Webinar Wire

Effective Use of Webinar Style Content

A recent question on another forum sought advice over issues with providing content delivery to customers (users) and Ken and I have had a brief discussion about my thoughts in responding to the question.

In essence the question was 'I have a big file that I offer as a download or as a streaming option for customers and I have technical issues across certain platforms - what should/can I do?...'

The general gist of most of the people who responded offered all sorts of quality technical based advice on how to fix the problem, types of files to use, different services for delivery and so on.  All good, relevant and helpful ideas that were worth their time to read.

And for me, the real issue appeared not to be the technical challenge of delivery (which focused on the internal issue of 'How do I get my message out there?') but rather the fundamental issue of 'in what way and what messages might the customer prefer to gain access to this content?'. 

This 'Outside - In' focus prompted the quick discussion between Ken & myself that leads to me posting almost verbatim, the response I provided at the time.

The response is then, an overview of the things you might like to ask yourself so that you can maximise the benefits of using the web and your content, in a way the benefits everyone in the exchange of your content: 

'Hi (...)  Some very good technical advice being offered that ought pose some solutions for you, so allow me to address a different issue which may make the solutions redundant because you may be trying to solve the wrong problem.

To do so I am going to ask a series of questions for you to work through and most of them are coming from the end user perspective, given the provider (tech) perspective is already covered

1. Why do you want me to download such a big file in the first place?  This question could also be posed as 'Are your needs as transmitter of the information' and my needs as end user of the information, both being met by your chosen delivery method?'

2. What happens if I don't have time to watch it all? If you 'stream only' doesn't that mean I have to go back to the start every time and wait till it gets to the spot I was when I had to log off last time? If so as a customer you've lost me

3. Is this massive file all on the one subject or does each file actually contain small themes as part of an overall presentation? If so could you break the huge file up into smaller bite size chunks that will download faster and overcome most of the multiple browser issues you say you now have?

4. My attention span is limited and I have so much to do already - if you break it up into smaller chunks for me, won't that increase the chances you'll capture me as a client because I'll be able to sample those thing that appear to be most immediately relevant to me?

5. Yes I want to stream sometimes and yes I want download other times. Can't you provide both options?

6. I have other companies that sell me stuff that use small snippets of presentations tied to workbooks and the like - do you have a similar set up or do you just want to offer a 'one size - FIT ALL' approach to me and my friends?

(...) if you tackle those questions you might just discover that your apparent technical issue evaporates because the focus on customer outcomes and your intentions for program delivery get aligned. And if they do I suspect that there's going to be the production of smaller data packets available which would overcome any IE hassles and make it even better for your Firefox users. Plus the smaller data packet format would allow you to change elements if things change for you, rather than having to supercede an entire downloadable presentation....'

So the message here that I'd like you to consider is

Make sure your needs and the end users needs are aligned 

Provide multiple options for gaining access

Make those options as simple as possible for the end user

Consider providing additional support materials to build what is on offer - you can literally turn a small data packet into a huge generator of interest and even customers

Hope that is of value to everyone

Marcus Barber, Strategic Futurist, Looking Up Feeling Good Pty Ltd