Posts Tagged ‘Webinars’

Benefits of Hosting Webinars

November 3rd, 2010
John C Sutton asked:




There are many benefits of hosting webinars, and having web and video conference calls. It certainly depends on what type of business you are running, but almost all companies can find an application of how hosting webinars can beneift their business. In this article we will examine the three most basic uses for webinar hosting.

Demonstrate and sell your product to prospects Meetings with existing clients in different cities Training employees in satellite offices I am sure that many clever people can come up with more than three uses for webinar hosting, but these are the tree most basic that apply to almost all businesses. Let’s review the three variations.

Selling your product

Sales representatives no long have to leave the office to go to an onsite demonstration. Sales reps can now log onto their PC along with the prospect and discuss all of the features and value that your product has to offer. We all hope the demonstration goes well, but if it does not, do not worry. You have already gained back the time from having to commute to the potential customer’s site. Instead of wasting time, the sales rep can continue to sell immediately after the presentation.

Monthly Performance Reviews

Regardless of what industry you are in clients and internal parties often have performance reviews. These reviews take place as frequently as daily, but most are either weekly, monthly, or even quarterly. The advantage of being able to host a webinar is that you can organize a meeting with people in different offices, cities, and regions and have them all come together as if they are in the same office. Instead of having a conference call, you are able to show live visual representation of the data you are explaining.

Training Employees

Years ago we all had to fly to the corporate headquarters to receive new hire training or even on going training. In this day and age, this is no longer necessary. While nothing can take away from a face to face meeting with your colleagues, hosting a webinar allows you to connect multiple office with a few clicks on a computer with an Internet connection.

Phyllis
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Webinar Services

October 23rd, 2010
Tom Cruz asked:




Webinar services are more and more important to know about and understand today. Virtual offices and online meetings are sharply on the rise, as businesses do what they have always done: look to technology to help them save on costs and increase the speed and effectiveness of communications to more people with greater speed.

Webinars are becoming a norm. Therefore, you as a business owner cannot afford to ignore the need for understanding the best webinar service providers.

The question is, what precisely should you look for in a webinar service? There are several factors to consider. But what if you are just beginning to get used to webinars? You could first explore the different service options.

You should look for synchronized website browsing. This option is useful for showing people around different websites that you want them to look at–such as maybe your company’s own website. But this is vital if you want to keep everyone literally on the same page at all times. If you are looking at something on the Internet that you find of great importance, you surely want to share that with others during a web presentation.

You want the audio portion of your webinar to be very clear. Some webinar host vendors include VoIP with the service, while at other times you’ll need to–or maybe you just will desire to–use the good ol’ land lines and have a teleconferencing function going on while you look at things on the screen. Either way, if your audio is not top of the line, you should look at a different vendor.

In a usual office, the whiteboard is of utmost importance. Good quality webinar hosting vendors also have a whiteboard feature. If you are considering a webinar hosting vendor that doesn’t offer this, you likely should not be using them. You also want to make sure that the whiteboard function is easily shared. It really does no good for you to be writing on a virtual whiteboard when others don’t even know that you’re doing it.

You should also be able to easily share, in real-time, your PowerPoint or OpenDocument presentation with everyone else who is participating. Part of the whole point of this technology is to be highly interactive and dynamic while even still at a physical distance apart. If you are considering a webinar services provider and you find that this part of their offer is shoddy, reject them. You need crystal clear presentation sharing capability to make it all worth your while.

Make sure you are able to do interface branding with your webinar services. You want your webinars to feature you and promote you. If you cannot customize them to the hilt, what good are they for that?

Also, you should choose a webinar service that allows you to have as many audience members as you want (within reason). Services that are too limited aren’t allowing you all the flexibility that you need.

And consider whether or not your webinar host provider offers supportive services like invitations to meetings sent from your company e-mail account. These little “extra” features add up to better presentations that make better and more lasting impressions on people.

Carolyn
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Webinars and Their Role in Conducting Offshore Business

October 12th, 2010
Vikas S asked:




Webinar is a type of web conferencing service that is designed to enhance user interaction.

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Difference Between Webinars and Web Casts

October 5th, 2010
Vikas S asked:




Webinars and Webcasts are terms that come under the umbrella term “Web Conferencing”. At most times any terms like “web event,” “webcast,” “webinar,” and “web conference” are used interchangeably. But they do have clear distinctions which become especially important in dealing with vendors who sell different types of web conferencing services. Making distinctions will help you choose a service that best suits your requirements.

As such, both terms can be encompassed under web conferencing. But the contexts with which they are used and the technology involved differ distinctly.

