aHosting a business webinar can be exciting as well as challenging. It is a great opportunity to put information out there and connect with people while promoting your company’s interests. Webinars are great tools to further a marketing strategy and increase brand visibility exponentially. However, it is important to do it right and avoid as many mistakes as possible. Of course, no one is perfect, and some mistakes usually go unnoticed. However, certain mistakes may not go unnoticed and can wreck the online business webinar on a serious note. Below are ten common mistakes committed by presenters during a webinar and how to avoid them:
1. Undefined audience
How would one feel if your content and presentation went unappreciated after all the dedication, hard work, and planning one put into devising a webinar? Sad, of course. To avoid getting this disheartening unappreciation, it is important to clearly define the target audience.
Even if hundreds attend the webinar, it is useless because no one will have a valuable takeaway. Instead, one can invite fewer people comprising the target audience. And voila, you are good to go.
2. Unnecessary rush
It is a common mistake on the presenters’ part to rush things unnecessarily during an ongoing webinar. It might be driven by panic but they tend to think that covering more topics and aspects in less time and also cover an additional one. This might sound okay but it is not. One is only doing a disservice to the audience present since they will not be able to follow the presentation at all.
Instead of covering more topics quickly, one should cover fewer topics at a slow pace. This is convenient for the audience to follow and comprehend and will also save the presenter some breath. After all, the webinar aims to deliver value and knowledge and leave no stone unturned!
3. Diverting from the agenda
When individuals register for a webinar, they do so with certain expectations. If they read information like the webinar is being conducted on a virtual show platform, like Dreamcast, and will cover 10 topics, make sure to address these 10 topics without fail. The reason is, that some people may only be interested in 1 or 2 topics from the 10 being addressed.
Covering all the topics during the webinar is significant to ensure that the webinar is a hit. When the expectations and needs of the audience are met and the agenda is not diverting and everything is on track, that is a recipe for success!
4. Technical jargon with no explanation
Unless the webinar is about rocket science technical jargon is not the way to do it. The quickest way to irritate the attendees and make them lose interest is by using a lot of complex terminologies without an explanation per se.
When a lot of unfamiliar words are thrown at people, there is always a huge risk of alienating them, and the chances of them leaving an unpleasant feedback increase. The English vocabulary is vast and of course, no one knows all the words, right? If complex terminology is used while speaking, it is important to address the meaning of it to the audience to retain their attention.
5. Inadequate time for questions
Online business webinar services thrive from the interaction. After all, the difference between a recorded video and a live webinar lies in audience participation. As said earlier, it is a common mistake on the presenters’ end to rush things and cover lots of topics. This leaves less room for questions and answers.
The Q&A session hence should be planned in a well-calculated manner. There should be enough room and time for people to ask questions and get them answered adequately at the end of the webinar.
6. No test-run
Practice makes perfect, as we have heard several times. The same thing applies to a webinar as well. It is a virtual show where the presenter faces tons of people. Being confident is the key but it is even more important to base that confidence on a test run. A webinar conducted without a test run is bound to witness the presenter fumbling even though they may have a script in their hand. The speech might not be in sync with the slide show or may exhaust the time slot of the Q&A session.
Keeping all this in mind, a test run must be in order. If one is new to the world of webinars, it is advisable to do at least two or three dry run checks.
7. Unstable internet bandwidth
A stable internet connection is the most essential requirement while conducting a webinar. However, it is quite an unpredictable commodity. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure and check if the internet connection is stable and strong before beginning the webinar session.
Also, always have a backup plan like a mobile hotspot or an alternate WIFI service. Ensure to follow up with the entire guest list and apologize for the inconvenience caused if nothing works and the webinar is continuously plagued by connection issues. Schedule an alternate session or make sure to share the material related to the topic of the webinar.
8. Forgetting to share the screen
Technology is a wonder and has certainly upped the webinar game. While conducting the webinar, the virtual show platform allows one to share the screen, camera, or both.
The audience will not be able to relate to what is being said if the presenter forgets to share the screen. This is a recipe for confusion. Always keep in mind to share the screen as soon as the webinar begins and double-check the screen to make sure the right document is on display.
9. Forgetting to mute/unmute
Make sure to unmute before beginning to speak, otherwise one will have to start over and the audience may perceive it as a technical issue and exit the meeting. Also, make sure to be on mute when not speaking to avoid any embarrassment or disrupt the webinar. Always double-check the mute and unmute buttons provided by the online webinar business services and do a test run.
10. No follow-up
Companies dedicate tonnes of time, effort, and planning to bring a webinar to life. After putting forth a successful webinar, most companies tend to slack off on following up with the attendees. This is an important aspect to connect with people and increase brand exposure. The follow-up emails must include the highlights of the webinar, the key takeaways, and a link to the recording of the entire webinar.
Conclusion
It is human to commit a few mistakes here and there, but it is equally important to learn from them and unlearn certain habits. Webinars are great tools to further a company or business’ marketing strategy. However, committing certain mistakes which may get noticed can completely wreck the purpose of the webinar. Hence, it becomes essential to try and avoid mistakes as much as possible and deliver a smooth and productive experience to the target attendees.
