The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives and work upside down. With successive lockdowns, restrictions on physical contact, and the rise of remote working, videoconferencing has become a staple of our personal and professional lives. Beyond its usefulness during a health crisis, webinars are a powerful digital marketing tool for businesses.
What are the specific features of this type of online conference and how can it benefit your business? How can you create an engaging webinar to generate leads and increase your sales? Here's how.
The term "webinar" is a portmanteau word formed by combining the words "web" and "seminar." It refers to an online seminar that participants can attend remotely via an internet connection. It is also referred to as a web seminar, online conference, webinar (from the English "web" and "seminar") or teleconference.
Internet users who have registered for the webinar receive a link in their email to connect to the website where the broadcast is taking place. Webinar platforms offer many possibilities:
Audience members can listen to the presentation, ask questions either verbally or in writing, and interact in real time with the speaker and other participants as if they were there in person. The event is usually recorded so that anyone interested can watch the webinar live or as a replay.
Health restrictions and the rise of remote working have accelerated the digital transformation of SMEs. Webinars and videoconferences are among the Web 2.0 tools you should integrate into your way of working. Although often confused, these two forms of online conferencing each have their own specific features.
Videoconferencing is an online meeting during which all connected participants can share their screen and activate their microphone and webcam. Widely used in teleworking, it promotes team collaboration through two-way communication. The main drawback is the high bandwidth consumption, which can lead to poor audio and video quality. To avoid this problem, most videoconferencing tools impose a maximum number of participants.
In the case of a webinar, video and screen sharing are generally reserved for speakers only. Participants interact via instant messaging or polls. The host can occasionally restore the sound for participants so that they can ask questions. The webinar format is ideal for:
Webinars are a sales tool favored by 66% of digital marketers (source: Company Webcast). This type of content offers numerous advantages in terms of sales prospecting, conversion, and customer loyalty.
Hosting a webinar instead of a physical event allows you to expand your audience byremoving geographical constraints. Anyone interested can attend the webinar, regardless of where they are located. The short format and the fact that attendees don't have to travel also save your prospects a considerable amount of time.
All these factors contribute to a high participation rate, averaging between 60 and 70% of those registered. Sending a replay allows those who were unable to attend or internet users in a different time zone to view the webinar at a later date. This means you can reach even more people.
Online seminars are also an excellent lead magnet for enriching your prospect database with high-quality contacts. In fact, 79% of buyers agree to provide their contact details in exchange for a free webinar (source: Curata). This allows you to collect information about participants and qualify your leads by analyzing webinar statistics. You can also filter registrants and block potential competitors.
The ability to answer questions from potential customers via chat helps build trust and speeds up the sales cycle. This interactivity also translates into greater engagement on the part of participants. Controlling the conversation with professional-quality visual support fits in with your branding strategy and helps develop your reputation and authority in your market.
Finally, online conferences are a great way to reduce costscompared to physical events: you avoid room rental and travel expenses! Webinars require few material and human resources, making them an easy-to-use and economical marketing tool. They therefore have a place in the marketing strategy of all types of organizations, including small businesses with limited budgets.
Want to host a free webinar to boost your sales, but don't know where to start? Here are the key steps to follow.
There are many tools available for hosting webinars. Here is an overview of the best webinar software on the market.
Autour de l’Image works with Livestorm webinar software, the industry leader. This French solution enables companies to organize professional-quality online meetings and webinars. The webinar tool has advanced features to facilitate the entire creation and distribution process:
Unlike videoconferencing software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, Livestorm does not require any downloads. With just a few clicks, your prospects can access the webinar on any type of web browser or device. The interface is quick and intuitive to use.
Livestorm offers a free version limited to 10 simultaneous connections. The paid version supports up to 1,000 participants.
Depending on your needs, your budget, and your industry, you can also opt for other free or paid tools:
Live video streaming on social media using Facebook Live or YouTube Live is more suited to a B2C audience.
Has one of our software programs caught your attention? Now is the time to get started! Here are the steps to follow to create your webinar:
Once the event is over, don't forgetto analyze the webinar statistics: number of registrants, absentees, participants who stayed until the end, etc. Set up an email lead nurturing campaign to help prospects progress through the conversion funnel.
To be fully effective, your webinar must be integrated into your content marketing strategy and take into account the expectations and maturity of your targets at each stage of their purchasing journey. As a true partner to your company, our communications agency provides you with its expertise before, during, and after the webinar:
Would you like to use your webinar as a sales tool? Contact us to discuss this by filling out the contact form below!