A webcast is a web based broadcast of something. It can be a video, an audio stream or even a power point presentation which is dispersed to a large audience through internet. That way, even the videos in YouTube can be called web casts. Other examples could be the tutorials used for online training, an important fashion show being broadcasted on the web and the like. It is a valuable and interesting tool for marketing or promoting something. Instead of making a drab written piece your promotion material, you can incorporate the same thing into a web cast and make it interesting for the audience. However it is a one-way flow of information and does not allow the audience to participate. They are merely spectators here. Their opinions and doubts cannot be expressed and does not reach the propagator.

With a webinars, things get interactive. It is a seminar aided by the web. It attempts to produce effects similar to a live seminar. In its simplest form, a seminar is streamed in the through internet. Audience participates, ask questions and give opinions. To draw more audience into participation, polls, surveys and ratings can be incorporated. Some platforms also allow live chat which is effectively contributes to the success of a webinars. Although they are mainly used for propaganda, it is very educative and connects the audience with the business in an effective way.

In understanding the difference between the two, we should be able to judge the kind of technology and equipment that may be needed for both conferencing services, which clearly is different from each other. So in dealing with a vendor who may sell a composite web conferencing package without making a distinction, knowing the difference between the two comes handy. Also, you can put them into best use for the purpose you are using it.

Erin
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Video Conferencing – How to Conduct a Successful Webinar

September 30th, 2010
Cheow Yu Yuan asked:




Video conferencing is taking the market by storm and more businesses are using it to conduct webinars and meetings. The reason why video conferencing is so popular is because it saves travelling cost. With this, business owners do not need to travel to overseas for a face-to-face meeting anymore – they can sit in front of their computer screens and conduct meetings with their associates.

In this article, let me share with you some tips to conduct a successful webinar:

1. Set up your conferencing equipments properly. To hold a successful webinar, you must get the equipments in place. The quality of the equipments is very important as it will directly affect your video. For example, if you use a low pixel camera, the video output will be grainy.

2. Avoid slow Internet connection. The most common reason why webinars fail is because of slow internet connectivity. Your connection speed should be at least 3mbps.

3. Prepare yourself for the webinar. Before you conduct a webinar, you need to prepare. Plan out the agenda and things that you want to share with your participants. Also, familiarize yourself with the video conferencing platform so that you can guide your participants. If you have one bad experience, you should not give up on video conferencing. Practice makes perfect. By holding more webinars, you will improve and become proficient at it.

4. Send out your invitation early. You need to send out invitations to your guests at least 2 weeks before the actual date. If you are holding a commercial webinar, you should consider advertising it. By building buzz around it, you can attract more people to attend it.

5. Try your best to engage your audience. If your webinar is boring, people will leave. Even if you are using it to pitch your product or service to a potential customer, you must make your presentation as engaging as possible. Again, this takes practice. Do not give up just because of a few bad experiences.

6. Set a convenient time for your audience. One main reason why people don’t turn up for your webinar is because it is set at your local timing. You must set a time that is convenient to your target audience, not for yourself.

7. Build rapport with your audience. When you are conducting a webinar, it is not the time to be shy. You must be comfortable with people and bring across your point to them. Be it a sales webinar or shareholders meeting, you need to make a great impression in their minds.

Video conferencing is definitely the way to conduct presentations and meetings. So get yourself comfortable in front of a video camera and start holding webinars now.

Rodney
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How Does a Webinar Work?

September 19th, 2010
Tom Cruz asked:




A webinar is a fairly simple application. In fact, not only does it make a great deal of sense but also is a convenient way to present a great deal of information to a large number of people. There are a number of different ways that a webinar can work.

Normally, a webinar consists of an on demand or life feed. Webinars that are on demand are usually pre recorded. Individuals register then log on to video the video. As the business, you pay so much to host the webinar and as a viewer, they pay so much to view it.

If a phone conference is involved this also usually requires a separate log on though voice over IP options are available. Many people prefer phone conferences because of the option of speakerphone and projection technology. This means they can have several people view and participate under the same account.

Live feeds work slightly differently than on demand. While the presentation may be the same, the difference is in timing. With on demand everyone can be prepared and even ready to go prior to logging on to view the video. With live feed options, it works a little differently. There is usually a request made at the beginning to ensure everyone has logged on and is ready. Live feed usually allows for a small delay to get everything started. This delay is usually not necessary for on demand since it can be requested and viewed whenever the viewers are ready.

There are some other differences to consider between live feed and on demand. With on demand if necessary the video, which has been pre-recorded, can be paused if necessary to accommodate discussion. Live feed may or may not be willing to make such a pause. There may be a request that discussion wait until the end of the presentation for questions.

Webinars have a number of different ways that they can work. The method depends on what exactly is being presented and what is necessary in order to make a successful presentation. If you have a number of people from a number of different locations that need to view the presentation at the same time, on demand may be a better way to handle your webinars.

