What is a webinar? A tool for hosting online seminars

In today's technology age, connecting people online is not hard, and there are many formats and tools for it. Among them, Webinar is regarded as an effective form of online connection that gives users many benefits. In the article below, let's MONA Media look at what a Webinar is and the benefits it brings.

What is a Webinar?

A webinar is simply an online seminar. It runs on a web platform, and an internet connection is needed to connect many people. Webinars have no geographic limits, and can connect people in different places around the world at the same time.

With a webinar, you can share information with other attendees through PowerPoint slides, text, video and other kinds of data.

In marketing and business, a webinar means even more. It is regarded as a necessary and very powerful marketing tactic. The connection a webinar creates is the one between your business and your customers. A webinar can also be a tool for online training.

It also suits your business for managing meetings and training staff without everyone having to be in one place. That is why the tool is becoming more popular, especially among people working in international settings and multinational companies.

Key Webinar features

Webinars come with many standout features, but not everyone knows them. Take a look at the features below:

Recording discussions and presentations

In talks and presentations, there are times when you can't give the meeting your full attention. This feature lets you record the discussion on the Webinar.

It also lets a business save the webinar and replay it later without repeating the content again.

Screen sharing in a Webinar 

In workshop or online meetings, showing slides is essential. It helps the presenter sum up what they want to say. To meet this need, Webinar offers screen sharing and presenting so your presentation goes smoothly.

Chat and calls (voice) 

Webinars let the audience and the presenter interact more easily.

Webinars with quick live editing 

In meetings or discussions, you can use this feature to annotate or mark important items in the presentation. That way you can remember the parts that didn't meet your needs, or the points you have questions about and want the presenter to explain again.

Polls and surveys for the audience 

This feature lets the presenter run a poll with workshop (discussion) participants. It is also a way to get interaction and keep the audience interested throughout the webinar.

Practical uses of Webinars in business

That covers the basics of Webinars. Here is a list of the most common ways they are used:

Using a Webinar as a sales and marketing tool

In most cases, a Webinar is used as a brand's marketing strategy or part of a business. It isn't made only for large corporations or companies. Even small startups and private businesses can see good results from it.

Requiring registration for a Webinar helps you grow your email list, and mentioning your products and services at the end generates interest and attracts attendees to follow up later.

Free content as a tactic

The end of a Webinar often includes a sales pitch. In practice, many businesses run a Webinar to build a customer email list of their own. In this case, every attendee has to register for the Webinar with their email address.

An alternative is to use social platforms such as Instagram Live, YouTube Live and Facebook Live to host a free Webinar. Encourage people to join with their friends so they don't miss it.

The main goal is to build your own expertise and your relationship with your target audience by offering value rather than focusing only on selling. Once you've connected with them, you can invite them to become email subscribers and build the relationship from there.

Live Q&A

Another way to use a Webinar is a live Q&A to answer customers' questions about your products or services. This kind of Webinar works well for products you own, whether physical or digital.

Beyond answering questions about your products, you can also show what you offer. This kind of Webinar moves customers from the trial stage to the paying stage.

You can also use this kind of Webinar to cross-sell other products. Show users the next steps to take part. Once the audience feels connected by the end, they will not only buy but also influence others, such as family and friends.

Live training

If you have a remote team, a Webinar is the best way to train them. Teach through your company's standard operating procedures and update them on the latest changes easily.

Since a Webinar can be recorded, you don't need to worry about absent members. Simply send them a recording of the Webinar.

Interaction in interviews

You can also use a Webinar to run interviews and interact with participants. Give your customers more value by bringing in experts and interacting with those who registered for the Webinar.

Training and onboarding customers

Software companies can gain a lot from using Webinars to train their customers. Done live or pre-recorded, it helps remove confusion. A Webinar helps people learn new software and get familiar with it.

Benefits of Webinars for businesses

A Webinar is a type of seminar that makes things easier for both organizers and attendees. First, it is very simple to organize and join. Nobody has to be in one place. People can meet over an internet connection and receive all the information. Here are some of the benefits Webinars bring users.

An open space with no limit on attendees

A Webinar does not limit how many people join your seminar. Anyone invited can join as long as they have an internet connection. With this kind of seminar, distance is no longer a concern. Like livestream, a webinar is held online.

Attendees can be in different places, even different countries. Webinars help businesses create open spaces, useful for organizations that want to connect with many people in many places without meeting in person.

