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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Quick answer: A webinar is an online seminar that attendees join live or watch on demand. Hosting one helps you reach a wider audience, boost brand awareness, generate and nurture leads, build authority in your field, increase engagement, promote your product, keep costs low, repurpose content, and earn more revenue.
Content marketing has seen explosive growth in recent years, and for good reason: the majority of content marketers say it works for generating leads and expanding reach. But the space gets more crowded every year, which waters down its overall effectiveness. Adding webinars to your content mix is one way to combat that content fatigue. Below we explain what a webinar is and walk through the 10 benefits of hosting one.
A webinar - from ‘web’ and ‘seminar’ - is an online-only event that people tune into, either live or during a replay, to hear a presentation on a particular subject. Webinars are usually educational in nature, but they can also be used to market a product or solution and to generate leads and sales.
Because webinars are hosted virtually, businesses and brands can tap into far larger audiences than in-person events allow. Geographic restrictions no longer matter, and attendees can fit a replay around their own schedule rather than tuning in at a fixed time. Canapii has powered 2,000+ events for 300,000+ attendees across 45+ countries - reach on that scale is exactly what an online format unlocks.
Webinars add context to your brand and product because they feel more like a conversation than a sales pitch or advertisement. That conversational format helps attendees get to know your brand on a deeper level and remember it long after the session ends.
Webinars offer an easy way to generate lots of high-quality leads at once. People sign up based on the topic and what they hope to take away, so you know they are already interested in what you have to say. After the webinar, it is a matter of following up with your new connections and helping them take the next step.
For leads that are not ready to buy on the spot, you can hold on to them and keep nurturing until they are. When using webinar platforms, you have all their contact information in one place and can track your communications with each lead.
Webinar hosts are usually authorities in the subject being discussed. You have a captive audience for the duration of the session, and attendees trust your expertise and advice because you have put yourself on the stage. Hosting also adds to your professional marketability - use it to drum up positive PR and grow your authority.
Virtual event software helps you maximise your attendees’ engagement with purpose-built features like polls, Q&As, and breakout sessions. These small but powerful tools keep attention high and turn passive listeners into active participants - far more interactive than a traditional advertisement.
Webinars give you a chance to show off every angle of your product or service in a way a static ad cannot replicate. Make the session directly product-focused, with features and tutorials, or keep it subtle and weave your product into problem-and-solution scenarios.
A virtual event platform is a cost-effective way to market to many people simultaneously. Instead of paying per view or click, you pay a flat rate for the event software and can host as many webinars as you like. The cost per attendee is very low, and the price does not increase as your audience grows.
The content marketing space is noisy, which is why marketers are prioritizing the content stretch - expanding one piece of content as far as possible. Webinars are prime for stretching your content (and your marketing budget) because there are so many ways to repurpose them: turn the conversation into blog posts and white papers, send out a press release, or snip clips to share on social media. The longer the webinar, the more value you can get from it.
When more people are exposed to your brand or product, they start to see how it fits into their lives. Webinars bring in qualified leads who are the most likely to convert into sales, which drives more revenue from every session you host.
A webinar is an online seminar that attendees join live or watch on replay. Most are educational, but businesses also use them to promote a product or solution and to generate leads.
Wider audience reach, stronger brand awareness, new and nurtured leads, expert positioning, higher engagement, product promotion, low marketing costs, reusable content, and more revenue.
Far less than an in-person event. With a platform like Canapii you pay a flat rate for the software rather than per view or click, so the cost per attendee stays low and does not rise as your audience grows.
Turn the recording into blog posts and white papers, send out a press release, and snip highlights to share on social media. The longer the webinar, the more assets you can create from it.
Ready to add webinars to your content marketing mix? Canapii delivers turnkey features to help you create your first webinar with confidence - contact us for a free demo.