Ever since the world has gone online, event organizers have had a plethora of options available to them. Thanks to advanced technology, we have the latest methods of delivering content to our audience. Among many such tools, one is the Webinars.Though webinars are the tried and tested methods of addressing the audience and hosting events, it is during the outbreak of the pandemic that they gained excessive popularity. Now that the organizations have discovered different prospects of the webinar, they are using them to generate leads, expand their ROIs, and meet other objectives(webinar planning). 

In this blog, we will talk about the things you should keep in mind while hosting a webinar; basically your webinar planning checklist. Have a look: 

What is a Webinar? 

Without going deep in details, let us understand the meaning of webinars in a simple language. Webinars are the web version of regular seminars. In short, the seminars held over the web are webinars. Webinars are web conferences hosted over webinar platforms, which require the internet to connect with people from all over the world on a single platform. 

Out of several purposes of a webinar, a few are mentioned below. Have a look: 

• Educating the audience on a particular topic. 
• Training the employees. 
• Employee Onboarding. 
• Keynote speeches. 

Hosting a webinar is as easy as hosting a seminar. It doesn’t require advanced knowledge. However, there are a few steps and requirements that you need to meet, if you want to host a successful webinar. 

• Have Clear Objectives: 

The first and the most important thing you need to check in your list is having a clear objective you plan to achieve through the webinar. It is the ‘why’ you need to answer first to host a successful webinar. Your objective can be anything; be educating your employees about the new add on or training the new joiners. All and all, the intent is to have clear objectives; it will help you set the tone of your virtual event, giving you a direction to work in.

• Find Target Audience: 

After having your goals and objectives clear, it is time to find your target audience. The event objective will automatically give you an idea about the audience you want to reach out to through your webinar. The reason we insist you(webinar planning) should decide your target audience is it will help you curate your content accordingly. Having the target audience in mind will also help you design all the elements of your webinar according to the needs of your audience.

• The Subject of the Webinar: 

Moving onto the next crucial step, you should decide the subject of your webinar. Once you decide on that, you will notice that your webinar has started to come together. Unless it is an in-house webinar, experts suggest picking a trending topic for the webinar. Conduct research, and study what people are interested in listening to these days. Once you have an idea about the current market trends, then only pick a suitable topic for your webinar.

• Pick the Suitable Webinar Platform: 

Let us talk about the next pivotal element of a webinar, the customizable event platform. It is one topic that the organizers tend to overlook; however, they don’t know that this particular element can decide the success of the webinar. Since there are several platforms that promise to deliver the best webinar experiences, it becomes a matter of confusion for the organizers; especially those who are new in the business(webinar planning). Hence, as an organizer, you need to be extra careful while picking up the best webinar hosting platform. 

• Schedule the Webinar: 

As an organizer, you need to take care of every minute detail while hosting a webinar. Scheduling the webinar carefully is crucial, and it helps you ensure the audience attendance rate of your webinar. While you schedule the webinar, ensure you take different time zones into consideration. Study your target audience, and then pick one date and time that suits the majority of your audience.

• Promote the Webinar Effectively: 

Another significant factor that you need to consider and can decide the success of your webinar is promotion and marketing. There is a famous proverb that goes like this, ” If a tree fell in the forest and nobody was there to see it, did it even make noise?” Likewise, if you hosted a webinar, and there was nobody to watch it, did you even host a webinar? Use all kinds of promotional techniques in your reach, and ensure the word reaches the maximum audience.

• Technical Run: 

No matter how many webinars you have hosted till now, you can never get pro enough to not host a technical rehearsal before the webinar. Always host a few technical runs so that you have enough idea about the platform. See if the software you are picking is running efficiently, understand the ins and outs of the webinar so that everything goes smoothly during the webinar.

• Follow-Up:

No matter how much hurry you are in, always always send a feedback form to the attendees and collect their feedback. It won’t only help you know how your event went but also build connections with your attendees.

Ready to make the most of your strategies? We hope this guide helps you in hosting a successful webinar. Good luck for your showtime!