March 15, 2018 Mark Bornstein
Too many webinars today are simply a voice and a powerpoint presentation. It’s time to add a bit of energy and personality into webinars — and the easiest way to do that is with video. But don’t worry! Hosting video webinars doesn’t have to be an expensive investment. In fact, you can spice up your current webinars with just a webcam — like those embedded in most laptops today — and you.
But why video? Easy. Video helps your viewers to better engage, understand and connect with your content. It adds brand personality — your thought leaders, managers and brand ambassadors, to be specific — and provides a superior audience experience at almost every stage of the buying cycle.
Let’s take a quick look at the types of video you can integrate into your webinar and why you’d want to use them.
Broadcast Video
The crème-de-la-crème for webinars today is broadcast-quality video. It’s polished, professional and looks great. In fact, this is the type of video we at ON24 use for our Webinar Best Practices Series. There are a few good reasons why we make this investment: It gives us highest-quality video possible, provides a wonderful branding opportunity and builds a distinctive look and style for our webinar series.
But there are, of course, downsides. Broadcast-quality video, in the past, has been too complex and expensive for a lot of organizations. Then you have to find a suitable host. This is not as easy as it sounds! Not everyone is at ease in front of the camera and the pressure to perform and entertain can be intimidating.
But, thankfully, these two obstacles can be overcome. Best yet, they can be accommodated at an affordable price point. You can find your solution by talking to a local studio. Studios typically have the resources, the talent and the know-how to run a broadcast-style webinar — and at a price you may be surprised at. Plus, if you don’t have an A-type personality like yours truly, they may be able to find someone for you.
Look, studios sound intimidating and expensive, but the truth is they’re more affordable and approachable than ever before. If you’re interested in delivering top-tier video webinars — even if it’s just quarterly videos — then give studios some thought.
Webcams
I hated webcams when they first came out. They were awkward, made for forced conversations and were generally unpleasant (from my perspective). But one thing changed over the years that made webcams a whole lot more accessible: your phone. Almost all of us have used a video chat or selfie feature on their preferred phone by now, and that simple act has acclimated most of us to being in front of a camera.
Which is great! A lot of marketers are using webcams to present their webinars. It’s an approachable and comfortable format and hosts can present their webinar from nearly anywhere. And, in fact, webcams in laptops have come a long, long way in terms of quality. Recording on your laptop webcam is a great way to host. All you have to do is just look at the camera!
Integrated Video Clips
Don’t think your speakers are up to snuff? Just want to avoid video recording at all costs? Well, you still have a video-based solution you should weave into your webinars.
Most organization have video clips for product introductions, product case studies and more. Use them! Video clips are great for enhancing an audio webinar while stoking your audience’s attention. You can also string a bunch of related video clips together to create a new video for your audience to watch. It’s a great method for those who prefer audio webinars, but want to add some spice to their presentations.
Just one thing to keep in mind if you go this route: make sure you don’t break up your content flow by running really long video clips. Keep it short and make sure that each video supports your story. Screen Share
Then there’s screen share. Screen sharing in your webinars is a great way for you to show off your product to bottom-of-the-funnel prospects. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to demonstrate your offering and answer any questions to help your prospects make that final buy decision.
I think webinars are an especially great medium to conduct demos in because of their interactive nature. Think of it: with screen share, you can show your demo and respond to attendee questions in real-time. This is critical for bottom-of-the-funnel situations where your attendees want answers to questions about your product.
There are many ways you can use video to boost your webinars. Too many, in fact, to list here. But all you need to know is this: you just need to be creative. Grab an iPhone — or an HD camera if you want better quality — a tripod and start presenting. That’s all it takes!
Need some inspiration or want to see what I’m talking about? Head on over to our on-demand section and watch How to Energize your Webinars with video.
Till next time!
