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Fairs and expositions being postponed again and again, sales reps struggling to join their targets, and marketers trying to generate the most wanted leads… There seems to be a universally shared response to the issue: let’s do a webinar! Never before have we seen and done so many of these. Platforms such as livestorm, gotowebinar or clickmeeting make it easy to reach out and stream contents to your audience. But how to make this exercise a success?
Let us be honest: most webinars are deadly boring. Even if you have a nice, interesting subject at hand, shaping it up in a way that keeps your audience focused and enthused until the end is quite a challenge. The more you are dealing with technological topics, the harder it gets. Add to this that most engineers are not born TV presenters and you get a feeling for the mountain to climb.
Our recipe at bb&b for creating compelling webinars consists of the following ingredients:
- A dynamic moderator who hosts the session and the leads the event by questioning the presenters. The resulting conversational style energizes the webinar and avoids monotony. The moderator does not need to be a specialist, but shall be at ease in front of an audience (and the presenters).
- At least two presenters who approach the topic from different sides. For example, have someone present the technology and somebody else showcase the client experience. Of course, speakers and the moderator can join in from different locations.
- A detailed storyboard on how the whole story will flow. Break your content up into digestible chunks, assign the roles of each participant. Introduce each part by a question from the moderator and let the main presenters give the response by addressing specific aspects of the theme, one by one.
- A detailed script of the whole presentation so the moderator and presenters can prepare themselves approriately and so they know exactly what to tell at each step. Keep each intervention short enough to avoid presenters reading from screen or rambling. Have the moderator control the slide deck for all presenters. This avoids cumbersome switching of screens with all its pitfalls.
- One consistent slide deck for all. Have it well designed with nice illustrations so that it pleases the eye and eases comprehension. If somebody is intending to follow your presentation for an hour, at least he or she should be rewarded with a decent look and feel!
- A general rehearsal. Plan for a complete dry run, indispensable, at least a day before going live, using your streaming platform. Test the flow of arguments, the overall timing, but also the technical equipment such as the platform ergonomy, internet connections, headphones, cameras etc.
- A proper setting. Ensure lighting is fine so that participants can visually “connect” with the speakers. No need for studio lighting, though. Also care for a neutral, uncluttered background.
- A proper post webinar follow-up. Thank participants by email with a link to the recording, the slide deck or any other relevant materials. Debrief with your sales reps on potential leads to follow-up. Promote your webinar by offering to watch the replay on your blog and social platforms.
This is considerably more work than just going online with your homegrown PowerPoint, but it pays off in terms of audience retention, brand image and lead generation!
Have a look here at our latest tech webinar organized and hosted by bb&b for CGR International.
And if you want to benefit from our recipe, please get in touch!
