How to choose a webinar platform

Webinars used to be pretty dull, didn't they?

Well, that's before 91% of B2B professionals made webinars their preferred content type. When done right, webinars effectively connect with your audience and deliver value. Better still, your sales team can use them for prospecting and lead generation.

While choosing between webinar platforms is vital, it can be overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from. If you're trying to figure out how to select the best webinar platforms and what you should be looking for in a webinar experience, you're in the right place. Here are some helpful tips.

Determine Your Goal

Take a moment to consider your webinar’s goal. Are you marketing a product or service? To train people on something? To provide an educational experience, teach skills, or share information? Are you educating people on the proper usage of your company’s new product?

Write down what that goal is. Is there more than one? Write those down too. Now take some time to think about why you want to accomplish that goal. What do you hope will come from it?

The webinar software that you choose should align with your goals. It should provide you with the right tools to increase your chances of success.

What Webinar Tools Do you Need?

There's no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to webinars.

You'll probably want to use a reliable webinar platform that offers all or most of the following options:

High-quality live video and audio during video conferencing
The ability to record your webinar so attendees can re-watch them later (or watch them for the first time after the event has already finished)
The ability to host a webinar with more than one panelist, such as a Q&A panel discussion between multiple experts or industry professionals
Premium customer support
Connect with your audience through a chatbox to allow viewers to ask questions and provide immediate feedback during virtual events without disrupting the flow
A custom online conference registration page to tailor your marketing message around each unique online event, so the webinar attendees know exactly what you are offering without being overwhelmed by extraneous details
Social media integration through channels like Facebook Live or YouTube Live. This caters to the audiences who prefer watching via social media platforms instead of registering individually for every different event. A virtual event party planning checklist will lessen your workload and save you valuable resources.

Integration With Other Software

You'll get the most out of your webinar platform if it integrates seamlessly with other software you use. Some software to consider include:

Event Management Software

An event management software for live online events alongside your webinars. This essential and significant integration can help streamline various processes, such as registration and planning.

A Great CRM

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to automatically add anybody who registers for the webinar to your prospect list. If they turn into a customer later on down the line, you can go back through the marketing campaign that led them to register in the first place and see what worked or didn’t work for them.

Email Marketing

Email marketing tools allow you to send customized and personalized emails directly from the webinar platform itself, such as targeting specific segments of your audience and their role in the company or their industry.

Automated Reminders

Automated email reminders to save you time and make sure none of your registrants miss out on the event!

Scalability Is Important Too

When choosing the best webinar platform, it's essential to consider how it will fit with your audience as it grows. Consider these questions:

Can the platform scale with a growing audience?
What does it cost to upgrade? If scalable pricing is not available, how many users can it support?
Can the platform run multiple webinars at once?

Mobile Accessibility

Not all your attendee members will attend the live webinar at home or when settled. Some will attend the webinar on the go, and they should be able to access the webinar via their mobile devices.

After all, over 90% of internet users get online via mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets.

Cost vs. Benefits

When comparing your webinar software, consider the following:

Does it offer what you need and more, or is it a stripped-down version that's not worth the money?
Is the platform creating value for you? If your target audience members would be turned off by a low-budget webinar, spending a little more to impress professionalism might be worthwhile.
Are the features offered by the platform worth the price tag for you? Some companies have stepped up their game regarding added features, like analytics and live interaction segments.

Make sure to weigh these costs against whether or not you think they're essential for your webinars.

Security and Safety

This isn't up for negotiation. The right webinar platform that offers security and safety should have its privacy policy easy to find on its website, clearly articulated, and compliant with GDPR.

It's crucial that your platform of choice clearly states how customer data is used. This information is necessary for your business practices and for potential attendees who want to know how their personal information will be collected and used.

Further, the platform should demonstrate how it stores customer data and protects it from possible breaches. Many platforms now include additional security features such as two-step verification or forced password changes every 60 days.

Availability of Engagement Metrics

You will want to consider the analytics provided by your webinar software. Consider the following questions:

How many people are watching?
Where did they come from?
How long and what percentage of them stayed for the entire webinar?
What's their gender, age, or location?
How many followed any available CTAs from the webinar presentation?

Check the audience response system, hold a post-webinar survey and chat participation to gauge how much you engage attendees. This can help you see what content resonates most with your audience to plan future content around that.

Hold Successful Event With the Right Webinar Software

A successful webinar relies on an effective webinar platform. We designed EventPro to cater to the unique requirements of any virtual event. Our platform streamlines webinar registration, planning, management, and all other services involved in the webinar. To know how EventPro can boost your webinar, schedule a demo today.

Put the Event Planning Modules or the complete Suite to work for you

Contact our friendly & helpful Solutions Consultants today for a free demonstration.