What do you do if your webcast fails
The worst happened, and your webinar ended up being a complete disaster. This is how to fix it.
Take time to heal your wounds. It's always tough to experience disappointment when a project you've invested the effort into does not work out.
What went wrong? It could be that there were only three participants and no one even followed up on your call to action, or perhaps the technology went horribly wrong.
Things happen and it's impossible to control the past.
But you can control what happens next.
Learn the way to do it. In this article, we'll discuss four common failures and the methods to get over them in order to transform your failure into something great. We'll get right into it.
1. If there was no one who took part in your webinar...
If none or a small number of people were able to attend your seminar most likely due to the fact that they weren't aware that it was happening or were unsure if the webinar would prove valuable to them.
The webinar will be attended by only 40percent of the people who sign up for a webinar will typically attend it. If you do not want to be able to show up to empty screens, you need a lot of registered attendees.
The best solution is to repeat the video, but this time, you should do it with the right marketing strategy.
The lack of attendance might result from your description of the webinar and also the images you've included to support them.
Whether this is your webinar's description for your website's landing page, or your description of the webinar you will choose to use for sharing it via social media, it is important to set the tone right.
Take a second look and then ask yourself these questions:
A. Does the text appear easy to understand in the glance?
If not, you can simplify it. Make use of the the Hemingway App to find difficult-to-read sentences.
A wall of text will not convince anyone, so break your writing down to most important points:
What will they be able to doafter having attended your webcast?
What are they likely to understandafter the webinar?
Write down your answers, then give them the human twist by showing your presentation as an answer to some of their daily problems.
So, for example, your response to these questions could be "They can create mockups online".
In this case, you can frame it something along the lines of "Are you tired of playing with Photoshop? Discover how to create great product mockups without any expertise in technology."
That's the strategy that photographer Jessica Wikstrom took in promoting the webinar she was hosting on Instagram.
Her style of speaking is easy and friendly. She promises to tell her experiences since she began (putting herself in the audience's shoes). Her picture supports her caption -- a proof of her ability.
If you are unsure, keep it simple. And even when not in doubt, keep things simple. It goes a long way in terms of readability.
B. Do the visuals draw attention?
Many people are hesitant to waste their time. Therefore, your visuals must perform the heavy lifting. Utilize tools such as Canva and Crello to design dynamic images to entice the reader.
If you want to, you can also go a step deeper and produce a short video to promote your event, similar to what Kim Arnold did for her book email attraction.
The video does this right:
Dynamic, varying shots keep us engaged as viewers (rather than a static, selfie-style video).
She positions the problem: We rely more on email than ever now that face-to-face gatherings are rare and few from the norm.
Then, she offers the solution: learn to write a great email.
She also sells the benefits: it will help you obtain what you need regardless of whether it's a brand new customer or an increase in pay.
Graphics that are fun and lively emphasize every detail she makes, which means it's impossible to misunderstand her message.
Funny shots, like a man frantically trying to manage his email Make sure to keep the humor light.
The video was recorded at a distance and then edited professionally. Even without these tools, it is possible to create videos and graphics to help promote your webinar. It is important not to forget the fundamentals: what is in it for the viewer?
With the right messaging and focus, you can produce a compelling video using a program such as Lumen5 at no cost. It can transform your presentation into a social media-ready video in just a couple of minutes.
Here's how you can design an audio video using Lumen5, using the messaging example from earlier it looks:
In Lumen5 it is possible to create videos with "scenes" (or pages). Add text to each scene and then select a video or photo from the library (or upload one of your own) You're now ready to go.
Videos aren't necessarily the ultimate solution. This brings us to the last question you should be asking.
C. What else do you try to do to draw your viewers' attention?
A little something more than the usual can be a way to convince your audience. For example, let people learn about any freebies you've included as part of the webcast. If you're sharing a template, or an ebook with the attendees make sure you don't conceal this information.
Here's how Sam Illingworth did it to promote the science communication webinar. In addition to cramming all the information that is practical into one tweet, he emphasizes the fact that he'll provide an ebook to everyone attending the seminar for free.
In a tweet the space matters, and that's why Illingworth added the cover to be the only picture that could draw people to it. Like him, putting the focus on the freebie rather than the webinar could result in a return.
