Webinars and online training have never been more popular—driven, for good or ill, by the COVID-19 pandemic. With many people working and learning from home these days, webinars have become more essential than ever.
Here are a few trends to watch in 2021 for getting your webinars in front of the right audience.
Embrace a Multi-Platform Strategy
Which platform works best for you? YouTube is seeing 20-30% more views these days than it did prior to the pandemic, but it’s also not the only option. Platforms like TikTok and Vimeo are also great, and even social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have raised their game for video marketing.
Which platform works best for you depends on where your audience is, their demographics, and the type of video you’re producing. This year, don’t overlook all your options—consider including platforms outside of YouTube, if your audience uses them.
Don’t Get Hung Up On Production Value
We hope the pandemic won’t last too long into 2021, but realistically, it’s probably going to hang around in many areas of the country.
Putting out a video with high production value in the midst of the pandemic may not be the best move. Audiences will wonder if you were putting a crew in danger by producing your video in person. Many videos being put out these days—including by celebrities—have a low-production-value feel.
Your audience will forgive you a lot, as long as it’s clear you’re adhering to pandemic guidelines. It’s okay if your webinars don’t look slick and produced. In fact, while the pandemic is on, it’s generally better if they don’t.
Target Google Search
Google has been increasingly serving up videos on the top row of its search results whenever it’s applicable, especially if these videos answer a question that the searcher is asking in a straightforward manner.
Consider targeting specific questions that your audience asks in search results. Type a target question into Google and see if other videos come up. If they don’t, this may be an opportunity—as your competition for video search results on those keywords may be shallow or nonexistent.
Featured videos tend to be simple, short, and answer a straightforward question that the user searched for. So consider producing a few “explainer” videos based on the FAQs you already have on your website, or a series of common questions you answer for your audience all the time.
Consider Live Streaming.
Live streaming platforms like Twitch are really taking off—and they can have significant advantages, such as allowing your audience to ask questions that you answer in real-time.
Twitch was originally developed for people to play video games for their audiences, but these days people use it for all kinds of reasons—everything from exercise videos to commentary to music performances.
This is a public-facing, personal platform that allows you to connect with your audience in a very immediate way—and it may work great for your area of focus.
Webinars have risen in popularity during the pandemic, and it’s not clear whether that popularity will sustain itself once the pandemic subsides. However, follow these tips and you’ll be able to grow your audience—in good times and in bad.