If however, you are making presentations to select groups that are going to be gathering at a single location then you may want to consider using a live feed. Webinars are designed to provide a way to present information in an interactive manner to a group of individuals. It allows people from any location provided they have access to the video and the necessary conferencing software or equipment, such as a phone. Webinars provide a great way to bridge the gap of distance, still allow interactions and provide you with a way to present information in a methods that is more likely to be retained by those viewing the presentations. This makes webinars an important new learning and business tool.

Andre
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Webinar 101

September 15th, 2010
Lucas Mattioneli asked:




You probably have heard of video conferencing before but what about webinar? What is this term exactly? Well to put it simply, it is basically a web conference that is directed towards an audience from its speaker. This method of conferencing is different from the other conferences because it is usually one-way and the audience will not be able to interact with the speaker during the conference. To put things simple it is just a seminar done on the web; hence that is how the word itself came about, using the combination of ‘website’ and ‘seminar’ put together.

Webinars are most often used for marketing purposes such as introducing a new product or service to a large audience online. What happens is that the speaker will be delivering information on his video and the audience will be able to watch it online.

A webinar is mostly done in real-time. So preparation before these sessions are held is just as important as the content. That’s because you need to make sure your audience are tuned in at the specific time when the webinars are being conducted. If they are late for it, then they could have missed the earlier part of the webinar.

During the conference session is being presented, audiences will be only watching it and unable to converse with the speaker. However, polls or a chat box would be available for the audience to submit their queries should there be any. After the whole entire session is over, the speaker will then check the questions and will reply them depending on the speaker themselves. There will also be surveys that are conducted in real-time so that the speaker will know what the audience’s response is as well.

After the live online seminar session is finish, the video of the conference would most likely be saved as a replay. That way, audiences who missed the live session the first time will be able to watch it again some other time. This also benefits the speaker since he only has to do the presentation one time and not have to repeat it again.

Webinars are also very effective because of the mass audience it is able to reach in a short period of time. Unlike live seminars where there is a limit to the number of people you can deliver your speech to, this form of online seminar conferencing has an unlimited number of audience. That is because webinars are channeled through the internet which has a vast audience.

There are many ways that this form of online seminar can be fully utilized. For example, a sales representative no longer has to travel all over the country just to give the same presentation countless of times. All he needs to do is to make a video and upload it to the internet. Besides that, webinars can also be used to demonstrate work or tutorials for customers.

Not only does webinars save time and money, it is also very efficient and affordable. A person does not need to spend a fortune to create his own webinar at all. Nowadays, there are many websites that offer free tutorial on how to create your own webinar easily. All it takes is a little time and you will have created a marketing tool targeting the whole world.

Louis
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A Career In Webinar Hosting? Why Not?

September 10th, 2010
Nahshon Mediros asked:




If you’re still marinating the thought of a second income generating project, how about a career in webinar hosting? Your ebullience and charisma will carry the whole thing, even if you failed a screen test at Fox Pictures. How about trying it?

What is Webinar Hosting?

If you’re beginning to be confused about all that jargon calling a webinar by many names then stick to this definition – a webinar is just like your face-to-face seminar but it’s on the web. A palette of software tools make it possible to use webinar hosting features like sharing files and exchanging ideas on real time.

What actually goes on during a webinar? During the web based activity, participants or presenters can use audio conferencing just using their computer speakers, show off their computer screen for product live demos and use the recording mode for playback.

Webinar hosting becomes easier when the tools allow for registration and presentation of survey polls and animation. In the workplace, knowledge about the variegated features of web hosting can earn you the admiration and envy of techno-phobics. You can shop around for small and medium businesses needing techies to manage their webinars. See the potential?

For starters, you can tell your potential customers that they need to have a computer, Internet access, and a phone line just for the webinars. Suggest headphones so they can free their hands during the live discussions. At this point, you can also encourage them to avail of promotional discounts on gadgets to save them money – if there are offers flooding the market.

Starting Your Career

Don’t be intimidated by the big companies providing hosting services for webinars. Not that you are going to invent a software, you’ll just provide technical service for those starting out or testing the viability of web conferencing.

You can smuggle a slice of the pie into your own plate. But how? Enterprising people have great ideas. First, you’ll market yourself after you’ve mastered the software, then sell your ability to small and medium businesses struggling in the technical fog.

You can serve as the webinar facilitator to relieve workers from having add-ons to their already long list of to-dos. Talk to the company head about the advantages of having you around. You can help them reach a larger audience, help them reduce travel cost, and spruce up their PowerPoint presentations.

You can also walk them through the maze to show how they can efficiently streaming files on their desktops and much more. By just showing them around, you’ll gain their approval to handle their webinar hosting. By adjusting your schedule you can have that extra income by just staying at home too.