Once you've got your messaging right, it's time to be serious about spreading the word.
2. If nobody had the enough time to go to the webinar...
Timing is everything with promotion.
It is recommended to discuss your webinar at least two weeks prior to the date to ensure it's most effective chance of success.
Although social media may seem like your go-to promotional technique (and you should definitely still do this) it is email marketing that's the most efficient method. The research conducted by GoToWebinar found that email is responsible for 73 percent of all registrations .
Let's look at some of the most effective ways to make use of this.
A. Make an email marketing campaign
Perhaps you have an email database that is honed and ready; perhaps you do not.
Use pop-ups and form forms to capture leads.
Use lead magnets.
Offer content upgrades.
Make a promotion for a giveaway.
Hook new subscribers with guest posts.
It is also possible to simply email your contacts to inform them that you are building your newsletter.
What's vital with inviting anyone to join a mailing lists is that they are clear regarding what they're signing up for. If you plan to utilize this list to communicate information, such as webinars coming up make sure you're clear regarding how often they'll be reached.
Once your list is built and is ready for use it is important to make your message right.
The first step is to gather essential information like your email address, name and webinar title.
Following the next step, you'll be asked some deeper questions on the value of your webcast and what the attendees will gain, and which pain points this resolves.
After that, you hit "Generate email" within a couple of minutes, the email sequence will arrive in your email. If you're a user who has an account, you'll be able to directly add it to your account, and then send it.
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Now for the hard part: you don't wish for people to come at your webcast. Also, you want them to be there and to love the content you're sharing.
3. If nobody was involved with your webinar...
Zoom fatigue can be real. Nobody has the attention span or time to listen to a webcast that's way too long or boring to watch.
When you're not communicating with the audience, they're more likely to switch off. 64% of participants said a two-way interactive presentation was more interesting than a linear one.
In addition, 48% of attendees have stated that they won't appreciate webinars if they're badly delivered.
Here are a few methods to fix this issue, without needing to change your natural presenting design.
A. Make sure you have the correct length
Timing can be a challenge when it comes to webinars. If the presentation isn't long enough and flimsy, you're in trouble. If the length is too long, you'll be boring. It's not what you want.
Opinions vary on the ideal length. Some say 30 to 45 minutes are ideal for a webinar Workcast discovered the 60 minutes was the most popular length of time that they host on their platform.
Whichever you prefer, avoid going over an hour particularly without breaks.
B. Make sure your audience is engaged prior to and during the webinar.
The key to keeping your audience interested in what you're talking about is to include them in your presentation. Below are some ideas to help you.
Audience survey template
Send your audience a survey prior to your presentation, asking them what they want to get out of it and use the answers to guide your webinar.
Use Typeform as well as Google Forms to design a survey that's easy for your audience to fill out quickly.
Here's a template of survey questions that you can modify to your own survey
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to [topic of your webcastWhat is your biggest challenge with [topic of your webinar]?
If you can learn something new through this webcast then what is it?
Do you have a specific topic that you'd like us cover?
What would you like to learn more about? [multiple choices that lets you choose the subjects you can cover in the webinar you are hostingThen, you can choose to cover the following topics: Copy the clipboard to your computer
Your viewers will appreciate the fact that their answers influence the content of your webinar. The best way to show this is by quoting their answers verbatim in your slides. You can also create a graph to show how many people voted for which choice.
Engage the audience during the webinar
Engage the audience throughout the webinar by encouraging dialogue instead of just broadcasting.
Easy ways to do this are:
From the start, tell that there will be a Q&A after the webinar and show that they will be able to enter the questions. Remind them of this a couple of times throughout the webinar.
Use breakout rooms (if there are in your system) to facilitate group discussions. The best practice is to give groups the opportunity to create a task. For example, "What's the best way to develop an ad to X?"
Use tools like Mentimeter or Pigeonhole Live to make polls, questionnaires and questionnaires to your attendees throughout your webinar. The polls should be straightforward and simple to respond to so that you don't distract them too much in your presentation.
There are many ways to engage your audience Naturally. Sometime, the most effective strategies can be the simplest.
Keep them interested with your personal stories
Another option is to be personal, and use an anecdote that will bring life to your presentation and connect with your audience. You can, for instance, relate a business problem to an issue that you have personally experienced or offer your own unique viewpoint on the subject.
