Frequently asked questions

What interaction does a webinar produce? What is the role of a moderator? And what exactly is the difference between full service and self service?
In this knowledge base you will learn everything there is to know about webinars.

General

What is a webinar?

A webinar is an interactive live seminar broadcast online. During the broadcast there are several functionalities that allow you to talk to your target group: a live chat to ask questions, stimulating call-to-action buttons, and a survey and poll questions to gauge the opinion of your viewers. Finally, with the test function you automatically get insight into the level of knowledge of your viewers.

What is the difference between a webinar and a webcast?

A webcast is a live stream of an event, for example a live press conference. A webinar is an interactive, data-driven online broadcast. So the big difference is the interaction that is possible in a webinar: participants can react and participate.

What are the applications of webinars?

A webinar can be used for many purposes:

  • in- and external communication, such as a general meeting of stakeholder s.
  • marketing / lead generation
  • thought leadership
  • training / e-learning
  • product presentations
  • hybrid events, where people are physically present at the event

What types of webinar studios are there?

Online Seminar offers regular studios in different places around the globe. In addition, we can build a mobile studio, for example for an event. So this is a temporary studio. A so-called virtual studio is also possible. Here we simulate a virtual recording in the studio, where the presenters are actually present at a different location. Finally, it is possible to have a permanent studio built at your office. This is interesting when you, as an organization, want to take the broadcasting of webinars into your own hands.

What is the difference between full service and self service?

With full service, your organization is guided during the entire process: from sending the invitation to participants to the actual broadcast with your own director and the evaluation afterwards. As a customer, you only have to focus on the content of your presentation. In the case of self service, your company has its own studio. We have trained your employees to create a fully independent webinar. You use a license for our webinar platform.

Can I design a webinar in my own corporate identity?

Definitely. We create a personal webinar environment for your company, completely in your own corporate identity. This is the page where participants end up when they want to sign up for the webinar. During the webinar there is also plenty of opportunity to reflect the corporate identity, for example within the presentation and in the studio displays.

How secure is the webinar platform?

The platform is extremely safe. We are at the forefront of our industry when it comes to security. We are therefore ISO 27001-certified. Every year an audit takes place to test whether our protocols are compliant and whether our systems are still secure. We have our datacenters. We keep data processing in our own hands – we do not outsource this to a third party.

Planning and promotion

What do I need to deliver in advance?

We set up your personal webinar environment in advance, which participants can use to sign up. For this we need the company logo and the description of the webinar. In addition, we need the presentation plus the poll and survey questions you want to ask. You will receive a practical digital form to deliver all materials beforehand.

What is the best time for a webinar?

The time depends entirely on your target audience and the type of webinar. For example, are there many men in the target audience? Then it’s not convenient to plan the webinar at the same time as a Champions League game. Does your target audience usually work part-time? If so, don’t plan the webinar on Wednesdays or Fridays. In general, we see that Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferred by many people. Monday is often the start of the week, and less people are present on Wednesdays and Fridays.

How do I send invitations to my target group?

You will receive a link to the registration page. You can then send the link to your target audience, for example via social media, a newsletter or intranet. So the participants can sign up themselves.

Can I also send reminders in the run-up to the broadcast?

Of course, and our system provides an automatic e-mail service. You only need to set it up once. Participants will receive a confirmation of participation, a reminder just before the broadcast and a thank you email afterwards. When participants have entered their phone number, they will also receive a text message right before the broadcast.

What is the importance of a dry run?

A dry run, or dress rehearsal, is always wise: whether you are giving a webinar for the first time or for the tenth time. If you’re doing it for the first time, it’s nice to run through the program. Is it for the tenth time? Then it’s also good to make arrangements in advance, for example when you switch to different items during the program.

Which channels can I use to promote my webinar?

This depends on the target audience. We always advise to use as many channels as possible and to repeat the message sufficiently. Think of newsletters, your own website, social media or (paid) display and link building campaigns. We do advise against old school postal mail. We see that the response is very low.

The live webinar

What does a viewer need to follow the webinar?

A working internet connection and a browser are sufficient. Whether that browser is on a tablet, PC or phone – the platform works on any device, so participants can watch the webinar from anywhere in the world.

In what ways can I interact with viewers?

During the webinar you can interact in different ways:

How do I gauge the opinion of viewers?

You can ask viewers to respond in different ways: think of polls and surveys. You can set them up yourself. Our account managers will advise you on how often you use them during the broadcast and how to interpret the results.

What is the role of a moderator?

With us, moderator does not mean ‘the presenter’. By moderator we mean the person who answers the questions in the chat. The moderators answers the questions on their own or forward them to the presenter in the studio. The moderator can work from home and does not need to be present in the studio. The moderator is always someone from your own organization. At Online Seminar we make sure one of our own technical moderators is present, in case of technical questions.

What guidance do I receive on location?

You and your team will be welcomed by your own host or hostess. He or she will take care of you in every way. The host also guides the moderator, who will answer participants’ questions via the chat. One hour in advance, the speakers hold a dry run with the director. At the same time, the moderators responsible for the chat also receive an explanation from our technical moderators. Immediately after the broadcast, the director and your team will evaluate the webinar.

Can I get a guest speaker?

Definitely. Through our virtual studio, the guest speaker can also participate from another location. We then create a connection and show the speaker on the screen. This creates a very natural looking situation. The guest speaker can of course also come to the studio. Moreover, we have a pool of professional speakers who can take your broadcast to an even higher level.

What is desktopsharing?

During desktop sharing, the speaker in the studio shares his computer screen with the participants. The speaker is still visible in the picture. Desktop sharing can be useful, for example, when the speaker wants to show how he goes through an exact number of steps in a complex digital process.

After the broadcast

What is an on-demand webinar?

After the live webinar it is still possible to watch the broadcast. We call this “on demand”. Viewers can use the original webinar link. All interactive functionalities will still work within the on demand broadcast. This means that participants can fill in poll questions and even respond via the chat. The question is then passed on to the organization. This way you continue to collect valuable data.

How is the webinar evaluated?

Immediately after the webinar, participants receive a survey to give their opinion on how they experienced it. These results in combination with other data such as the number of viewers and viewing time will be discussed with you after the broadcast. You will also receive a valuable report.

Can I test my target group afterwards?

Definitely. Tests for training can be done both during a live and on demand broadcast. This way, the participant can pass the test at a later moment and possibly qualify for accreditation.

What kind of reporting do I get?

The report contains all data from before, during and after the broadcast. Think of the number of invited participants, the number of viewers, the viewing time and the appreciation of the webinar. You can export the report to PDF and Excel. It is also possible to use a plug-in to link it to, for example, your organization’s CRM system.

What kind of follow-up is possible?

You can approach participants in many different ways:

  • With a thank-you email
  • With an on demand link for people who signed up but didn’t watch
  • By contacting people who have responded to a call to action
  • By returning to a question that didn’t get answered during the broadcast. In addition, the results of polls and surveys are a good source for topics of upcoming webinars.