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Webinar FAQ

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Posted by Ken Molay
December 18 2008 11:08 AM EST

 4 comments

Audience_questions

I just reviewed my calendar for this year. In 2008 I gave 21 free public educational sessions on webinar tips and best practices. I worked with vendors such as Adobe, Arkadin, Citrix, Glance, iLinc, ReadyTalk, and Vcall. Combined audiences numbered in the thousands.

In all those talks, certain audience questions came up time and again. These truly are "Frequently Asked Questions." To be honest, some of them surprise me. I didn't think these would be seen as the most important or the most confusing for business people, but that shows the importance of listening to the audience instead of making assumptions about what they want to hear.

In this post, I'll just list the questions. If you want to take a shot at being an industry expert (and showing the thought leadership of your company), go ahead and submit an answer in the comments section. I'll post my answers next week.

1) Where do you find good graphics for your slides?
2) How long should a webinar be?
3) What are the best days and times to hold a webinar?
4) Should you use video of the speaker?
5) Does Q&A work better over the phone or through typed questions?
6) Are live or recorded webinars more effective?
7) How do you get an audience for your webinar?
8) Can I include prerecorded video clips in my presentation?
9) What are guidelines for fee-based events (whether to charge, how much to charge)?
10) Are live demos via webinar a good idea?

Tags: FAQ, questions, tips

  

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Comments:

  • Live demonstrations online are very popular, but there are two liabilities associated with them. First, they are often executed by experts who have designed whatever is being showcased and know it like the backs of their hands. This should be a good thing; but here it’s not. I’ve watched too many times as presenters zip around at dizzying speeds, leaving us in their dust. The problem is that the viewers have probably never seen the user interface before. Is there a better way to accomplish this? Yes. Create screen shots to demonstrate the essential features of the product or service; then create PowerPoint slides from them, using call-outs to illustrate where things are and what they allow you to do. Our audience will come away with some degree of understanding of what they’ve seen. But the greater danger in live demos is that the demo crashes – in real time, in front of a live audience. From this there is usually no recovery. One major failure with a live demo, and the webinar has not only destroyed the product’s credibility, it’s taken down the organization’s as well. The lesson I've learned: Approach live demos with a lot of trepidation and careful planning. They should not be undertaken without a lot of pre-broadcast testing and a fall-back plan in the event of a failure – and being prepared to execute it. Because a technical malfunction will occur ....eventually....you can bank on it.

    Posted by Larry Kilbourne, LK Associates, http://www.lkphd.com
    About 1 year ago

  • Part 1 Response: Hi Ken, As some are subjective to the speakers, such as graphics and fees, I’ve focused on the questions where my company can provide perspective based on our counsel to customers. 2) How long should a webinar be? We found that people are willing to stay on a webinar for about 45 minutes. This is quite a bit of time. The one thing to keep in mind is to keep intros short, focus on 2-3 key objectives, and finish with enough time for questions and answers. Be sure NOT to sell from the platform. This means – keep the content educational and not a promo for your products and services. 3) What are the best days and times to hold a webinar? We recommend from Tuesday – Thursday from about 11 am – 2 pm PST. However, we are starting to hear anecdotal evidence of success with webinars being held on Fridays. In the end, it will depend on your audience and objectives. 4) Should you use video of the speaker? If you use video, you have to be careful regarding the technology you’re using and the quality that you’re seeking to achieve. While webcams are more popular, poor lighting or audio/video quality can distract your audience from the speaker’s content. Per our research, we have seen an increase in using video for webinars. Again, just be aware of the pros and cons of using video.

    Posted by Cece Salomon-Lee, ON24, http://www.ON24.com
    About 1 year ago

  • Part 2 Response: 5) Does Q&A work better over the phone or through typed questions? If you have large audiences, about 50 or more, we recommend using typed questions. This enables the moderator to view, prioritize and manage questions. And if you’re unable to answer all questions, you can directly respond to all questions after the webinar. 6) Are live or recorded webinars more effective? If the pre-recorded webinar is being aired “live” on a specific day or time, I think that both can be effective as long as you consider point 2 regarding content. The difficulty arises when the recorded webinar is so “perfect” that the audience is unsure if the event is “live” or pre-recorded. The benefit of recorded is for those speakers who are not comfortable presenting live. You can always pre-record the presenter, hold it as a “live” webinar and have the presenter conduct a live Q&A during the last 10-15 minutes. 7) How do you get an audience for your webinar? There are different ways to get an audience. While email marketing is probably the most popular, we anticipate that social media will also gain traction for driving audiences to a webinar. The social media would be a component of a larger marketing program that include: email marketing, press release/media alert (if a prominent speaker), home page placement, listing in Facebook/LinkedIn, etc. 8) Can I include prerecorded video clips in my presentation? Since this question seems specific to vendors, I will say that you can include pre-recorded video clips using ON24.

    Posted by Cece Salomon-Lee, ON24, http://www.ON24.com
    About 1 year ago

  • Great article! We are a virtual events company that just started here in the Philippines. Maybe you would like to take a moment of your time to visit our site http://www.myprofessionalwebinars.com and share with us your expertise on how we can better improve our services. You may also want to share some of your thoughts on our blog http://www.philippinewebinars.com to aid our campaign in increasing Filipinos awareness of what webinars are and how they work.

    Posted by Carlos Garing, Profora Media, http://www.myprofessionalwebinars.com
    9 months ago

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