Humor can be another excellent approach to webinars, but you don't have be a stand-up comedian in order to use this method.
Consider, for instance, Debbie Keizer and Joana Silva 's how to create the UX Team (...without being an existing one) for UX Antwerp's UX Beers.
The subject might seem boring, but the session did not. Keizer and Silva lead the session in humor, complete with stick figures and "which beers are you drinking" profiles.
"Most people are in fact glued to their devices all day, so we wanted a good equilibrium between having fun and providing some helpful information," shared Debbie Keizer. "It can be very beneficial to are able to make it enjoyable for yourself and you're telling the story of something you're really into."
The investment paid off it was a win-win for Keizer and Silva thanks to their great feedback, and an unexpected side benefit:
"People were really impressed by our enthusiasm and said that we must have many fun working at our company. We had a couple of candidates applying to current open positions as a outcome, and that's an added benefit!"
As their webinar demonstrates, humor is not only an effective way to keep your audience's attention, but it also aids them to understand tricky ideas more easily.
Keep up the good work after your webinar
The tale doesn't stop after the webinar does. In contact with us one day after the webinar is an occasion to:
Collect information and discover what people thought about the webcast.
Offer them something useful (a replay of the webinar, an ebook, or perhaps a blog recap of your presentation).
Remind them of your call-to-action whether it's signing up to a course or buying a product.
As an example, the team at Animalz ensured to contact them at least two times following their seminar on managing huge blogs. First, with the replay of the video. Then, next week, the invitation to do a content audit in conjunction with their team.
The reason this follows-up email is that it's framed as a helpful one -- and Who doesn't need an additional suggestion, after all? And the email is full worth, and has the opportunity to act in the middle.
If you opt to follow the post-webinar survey route be sure to make it simple and easy to fill out.
Example:
Did you like the webcast?
What was your top part?
What would be your chances to suggest this webcast? [scale of 1-10]
Do you have any other thoughts or feedback to send us?
It's never a bad idea to put in the effort of engaging following a webinar. However excited your audience might be on the day but life gets out of the way and cause them forget. By getting in touch, you're reminding them of the great webinar they attended.
We'll now discuss the elephant in the room. You can practice a lot, have a brilliant presentation style, and make sure you engage your audience at the highest level But if your slides aren't a success are they sufficient?
4. If your slides weren't impressive...
Terrible slides are a massive deterrent for people. They don't matter if they're hard to understand or offer nothing of significance, they will sour your image before you've began.
However, putting together your slides can improve your presentation, with 91% of presenters saying they feel more comfortable due to having a slides that are clean and professional.
Here are a few things you can do to level up your design:
Lead with visuals Consider pictures first, and then text. The slides you present aren't scripts and you should trim that text to a smaller size.
One clear, simple message on each slide. Every slide needs to be comprehended in three seconds or less.
Keep your slides consistent in style with each other as well as with your brand.
Accessibility is crucial. The font should be large enough for reading, and have contrast that is clear between font and background. If you're trying to figure out the contrast of your colors enough, you can use this test of contrast .
Beyond the slides, you should also think about captions, live transcriptions and subtitles for increase accessibility. Software like Otter , for example, work with Zoom and provide both of these features.
Other tools that can be used to save time you can use to create dazzling slides are:
Canva : for rapid design that could later be used again to create social media-friendly graphics.
Prezi Prezi HTML0: to make Interactive presentations to be included in your webinar.
SlideDog to allow mixing media from different formats in order to make dynamic playlists.
FlowVella to assist in getting away from linear presentations.
Webinars? Fail again, fail better
In the end, failure doesn't have to have the final say. You can learn from what went wrong and do better the next time.
Whatever path you choose to follow, in relation to the next webinar take note of these guidelines:
Write your promotional material with your audience in mind and ask them what they are experiencing difficulties with?
Marketing through email is your ideal friend -- don't neglect it.
Including your audience to your webcast before it begins is essential to ensure successful webinars.
It isn't a burden but it could affect your confidence as a speaker.
The mistakes you make aren't necessarily an indication of your character or what you have to give. Try again, and even though you may not always succeed but you'll fly high within a matter of minutes.