Webinars are easy!

Why do webinars? They are a great way to build a relationship with your target market.

Today there are so many choices to create webinars in so many different formats that it is easier than ever to get your message out.

Before we dive into tools, let’s talk about what a webinar is and some types of webinars.

What is a webinar?

Webinar is short for Web-based seminar. Webopedia says that a webinar is “a webinar is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web using video conferencing software. A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements is the ability to give, receive and discuss information in real-time.” I’d say that is mostly true, but there are such valid options as pre-recorded or automated webinars too.

Types of webinars.

• Live Webinars - the presenter is live at the designated time and place.
• Automated webinars - a pre-recorded webinar that is replayed at a specific time.
• Series webinars - multiple live or recorded webinars that build on each other.
• Hybrid webinars - the material is pre-recorded, but the host is there live and can interact with the participants.

Within each of those types, you can do:

• Talking head style - people see the presenter as he/she presents.
• Presentation style with voice-over - people see your screen while you present.
• Combination style - both screen sharing and the presenter either together or switching at specific times.

Personally, I like the presentation style because it lends itself to both live and automated webinars and gives the attendees the ability to see what you are talking about.

All true webinar solutions share most of these capabilities:

• Support for multiple presenters
• Video file sharing
• Live chat for attendees
• Screen share
• Prerecord video (or voice) options
• Conference options for viewers to listen live
• Chat filters to connect attendees and presenters with social accounts
• Other attendee incentives such as live Q&A tools, polls and feedback forms
• Live capture to save presentation or streaming capabilities
• Calendar scheduling and invites

Webinar tools:
There are so many out there today, here are just a few:

• Goto Webinar
• WebEx
• WebinarJam
• WebinarNinja
• Google Hangouts
• Facebook Live
• TeamViewer
• Skype
• Join.me
• Zoom

If I missed your favorite tool, comment below and tell me why it is your favorite. I’m always interested in new tools.

Join.me and Zoom are a bit different in that, not only can they host traditional webinars, they can also host small group interactive meetings where both audio and video can be shared and recorded. Think of it as a virtual meeting in a virtual conference room.

And Facebook Live is so easy to broadcast, just click Live Video, then when your camera shows you, click Go Live. Easy Peasy! Google Hangouts is similar. No special software needed. But a piece of advice… expend some effort to let people know that you will be going live at a particular time and date for a particular reason or you’ll likely be talking to yourself!

So there you have it, an overview of webinars in a little over 500 words. In another post, we’ll cover how webinars can be used in your business.