Webinars allow webcam and screen sharing

A Webinar lets the organizer share content from their device's screen. It is also the main way to deliver information and knowledge to the audience: slides, videos, text, images, or anything else you want attendees to see.

You can also share video from your webcam, so attendees see you, not just information on your computer screen.

Strong interaction

Not only the organizer: Webinar attendees can also interact with each other. Everyone is connected, so they can interact freely without barriers.

This not only builds understanding but also lets businesses gather opinions and feedback from customers, so they can improve and give them a better experience.

Members can also ask questions about the seminar during a Webinar, and organizers can use them to poll attendees' opinions.

Storage and added value for Webinars

After a seminar ends, all of its content is saved. Organizers can use it to collect information and make the seminar more appealing. They can also publish the seminar for others to watch, so the Webinar isn't forgotten once it ends.

Where is Zoom Webinar used most?

Online seminars today fall into two main fields: marketing, which introduces products and brands to customers, and education, which is online teaching.

Webinars in marketing

Online marketing has become more popular since the Covid pandemic. 

Seeing this benefit, many businesses now hold online sessions on Webinar to present their upcoming products. These sessions attract more attention from users and from investors. 

In online presentations, businesses can easily gather viewers' opinions, and the content delivered to viewers can be more creative. 

Webinars also let businesses save a large part of their marketing budget when introducing new products. That money can then go to many other tasks.

Webinars in education

Webinars are proving important in education. They let teachers train students without anyone having to go to a specific place. 

Students only need a Webinar to learn from anywhere. The software is also simple to run, and lecturers or instructors can pre-record and replay a topic without repeating it many times.

Webinars also noticeably cut the cost of renting venues or preparing classrooms. Students save on travel.

Businesses also use webinars to train staff and update their knowledge. In a world where technology keeps advancing, webinars help businesses keep up with the trend.

Requirements and how to use Zoom Webinar

Requirements for using Zoom Webinar

To use these features on Zoom Webinar, you need to meet the following conditions:

• Anyone who wants to host a meeting must have a Pro account or higher;
• To draw more attendees, you have to buy Zoom's Webinar add-on in your choice of capacity: 100, 500, 3,000 or up to 10,000 attendees;
• To use the Zoom Webinar Desktop Client or Mobile App, you need version 3.0 or later.

Attendees of a discussion or meeting only need a Zoom Webinar Rooms or CRC (H.323 and SIP) device to join.

Basic guide to using Webinar

1. Schedule a meeting or seminar on Zoom Webinar 

+ Step 1: Sign in to your account at zoom.us/webinar

+ Step 2: On the toolbar, click Webinars

Click Webinars, then Schedule A Webinar to schedule the seminar

+ Step 3: Next, click Schedule A Webinar on the screen

The required settings* appear:

• Topic: Topic of the webinar
• Description: A short description of what the seminar will cover
• Use a template: Whether to use an existing template
• When: When the seminar takes place
• Duration: How long the seminar lasts
• Recurring webinar: Whether the webinar repeats daily
• Registration: Option to require attendees to register
• Webinar Password: Password to join 
• Video:
  - Host: setting for whether the host's video can be turned back on
  - Panelist: setting for whether a panelist's video is on or off. If a panelist turns it off, they cannot turn it back on, and only the host can change it.
• Audio Option: lets participants dial in by phone (telephone), join from a computer, or use either one (both).

Information to fill in when scheduling a webinar

Some additional features:

• With Webinar Options:
• Q&A: whether the webinar allows the Q&A panel
• Enable Practice Session: Replay content 
• Only authenticated users can join: Require Zoom sign-in to join the webinar
• Record the webinar automatically: the webinar is recorded and saved automatically
• Alternative Hosts: You give hosting rights to other people, who can start the webinar for you if you can't attend.

+ Step 4: Click Schedule

Click Schedule to finish

2. How to start a webinar you have already prepared

• Method 1: Sign in to the homepage Zoom.us then select Webinar and then click Start.
• Method 2: Go to Zoom, click tab Meeting (meetings). Find  Webinar and click Start.

3. How to get the results report of a Zoom Webinar

• Step 1: Go to: Zoom.us, then select Reports, then select Account Management > Reports.
• Step 2: Click Usage Reports.

View the results report after the webinar

Researching What a webinar is and the benefits it brings show that a webinar is a genuinely useful way to connect with your audience. It is also a chance for a business to gather information from its customers. That is why webinars have become a trend that any business or organization should have in marketing strategy in the market.