What are the pros and cons of using free vs paid webinar platforms for online hiring?

1 Free webinar platforms

Free webinar platforms can be appealing due to the lack of upfront investment or subscription fees, as well as easy setup if you have an account with a service like Zoom, Google Meet or Skype. However, there are some drawbacks to consider. These include limited features and functionality, such as difficulty customizing your webinar design, branding, registration, analytics, recording or interactivity. Additionally, free webinar platforms may have restrictions on the number of attendees, duration, bandwidth or resolution of your webinars which can affect the user experience and engagement. Lastly, there may be limited support and security in terms of customer service, technical assistance or data protection if something goes wrong or you need help with your webinars.

2 Paid webinar platforms

Paid webinar platforms are designed to offer more features, functionality and flexibility for your online hiring events, as well as provide a more professional and polished presentation that can impress and persuade your candidates. These platforms can be customized to suit your hiring objectives and preferences, while also enabling you to host more attendees, longer sessions, and higher bandwidth webinars that can improve the user experience and engagement. In addition, you can rely on dedicated customer service, technical assistance and data protection from your webinar provider to reduce the risk of errors, glitches or breaches.

3 How to choose the best webinar platform

When determining the best webinar platform for your online hiring, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on factors such as your budget, goals, and audience. Your budget should include how much you can afford to spend on your webinars, as well as if it is fixed or flexible. Additionally, you should consider what you are trying to achieve with your webinars and who you are targeting with them. Lastly, think about what expectations, preferences, and needs your audience has and how you want to communicate and interact with them.

4 Best practices for online hiring webinars

No matter which webinar platform you choose, there are some best practices that can help you optimize your online hiring webinars. You should plan ahead, defining your webinar topic, format, agenda, speakers and promotion strategy in advance. Additionally, test your webinar platform, equipment, internet connection and backup plan before going live. Furthermore, engage your audience by using polls, quizzes, Q&A, chat, feedback and other interactive tools. Also provide valuable and relevant content that showcases your company culture, values and opportunities. After the webinar is complete, follow up by sending a thank you email, survey, recording and resources to your attendees. Track and measure your webinar performance, feedback and outcomes as well as nurture and convert your leads into candidates and hires. Webinars can be a powerful tool for online hiring but they require careful planning, execution and evaluation. Consider the pros and cons of using free vs paid webinar platforms to find the best solution for your hiring needs and goals.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?