The Three Webinars That Rocked 2018

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We sit down at the end of every year to take stock of the webinars that were bigger, better and more engaging than the rest and compile them into one comprehensive, end-of-year smorgasbord of webinar goodness. We call it “Webinars That Rocked,” and we just held this year’s edition on December 12 (you can watch it on demand here).

While the Webinars That Rocked broadcast is over, the analysis isn’t. We thought it’d be a great idea to highlight why our top three winners, chosen by viewers like you, won. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the top three webinars that rocked 2018.

AutoTrader

AutoTrader is no stranger to producing excellent webinars. So it makes sense that it ranked high in Webinars That Rocked 2018. As evidence of its webinar abilities, the company submitted its “New Car Webinar” for review, as it fills a unique space in the automotive industry. This one webinar helps retailers, manufacturers and internal staff to familiarize themselves with trends and insights in the automotive industry. It’s a webinar designed to inform everyone  — from junior retailers to senior manufacturers — in the industry, which means it gets a lot of viewers.

Purpose

Each webinar needs a purpose, so AutoTrader uses its webinars to push for social change within its industry. The company asked a panel of its female experts to lead its webinars, respond to live attendee questions, share insights and much more. It’s one way the company is pushing for change within its industry and it’s seeing great success.

Interactive

AutoTrader made expert use of its webinars, making use of nearly every interactive widget, capability and more. One of its best webinars, ”New Car Webinar,” started with a live host who introduced attendees to the webinar’s topics and promoted social discourse before cutting to a pre-recorded panel discussion. But AutoTrader’s webinar ingenuity didn’t end with a pre-recorded panel. After the recorded video ended, the company cut — live — to the same panel for questions and answers with attendees.

Great Console

Finally, AutoTrader makes excellent use of its webinar console. It integrates its calls-to-action right into its console banners and toolbar, allowing attendees to register to register for the next webinar, subscribe to AutoTrader events, and book time with the company and more.

Octopus Investments

Octopus Investments is our second-place winner for Webinars That Rocked 2018. The company, based out the United Kingdom, helps investors make the right decisions for a variety of financial issues. For its submission, Octopus Investments shared one of its live webinars, “Grow Your Estate Planning Business.”

This webinar had two aims. First, to help Octopus Investments grow its roster of inheritance clients. Second, to make a topic as seemingly plain as inheritance planning, engaging.

The Broadcast

Octopus Investments made this happen with a combination of live and pre-recorded video. For its first section, the company gave a live introduction and primed viewers for the event. Then, the company cut to a pre-recorded, or simulive, panel filled with in-depth, but entertaining, discussions on estate planning. Finally, Octopus Investments cut back to its hosts, live, who’d give more guidance on estate planning and answer questions attendees may have.

Great Slides

Octopus Investments also made great use of something typically overlooked: its slides. Instead of presenting attendees with information-dense, wordy slide, Octopus Investments created clean slides that gave speakers the opportunity to tell a story that connects with viewers.

The company also gave its attendees a variety of opportunities to continue learning about estate planning through its resources, console links and more. The webinar always provided viewers with an easy-to-understand next step. They could explore the company’s website, review guides or even collect a certificate for watching the webinar, should they need one for continuing education purposes.

Asking The Important Questions

Last but not least, Octopus Investments did something exceedingly rare, but essential, in its webinars. It asked its attendees for feedback. At the end of the webinar, Octopus Investments pushed a survey to viewers, asking them what was explained well, what wasn’t and what topics they’d like to see covered in future events.

Promega  

Promega, a global biotechnology manufacturer, is our first-place winner for Webinars That Rocked 2018.  The company serves life scientists at every level, meaning it needs to ensure everyone — including scientists and lab technicians learning basic techniques — are on the same page. For scientists using is PCR products, Promega created a webinar entitled, “Ask The Experts: Ensuring a Successful PCR Every Time.” (PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction, which you can read about here.)

Making Use of What Its Resources

Promega’s webinar ticked all the right boxes. It broadcast its panel event live and simulive and made use of a variety of interactive tools, including real-time social interactions over Twitter, to Q&A chat and a veritable library of content listed in its resources window.

Innovative Use of Slides

Promega stood apart by using its slides to push out questions and polls. A great tactic, but it asked, from a marketing perspective, a risky question right at the start: “How likely are you to contact Promega Technical Services?” Attendees could all say, “not at all,” which would be a bad look. But the company had faith in its presentation, from its experts and console design to the resources attendees would review. At the end of its webinar, the company pushed the same poll again. This time, it saw a tremendous boost to the number of people who’d like to contact the company about its services. It clearly delivered on what its viewers wanted.

Because Promega took risks, on top of doing everything else so well — from clean slides to helpful resources — it made our top spot as the webinar that rocked 2018. Congrats Promega!

Keep an eye on the ON24 blog for more insights and inspiration from the Webinars That Rocked 2018. Curious to see what a great webinar can do for you? Check out Webinars That Rocked on demand here.