When & why you would use a webinar product Blog

When you need to present to an audience that won’t physically be in the same room as you, there are many different platforms that you can use. To decide which option is best, consider the number of attendees, level of engagement required and the topic being presented. These elements will help determine which platform is best for you.

So, when and why would you use a webinar product?

To answer the first part of that question, it depends. A webinar is a web-based seminar, hence ‘web-inar’, so similar rules apply. As is the case in a seminar, it comprises mostly of the host or headline speakers discussing a topic or sharing industry insight with their audience. This means you would use a the platform when you need to give insight or present to a large audience, only online instead of in-person.

Why would you use this tool instead of running an in-person seminar?

It can often be difficult to find a date for a large audience to attend an in-person seminar. Calendar clashes, cost of travel for participants, ticketing and the cost of venue hire can all cause issues, especially if it’s a one-off event or an event that only happens on occasions.

Webinars have proved to solve a lot of these issues.

Participants don’t need to travel or worry about how to get to an event and instead they only need a device and internet connection to join. Everything is digital which means the host doesn’t need to worry about the cost of hiring an event space, furniture or large projectors, and can easily manage the event with a range of engaging features that give the impression of a real-life seminar.

Why would you use this product instead of other tools like screen share or web conferencing?

When formally presenting to an audience, organisers usually prefer using a webinar tool over other conferencing tools like screen share or video calls because it’s easy to manage speakers and participants.

For scheduling, they can easily send a link in a calendar invite and retain contact information in one simple list for post-presentation follow ups and managing leads for potential future business.

It’s also easier to manage the speakers and attendees during the presentation. By being able to enable and disable audio and switch between speakers with a click of a button, the platform can help hosts run their presentation like they’re a seasoned professional – even if it is their first time.

In terms of the features that are unique to online events over other conferencing tools, you can run polls, collate feedback, record and report on insights. This means that the host can easily gauge their audience’s thoughts both during and after the seminar.

Want to see what features our product has? Find out here.