Sometimes business ideas are hard to come by and if you’ve hit on something it should be new and relevant to the times. Being your own business is appealing but opportunities are far and in-between. Why not strike when the iron is hot?

If the idea of a career in web hosting on the side is appealing, start brushing up on the etiquettes of web conferencing. Go web hopping and look for more great ideas and tips to develop your expertise. You’re selling yourself as a consultant and an expert; you can’t afford to slip on your first outing.

Annette
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Finding the Best Webinar Providers

August 16th, 2010
Tom Cruz asked:




There are some pretty significant differences between webinar technology providers. They aren’t all the same in technology, price, or services–in fact, there are more than 50 different webinar technologies from which you must choose. Some service providers are specialists in custom-designing smaller meetings, while other are masters of the general large meeting. Some offer deals on this, while others offer deals on that.

If you are getting into webinars for the first time, you should definitely go with a company that offers you free consulting. Once you know what you’re doing webinars are very easy to manage, but it might not be that easy figuring it all out in the early days, and as with any high tech stuff there may be troubleshooting that needs to be done. Also, go with a company that will listen to your business’ particular needs and tell you the best programs to take for those needs. Companies that only offer a one size fits all attitude are probably not the best with customer service in the future and they probably are trying to take you for all they can up front, lacking the confidence or expertise to get plenty of future customers.

Also, go with a company that proves to you that they are experienced in facilitating webinars. These companies will be able to consult you on target marketing, getting the right audience, maximizing invitation acceptances, and so on and so forth.

Be willing to pay a little extra for an “event management service” provided by a webinar tech company. And always go with a company that does offer this. This is a highly professional service that helps you with every stage of the webinar creation and production, and even post-production, process. This can be a life saver service and it can really help you transition from newbie into a company that builds a reputation for giving awesome webinars. Here’s the amazing thing: only a handful of webinar tech companies offer this. Finding those that do cuts down tremendously on your provider search.

Go with a company that offers you as much customization as you can afford. The more personal your webinar, the more it promotes your company if it’s a presentation or sales meeting. Try to make your webinars into something akin to a branded service.

Once you have narrowed down your choices to the select few as outlined above, compare pricing. Go slow; this can be daunting. The variations in pricing between companies is quite amazing. Always be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Since webinar facilitation is a new technology, try to go first with those companies who have the most experience, as long as they can provide everything you need. One thing that’s very important here: don’t fall into the trap of going with a company that doesn’t offer good solid cancellation or rescheduling services. If they nickel and dime you for cancellations, rescheduling, extending the invitation acceptance deadline, etc, forget about them. Get all of this information up front before going with a company, too.

Karl
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Finding the Best Webinar Providers

August 6th, 2010
Tom Cruz asked:




There are some pretty significant differences between webinar technology providers. They aren’t all the same in technology, price, or services–in fact, there are more than 50 different webinar technologies from which you must choose. Some service providers are specialists in custom-designing smaller meetings, while other are masters of the general large meeting. Some offer deals on this, while others offer deals on that.

If you are getting into webinars for the first time, you should definitely go with a company that offers you free consulting. Once you know what you’re doing webinars are very easy to manage, but it might not be that easy figuring it all out in the early days, and as with any high tech stuff there may be troubleshooting that needs to be done. Also, go with a company that will listen to your business’ particular needs and tell you the best programs to take for those needs. Companies that only offer a one size fits all attitude are probably not the best with customer service in the future and they probably are trying to take you for all they can up front, lacking the confidence or expertise to get plenty of future customers.

Also, go with a company that proves to you that they are experienced in facilitating webinars. These companies will be able to consult you on target marketing, getting the right audience, maximizing invitation acceptances, and so on and so forth.

Be willing to pay a little extra for an “event management service” provided by a webinar tech company. And always go with a company that does offer this. This is a highly professional service that helps you with every stage of the webinar creation and production, and even post-production, process. This can be a life saver service and it can really help you transition from newbie into a company that builds a reputation for giving awesome webinars. Here’s the amazing thing: only a handful of webinar tech companies offer this. Finding those that do cuts down tremendously on your provider search.

Go with a company that offers you as much customization as you can afford. The more personal your webinar, the more it promotes your company if it’s a presentation or sales meeting. Try to make your webinars into something akin to a branded service.

Once you have narrowed down your choices to the select few as outlined above, compare pricing. Go slow; this can be daunting. The variations in pricing between companies is quite amazing. Always be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Since webinar facilitation is a new technology, try to go first with those companies who have the most experience, as long as they can provide everything you need. One thing that’s very important here: don’t fall into the trap of going with a company that doesn’t offer good solid cancellation or rescheduling services. If they nickel and dime you for cancellations, rescheduling, extending the invitation acceptance deadline, etc, forget about them. Get all of this information up front before going with a company, too.

Bernard
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