2020 was a year full of new adventures. Organizations across the world had to deal with the distressing impact of the coronavirus. Due to this disruption, it became difficult for many organizers to set their goals and find different alternatives to run their business operations seamlessly. The use of the internet during the past few years has led us to new inventions and technologies. You may have seen technologies used in a limited space of traditional seminars. For instance, a desktop computer, a laser pointer, or maybe a projector. In this article, we are cover the pros and cons of a virtual webinar.
These were before we encountered the sudden spread of the virus. Today, old techniques have switched to new ones and the change has twisted our way of running a business for the better. With high-tech and advanced tools, organizers can maximize their reach and grow their networking opportunities in a way they never thought possible.
What is a virtual webinar?
Many tech-enthusiasts discovered a brand new world for the event industry, making the Internet a vast networking device across the globe. Social networking today has crossed the boundaries of success and is serving as meeting points for people to connect, interact, and exchange thoughts with family, friends, and acquaintances. But that is not it!
Given that workforces are in more need of performing their regular activities such as presenting presentations, planning for workshops, or training seminars to share information and uplift communications, having a platform that can inculcate all is a must! Here virtual webinar can play a viable role for organizations and other industries.
A virtual webinar is basically an interactive online event platform that is held over the internet in real-time. The platform offers multiple video organizing tools to its potential customers in a vast digital environment. Now, why must your organizers tune in to a webinar you may ask? Or can they deliver workable solutions effectively? If you too are struggling to find an answer, your search ends here! To shed some light on the functionality of the webinar platforms, we have created this complete guide for you to understand what exactly Webinar defines and what are their pros and cons in association with virtual seminars. So without further ado, let’s get started!
What is a webinar?
The word ‘webinar’ has been segregated into two following parts- ‘web’ and ‘seminars’. Webinars basically indicate an online transmission of seminars, presentations, and similar content with the help of web-based technology.
Webinars are the exact opposite of webcasts wherein information is only presented on demand and is channeled in one direction. Speaking of webinars, it is a real-time interactive tool that allows two-way communication between planners and participants.
Traditionally, when webinars were conducted in person, a keynote speaker used to run through a presentation deck. This hardly gave attendees a chance to attend the meeting due to limited reservations. This gave rise to virtual webinars and live streaming tremendously.
The idea is quite simple- Just sit back, relax and listen to your expert speaker. Not just that, attendees can also put in questions in the Q&A panel at the end of the sessions. You can either pre-record the session or transmit it in real-time. Below, we have enlisted a couple of webinar features that you must know before enrolling yourself in the webinar world.
- Several video presenters
- Seamlessly share files and documents
- Live chat, live poll, Q&As, and follow-up surveys features for prospects
- Pre-taped video/audio sharing
- Use webinars with other business applications, for instance, email marketing tools.
Why host a webinar?
Webinars are mostly used for educational or informational purposes but in a variety of different formats. After the announcement of the worldwide lockdown, attendees were unable to attend meetings or educational workshops in person. And to offer you a number, almost 65% of the population today are choosing visual learnings more as they find it convenient and safe.
By amalgamating video, audio, and live interactive tactics, a webinar can become an effective and valuable tool for organizers to perform the intended job seamlessly.
The Pros:
1- Convenient and Formative
Virtual webinars are beyond formative. It enables attendees to join or leave the meeting at their convenience. They can attend these webinars using their mobile or computer devices. A webinar only requires limited training space as the audience devotes their time and resources to training from the comfort of their homes.
This makes the platform equally convenient and flexible for organizers and prospective attendees.
2- Cost-effective
Previously when traditional routes were incredibly popular, the expenses used to reach their heights, and revenue generation was limited. Thereby, Virtual webinars became a viable option for organizers as it is enormously cheap and eliminates traveling and material costs. Organizers can invest their money in better tools and technologies to derive better meeting experiences in a cost-effective and user-friendly environment.
3- Amplify your audience reach
As digital events eliminate all the geographical barriers, distance is no longer an issue for attendees. They can easily participate in any webinar training without having to physically be present in the session. This has enabled organizers to reach more audiences from all around the world.
4- Eco-friendly
As webinars are solely operated over the internet, it cuts down the chances of affecting the environment. In response to global health restrictions- no vehicles are permitted to get on the road, and no crowd is allowed to get out of their home, therefore making the atmosphere eco-friendly and free from any pollution.
The Cons:
1- Lack of communication
One of the major drawbacks of webinars is that they lack human interaction. However, their voice/video communication is seamlessly easy and convenient, in-person interaction is something we all miss. The time we all gathered in public to plan, discuss, and appreciate the learning through a pat on the back or high fives after achieving the target goals.
Even though virtual events have helped us learn in a comfortable environment, live events will always hold their importance in the event industry.
2- Technical glitches
It is pretty visible that organizing any event online can either allow great reach with the smooth running of the program or a drop in the attendance percentage due to sudden technological glitches occurring during the webinar. One out of three cases of webinars fails to deliver its message to the target audience due to the lack of interaction that occurred due to any technical glitches.
Apart from that, as your attendees will be attending your event from their remote locations, the problem may arise from their end. For instance, low internet connectivity, or any software issue can lead to extreme disruptions in communication.
3- Lack of physical movements
With very limited or no physical actions, attendees might not be able to express themselves to the webinar session. Earlier, in a physical event, conveying what you feel was much easier. For example, audiences could clap, shake hands, or give a standing ovation to a speaker. Online training also involves some engaging tactics such as emoticons integration wherein you can clap, hoot, like, and appreciate the event via sending a heart emoji.
Conclusion
Being not physically available at the venue location can be less encouraging but webinars are the new generation tool for organizers and attendees equally. It has helped them reach global audiences, generate great leads, and also cut down a fraction of costs efficiently. Any event no matter big or small must-have tools that can enhance users’ interactive and engagement level and a webinar platform have it all. Now that you know the pros and cons of virtual webinars, it is now time to choose wisely and get to know more about your platform through this informational guide mentioned above.
Happy Reading!
