity regarding the offers on their site.
WebEx
Like Zoom, WebEx is a platform that offers a free version, WebEx Free, limited to 40 minutes and 100 participants, which is not always ideal for a webinar. It is also primarily a meeting tool that can be used for small webinars.
The paid plans, WebEx Starter (€11/month/license), WebEx Business (€16/month/license) and WebEx Enterprise (price on request) can accommodate up to 150, 200 and 1,000 participants.
For larger webinars, there are two packages (WebEx Webinars and WebEx Event) that can accommodate up to 100,000 people (prices on request).
Here we go for a complete overview of the subject, including definition, advantages, ideal platforms for organizing and broadcasting your webinars, best practices, etc.
In the photo we see a person's hands in front of a laptop with the word webinar displayed on the screen.
Webinar: definition
A webinar is a virtual event that allows you to broadcast a presentation or conference online, live, delayed or in replay. And against all expectations, professions in the digital sector are not the only ones who can benefit from this tool. Indeed, companies can also use it to present their products or services, or even their ideas, to a wider audience and, above all, to a remote and dispersed audience in France or around the world.
Of course, it is still necessary to promote the virtual event so that interested people register. This implies that they receive an email containing the access link to the webinar, which they only have to click on to join it.
Good to know : It is also possible to set reminders for a live webinar.
You don't see yourself in this practice and don't see how you could use it in your business? Here is a non-exhaustive list of possible applications :
Educate your audience on a topic you are an expert in;
Present your products and/or services with an online demonstration;
Generate quality leads (convert a prospect into a customer) through engaging, expert and reassuring content;
Fuel an inbound marketing strategy by bringing prospects to you and collecting their information;
Build audience loyalty by creating social connections and emotion among the core target;
Organize internal training, especially if the company has several establishments, within the framework of teleworking or working with freelancers for example;
Etc.
Please note that webinars can be interactive and allow for exchanges between the presenter (or facilitator) and participants . Depending on the chosen platform and the type of webinar, these exchanges can be done in writing, orally or via different tools, such as surveys, questions and answers, quizzes, etc.
Finally, you can record a live webinar in order to share it in replay later. This is also very practical for people who were unable to attend, but also for the company that will be able to exploit it.
The advantages of the webinar
Why organize a webinar instead of a physical event? You probably already have part of the answer: for the simplicity of organization and the savings made!
While nothing can replace the proximity of a physical event, the webinar allows for a quality service to be provided even though the contact is made via a screen . Some people clearly prefer to participate in a webinar from the comfort of their own home rather than having to travel.
After all, we are in the digital age. Practices have evolved! Today, consumers (B2B), but also B2C players, are more receptive to quick-to-consume content , both on the subjects of information transmission (oral now prevails over writing) and for travel times.
On the side of the organizing company, the webinar also means many fewer constraints and costs (room and equipment rental, travel expenses, meals, accommodation for speakers, etc.). As part of internal training, you also save on travel, accommodation and meal expenses for your employees.
Given the reduced constraints, it is then possible to organize office 365 database more online events , not to mention that you (or your teams) can focus only on the most important thing: the content and information you want to convey.
Add to that the fact that a webinar offers greater visibility since it is broadcast online. Thanks to the replay, it can be seen by thousands of people around the world and without it costing them a cent (unless you opt for paid seminars).
The cherry on the cake is that the webinar is a format suitable for all companies, B2B and B2C, whether for a marketing or communication operation. The key is to carefully consider the context and the target to adapt the content, the format of the webinar and the platform used.
Webinar
Your BtoB digital marketing strategy
Watch the webinar!
Webinar: the tools
You can imagine that organizing a webinar necessarily involves using a tool that allows you to welcome participants into a virtual room, host the videoconference in front of your webcam and/or by sharing your screen, give the floor to other speakers or participants, record the webinar, encourage action, etc.
As such, there are many webinar organization platforms, most of them paid with many options, but some in a completely free version, although they are generally limited in number of participants and duration .
Zoom
Zoom is one of the leaders in videoconferencing and webinars, with an average of 300 million participants per day. The platform offers different plans that allow you to organize online meetings with a limited committee or webinars with a large number of people:
Zoom One for team meetings via single sessions on Zoom Meeting, from €0 and up to €21;
Zoom Spaces which allows you to keep the same conference room for each meeting via Zoom Rooms in the free version or at €46/month;
Zoom Sessions, an event platform that hosts up to 100 people for €91/month/license;
Zoom Events, a simultaneous multi-session version of Zoom Session, €137/month/license;
Zoom Webinar, the platform dedicated to large webinars (minimum 500 people), from €74/month/license for 500 participants and up to €6,036/month/license for 10,000 people (beyond that, you must contact them).
Good to know : The free version of Zoom allows you to bring together a maximum of 100 participants.
Depending on the type of license you choose, you can organize webinars that accommodate from 500 to 50,000 participants . The maximum duration of online sessions ranges from 40 minutes for the free version to 30 hours depending on the license.
In terms of features, the free version allows you to share documents or live videos. It also supports screen sharing and offers a writing discussion space, while allowing participants to speak.
Of course, let's point out that the paid versions are more advanced , with much more advanced features, particularly in terms of interactivity, integration with Facebook Live or YouTube Live, analysis reports, etc. However, the number of participants remains limited to 100, except for Zoom Webinars.
The only downside is that there is a certain lack of clarity regarding the offers on their site.
WebEx
Like Zoom, WebEx is a platform that offers a free version, WebEx Free, limited to 40 minutes and 100 participants, which is not always ideal for a webinar. It is also primarily a meeting tool that can be used for small webinars.
The paid plans, WebEx Starter (€11/month/license), WebEx Business (€16/month/license) and WebEx Enterprise (price on request) can accommodate up to 150, 200 and 1,000 participants.
For larger webinars, there are two packages (WebEx Webinars and WebEx Event) that can accommodate up to 100,000 people (prices on request).