20 Tips for Organizing a Successful Webinar

Posted on July 21st, 2016 by Quertime Writer in Info & News

Webinar, a web based seminar is one of the most powerful tools of content marketing today. It could be a presentation, a workshop or a lecture that is transmitted over the internet. Webinars are a successful mode of content marketing as it allows to give, receive and interact in real-time.

An organized webinar that has interesting content that allows you to connect with the audience is able to draft your way to becoming an authority in the field you have expertise in.

Webinar should be enriching. A webinar with faulty slides or screeching audio or anything worse, you will lose the trust that you have worked hard to build in.

At times, it has been noticed even a good webinar, if not planned will occasionally run into errors or glitches. As an organizer, you must be looking for ways where you can run the webinar without any glitches.

Here are 20 ways to organize a successful webinar:

Phase 1: The Testing

The most important part of a webinar is that the audience you are catering to is able to hear, see and understand your content. It should be error free for anyone who is attending your webinar. For the same it is important to have a testing element for every part of the webinar process before the real deal.

1. A test Webinar
If you are inviting panellists or guests to join you for the webinar, you should ask them to join you for the test too.

2. Check on Your Video, Audio and the Slides
Start with checking everyone’s audio. The panellists should use headsets and eliminate echoes. Next, be sure that your slides are working properly and the content is readable. If you have multiple presenters, make sure they are present during the test webinar and know the part well.

3. Next, Testing the Recording Process
Use your friends to successfully complete this step. You need to make sure that the recording works and creates a video file. Your friends would attend the webinar and do the recordings for you creating the back-up.

4. The Tests Should Be Run On All Interactive Components
This includes everything from surveys, polls, challenges, quizzes etc. Check on the interactive elements like the chat box to make sure that the attendees are able to connect with the presenters.

The testing of the webinar should take place at least 3-4 days before the actual date so that you have enough room to work on all the glitches you find in the testing phase.

Phase 2: The Pre-Webinar Phase

A successful webinar also requires you to be prepared well before the scheduled day and hence there are steps you should take few days before the webinar.

5. Get an Assistant
Having an assistant helps you take out a lot of stress that you might have because of the webinar presentation. Having a co-worker or a colleague to be your behind the back person of the webinar. The assistant/co-worker/colleague, whatever you name him/her would take care of troubleshoot problems when you are trying to present.

6. The Back-Up Plan
As important it is to work on your webinar, it is important to have answers to questions like:

What is the procedure of fixing something that could go wrong in a Webinar?
How do you plan to deal with it?

7. Have Short-Bios Ready in Hand
Get short biographies of the panellists in your Webinar and go through them. If you need more information ask and prepare an introduction of each one them during the webinar.

Phase 3: Just Before the Webinar

8. Check Your Computer
Just before the seminar, close all applications that are hogging your bandwidth or any other intensive resources that are running on your computer.

9. Discontinue notifications
Shut down every notification that can bother you in between the webinar. From e-mail to social media, put everything to halt.

10. Power up
You should be sure that the system you are using is plugged into a working source of power.

11. Organize Your Work Area
Make sure that you have no one to disturb in the area where you will be making your presentation. Make sure that the work area is neat and do not have any sort of distractions for you.

12. Switch Off Gadgets Not in Use
Including your phone, switch off all gadgets that are not in use. Make sure you have everything turned off so that there is no interference in between.

13. Try and Be a Little Early
In order to avoid any last minute issues and begin on time, it is suggested that you sign-in a little earlier. Not only will this ease your process and make you calm but also give you time to sort out any last minute things.

Phase 4: Things to Do When Running a Webinar

14. Make Sure Your Broadcast Starts on Time
The worst thing that can happen to your webinar is starting it late. So make sure to kick off on time.

15. Check
The first thing to do when you start your webinar is to check with your audiences if they can hear you and see you. Ask them for a verification, say a thumbs-up in the chat box.

16. Be in control and Keep Yourself Organized
Make sure that if you have any updates or any special instructions, you let your audience know at the beginning.

17. Remember to share the #hashtag
Encourage social media sharing. Announce the #hashtag to your audience. During your presentation you can use the hashtag at the top corner of the slide.

18. Introduction
At the beginning, you should introduce the panellists and the participants to the audience. This avoids any type of confusion in the webinar.

19. Do Not Forget to Start the Recording
You would definitely want the recorded version of your webinar. So, make sure you hit the record button right at the beginning. Not only this will add to your collection but you still will have to broadcast it to people who could not make it. By watching it closely you could also find your mistakes and avoid them in future.

20. Begin the Webinar
With everything in place, it is now time to begin.

Author: Akansha Arora

Akansha Arora is a professional writer and blogger who loves to pen down her views on a number of topics that interest a reader. She writes for Naukrigulf.com keeping in mind the current scenarios and wishes to keep her readers well informed.