Untangling the Webs of Webinars

Conducting online webinars can be stressful and overwhelming. Is anyone really listening? SIGNAL Media senior reporter Diego Laje, along with Charlie Kawasaki, brought their expertise to the table by putting together a—you guessed it—webinar to talk through their tips and tricks on how to execute the most engaging and effective online webinar. 

Kawasaki, president and CEO of Software Diligence Services LLC, has more than 40 years of experience in software engineering, cybersecurity, network engineering and artificial intelligence machine learning. He has given hundreds of public speeches and presented dozens of online webinars, including over 10 webinars with AFCEA International’s SIGNAL Media. 

Laje is an Emmy award-winning journalist with experience as a war correspondent. Before joining SIGNAL Media, he served as the international correspondent and assistant executive producer with La Nacion; and worked with CNN as a business and economics correspondent, bureau manager and senior field producer.  

The two expert speakers covered key insights on webinar development. 

1. Determine your webinar concept. 

In many cases, partnering with another company or organization is an effective way to build a larger audience. A webinar with two speakers representing two different companies is less likely to be perceived as promotional and will give more room for an engaging discussion. And splitting the cost of a webinar is always a nice bonus! 

2. Define your key messages. 

Kawasaki and Laje suggest limiting your key takeaways to two-to-three points. Additionally, focus on the benefits to the customer, specifically how you can help customers solve their problems.  

3. Develop your content design and flow. 

Content creation can often be a lengthy process. Reusing and repurposing existing marketing and sales material is a great way to make preparation less time consuming, Kawasaki said. Delegating the webinar content creation to marketing staff is also effective, especially when preparing proactively. 

4. Have realistic expectations. 

“Remember, less than half of those who register for an event actually attend,” Laje shared. For that reason, webinar organizers should calculate a real reach of 50% for one of those events once you have a final registration list, he explained.  

5. Maximize your impact: webinar marketing. 

Leveraging artificial intelligence resources to promote upcoming webinars is as important as email and social media marketing, Laje said. On that note, the title of a webinar, as well as any promotional material for it, should reflect the interest of the customer rather than the sale of a product.

6. Stand out from the competition. 

Making a webinar memorable is key in attracting and retaining an audience. What you say is only 20% of communication, Laje emphasized. “The other 80% is the tone of your voice and all the visual cues your audience receives.” Enthusiasm and energy will drive a webinar forward.

7. Write your script for the ears, not the eyes. 

Webinar scripts should include short and simple sentences and terms. Like writing, a run-on sentence should often be split into two. Additionally, when showcasing graphs or diagrams, it’s helpful to use a mouse or animation for the audience to clearly understand what is being referenced. Regarding the use of acronyms, anything commonly known is OK to use, while less recognizable acronyms should be defined throughout the webinar to avoid confusion. 

8. Treat it like a business meeting, but not. 

Unlike in-person events, webinars will often reach more people at the cost of having fewer tools to build a rapport. This is why managing the question-and-answer portion by having a designated person to prioritize and assign each incoming question is an effective way to keep the conversation flowing. It is also always important to practice, practice and practice before going live. Um’s and uh’s are distracting and make webinar material look weaker. Finally, dressing well and choosing your background carefully is essential. 

9. Follow up. 

Respondents fall into three groups: no shows, passive participants and active participants. It is therefore vital to have follow-up material for each of the three groups. More customization and personalization often go a long way. And pro tip: don’t nag those that did not have a chance to join the webinar. 

To gain more insights on how to effectively build a successful webinar, and subsequently attract a broad audience of leads, view the Guide to Great Webinars webinar on SIGNAL Media. 

“If you’re going to do it, do it right,” Laje concluded.