The World Wide Web and the internet connect people all over the world. Social networks allow people to share important information and data with friends and family. Online stores and sales platforms such as eBay and Amazon make it possible to shop directly from home. In this digital world, It is also easy to share media content such as videos, images, and music: you can listen to music and share live streaming with other users without any issue.
A famous format that also makes use of the internet and web possibilities is known as Webinar. It is utilized in various industries for different purposes such as education and training. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, trade shows and professional events were getting canceled around the world. That’s why many business owners are using alternatives such as webinars to connect to their target audience digitally. Here, Webinar plays an essential role to provide an informative and interactive platform and offer valuable content to new and existing clients. It is a cost-effective and easy way to develop the relationship and improve your brand awareness.
Before considering a webinar for your business, it is important to understand what are the benefits and drawbacks of webinars. In this session, you will find the advantages and disadvantages of an on-demand webinar.
Table of Contents
ADVANTAGES OF ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
# 1 Allow to reach out to a large audience
When it comes to trade shows and professional events, location is an essential factor. You can only interact with your audience where a particular event is happening.
But that is not the case with virtual shows. One of the main advantages of on-demand webinar services is that it helps you to connect and interact with participants and sponsors anywhere in the world. Anyone (with an internet connection) can participate in the Webinar without any issue. So there are no geographical barriers. You can be sitting in Australia while your audience is watching your virtual event from the US.
#2 Improve brand awareness
Business owners need to spend a considerable amount of resources, money, and time in order to develop and improve their brand image. From selecting the brand color and creating an attractive logo to developing a brand voice, there are different works that go into marketing and branding.
The webinar is one of the best options to enhance your brand identity online without spending a lot of money and time. During your webinar session, you can represent your branding elements repeatedly to your audience. If you use informative content and design your presentation smartly, you can reinforce your brand image.
Note:- A repeated brand exposure can help increase the brand recall value.
#3 Generate more leads
More audience equals more leads.
In order to survive in a competitive market, lead generation is essential for every business. The business growth will be stunted by generating quality leads. A webinar is one of the best marketing strategies utilized by different business owners to generate more leads.
For your on-demand webinar registration process, you can collect details of participants such as names, addresses, contact numbers, and other information. People directly become high-quality leads when they register for your virtual show. The webinar session will allow participants to understand your product or services and make them familiar with the brand. It can help you move them along the sales and marketing funnel.
The ability to establish a direct relationship with the client, video format, and content marketing helps attract more clients and generate more leads. You can use the webinar as a marketing tool to combine these elements and get the best results.
#4 Save money
With a webinar, you don’t need to rent out a physical space. The good thing is that the webinar is conducted online. As you are not renting out any auditorium and conference hall, the costs involved in performing the event are very low. You can also save money that you would have spent on refreshment, venue hire, catering, venue set up, conference materials, travel, hotel stays, and offering other facilities.
A stable internet connection is required to run a webinar successfully. A webinar is a cost-effective option compared to an offline event. If you are thinking of saving money while reaching out to a large audience, you can consider a webinar.
#5 seamlessly recorded
With the webinar, an online event can be recorded as part of the broadcast. The webinar allows people to access the training session according to their schedule. A trusted and reliable webinar service provider can help you offer a perfect webinar experience again and again.
DISADVANTAGES OF ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
#1 Technical issues can affect
Compatible software and equipment are essential in order to perform and access a webinar session. An unstable internet connection can create a major problem. In simple terms, If you disconnect during the live event, it can affect your presentation quality and brand value. In order to decrease the technique issues, webinar organizers need to select a reliable On-demand webinar platform.
#2 Limited interactions
One of the main disadvantages of the webinar is the lack of interaction between the presenter and participants. As a webinar is conducted online, there is just visual interaction between the presenter and participants. Not being able to see the participants, the presenter can’t gauge the mood, reaction, and interest and manage the presentation accordingly.
#3 Lack of body language and less accountability of engagement
Body language is missing from online webinar sessions. There is no handshake, standing ovations, and clapping which leads to a lack of enthusiasm. People could be in their comfort zone while attending a virtual session.
Participants are more likely to do other tasks during the online event. It means they are more distracted from the presentation. For a serious webinar, completion of a spot test or live participation (in the form of comments or QA) can enhance the engagement in the session and accountability for learning.
FINAL WORDS:
The webinar can be a perfect tool for presenters in order to share valuable information, attract more clients, improve brand awareness and generate leads. If you are going to consider this powerful tool for your business, you need to be aware of the possible pitfalls along with the benefits of webinars and plan accordingly.