A true professional embraces life-long learning. Fortunately, there is an ideal platform to make ongoing education an easy habit to develop. That platform is webinars. Since their inception, webinars have taken the B2B sector by storm. Today, over 61% of B2B companies create and host webinars. Due to their low cost and ease of creation, marketers from a broad range of industries leverage webinars for everything from internal training to lead generation. As with any other messaging medium, the key to success is delivering relevant, practical content in a thought-provoking and stimulating way. When you do, participants will benefit in the following ways.

Benefits of Webinars

1. They gain knowledge they can use. The main purpose of most webinars is to provide meaningful information to employees, prospects, customers, vendors and other target audiences. Presented by subject-matter experts, webinars can range from multi-session courses to bite-size chunks of information designed for immediate real-world application. Content includes, but is not limited to, how-to guides, industry trends, problem/solutions scenarios, data and research results. In addition to auditory content, facilitators supplement information with visuals such as charts, photos, graphs and video. This makes content highly compelling and consumable. Usually ranging in lengths from 45 to 60 minutes, these sessions are manageable during the course of the business day.
2. They provide opportunities for conversation. Unlike video content, webinars move from a monologue into a dialogue. They provide a unique opportunity to communicate with peers and participants in real time without geographical limits. Over 80% of B2B webinars include a question-and-answer segment with the audience, and most utilize a chat or messaging system, both of which enable participants to communicate with each other as well as with hosts. Open communication creates deeper levels of engagement for everyone.
3. They create networking opportunities. Because of the ease of communication among participants, webinars are a great place to network. Participants come with a shared purpose or interest. Whether you hope to generate leads, find referrals, meet possible business partners or simply gain additional knowledge, webinars represent a safe and easy way to reach and interact with others.

It’s Testing Time

As with other marketing programs, a good rule of thumb to ensure success is: test, test, test. Test what topics yield the greatest interest. Test various days and times to see what generates the most attendees. Test the length of the program. Test the quality of the presentation by doing a dress rehearsal. Test the technology to see what allows for the greatest flexibility, interaction and engagement. Test the way you market the event in terms of frequency, messaging and marketing channel used. Through this process, most companies will see a return on investment that produces cost-effective results you can count on over and over again.