Covid-19 had significantly slowed down the business in every sector initially, but people made strategies to prevent such a halt. This is accomplished through webinars, which allow people from different parts of the world to participate in conferences, events, and trade shows virtually by staying safe in their homes. The slideshow maker tools and other similar ways present a tactical opportunity for the marketers during this pandemic for becoming a leader for better sales force generation. Such online video presentations enable a company to stand out by generating interest in the minds of people for the topic and driving registration for the same. So we will be focusing on the best ways to conduct an effective webinar in this article.

Tips for creating an engaging webinar

Some crucial points to note down for creating an engaging webinar are explained in the following points:

i.  A short invitation for the webinar

The first important thing is to grab the attention of the target audience, and for this, you need to make a short video of 30 seconds to convey the message by highlighting the critical points briefly. Some important tips to remember while creating it are:

• Make the value stand out:

Viewers must be able to know what benefits they are going to get by attending the webinar. It is essential to include the vital takeaways in the invitations' opening part.

• Speakers' introduction:

The audience should know about the names of the experts to whom they will be listening to in the webinar, which will spark their curiosity and interest, besides making the webinar appear credible.

• Avoid adding slides full of lengthy texts:

Lengthy texts in the invitation would kill the interest of the audience. Instead, you can use a short, compelling voice-over, which they can quickly listen to. Adding a short personal narrative from the webinar's speakers will even be much advantageous and convincing.

• Easy registration process:

There should be a “register button” in the webinar invitation which the viewers can use to register themselves by signing up.

ii. Use animations and visuals

It is the key to keep the attention of viewers glued to the screen in a webinar so that they don't get bored.

iii. Put the pictures of speakers in the beginning

This will help people in better visualisation of whom they are listening to. If you are a novice, you can check with various tools available online to learn how to create a video so that the process will become much simpler for you.

iv. Make sure to have a silent surrounding

This implies that it is better to stay in a room that is away from surrounding noises like dogs barking, ringing cell phones, people talking, and others such distractions.

Similarly, it is advisable to use headphones to prevent the microphone from picking up the surrounding noise for clarity during communication.

v. Highlighting text and keeping a separate slide for questions

Since people attend webinars virtually, highlighting important points is crucial so that when you are talking about it, people do not have to spend time searching for a specific point.

Also, when you have a separate 'any questions' slide, people will understand that it is the right time when you are pausing to hear their problems. It is better to advise the webinar participants to keep a hard copy of the presentation handy so that switching between the slides for any reference, will be a lot easier.

vi. Practice well

For newbies who are using webinar software for the first time, must practice well to ensure that they feel comfortable and can fluently conduct the webinar.  The speaker should inculcate the habit of taking short pauses in between to let the audience think and comprehend between the lines and come up with queries later if any.

Practicing also helps the speaker avoid filler words and long pauses in between. They can even take the feedback from your peers during practice sessions and make necessary changes for making the webinar more impactful.

vii. Keep a backup plan ready

There is a small probability of computer failure when you are all set to begin the webinar. To avoid such circumstances, it is recommended to keep another laptop ready with the webinar software and the presentation, so that you do not fail to live up to the expectations of the audience who have registered themselves to attend the webinar.

viii. Stick to the context

Once the topic for the webinar is decided, it is better to stick to the context and make the presentation as informative as possible, instead of simply beating around the bush. An informative webinar will make the audience feel that they have got to learn something from it, and it was not a waste of their time. This will motivate them to participate in other upcoming webinars too actively.

ix. Use the right tools

There are various movie maker tools available online that can be conveniently used even by beginners. So if you have not done this before, there is nothing to worry about. But make sure that you are choosing the right tool, which is feature-loaded. For example, it should have various templates that can be readily used based on the topic you have selected. Similarly, there should be themes, colour options, music, and a gallery from where you can choose a wide range of suitable pictures for your presentation.

Most of all, the tool must have a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and learn for beginners, so that it can be a one-stop destination that efficiently meets all your needs. This will prevent your dependency on other video editing tools and software to complete your work.

Final words

Technological advancements ensure ease of handling difficult situations without much inconvenience. Once you are well versed in the important points needed for effective video making, the process will be smooth for you when you move forward. Thus, even small business firms can also rely on conducting webinars to flourish during these tough times for creating awareness as well as increasing sales.