Webinars: Who Else Is Bored?

How many webinars have you been invited to recently? Before the Covid-19 pandemic I guess I was invited to watch one or two a week and I'd usually be a panelist or speaker on one (or more) each month. Now that's all changed.

I'm invited to webinars daily and frequently asked to participate as a speaker now. I'm getting so many webinar invitations that they are mostly ignored. Some of them might be useful and interesting, but I can't scrutinise ten webinar invitations each day.

The issue is that in-person events and conferences are impossible at present so many companies and event organisers are going digital in an attempt to continue creating similar events. I think this is a mistake for several reasons:

1. Digital fatigue: I'm at my laptop all day. I'm using Zoom to enjoy a beer with friends. The last thing I need is another invitation to spend more time in front of a screen.
2. Focus: if I am listening to a keynote speaker at a conference then I'll silence my phone and pay attention to what they are saying - even poor speakers can keep the attention of an in-person audience because most people are polite enough to think 'this sucks, but he will be gone in 10 minutes.' If I'm watching a keynote on a screen then I have a dozen apps all sending notifications and other distractions. It's easy to just focus on something else. One click of a button is all it takes.
3. Environment: at a conference I will have left behind my regular work. My focus will be on networking, meeting people that sound interesting, and listening to some talks and hopefully engaging with the speakers. There is a separation between these activities and the day job. That's not possible if you are in your regular work location with your work laptop surrounded by all your regular priorities and tasks.

I recently wrote that the entire process of B2B sales needs to change because of the pandemic. Creating compelling content is becoming vital for any B2B sales professional because they can't sponsor a conference and get attention that way. They can chase prospects online, but the first thing any prospect today will check out is the social footprint of your sales team. Are they saying smart things about your industry? If not then forget about any calls being returned. This is now critical for success.

On the surface it sounds like running a webinar would be a great idea. It is informative content and your team can be included as speakers so they clearly position themselves as experts. It also lives on after the live event as video-on-demand.

But the problem is that so many companies are using webinars as if they were live conferences or summits. I saw one company that took their previous in-person event format and transposed it almost entirely into the online environment. Three days of endless online presentations. A three-day in-person event is a great opportunity to network with peers or clients, but three days sitting in front of video presentations?

Many people producing webinars are still focused on the live audience in a way that is not productive. Sure, you want to attract a live audience and see some engagement - ideally the audience ask some questions. However a live webinar that's a convenient time for New York is not going to be at a good time in Hong Kong. in addition, when is a good time anyway? Do you expect your viewer to be sitting at their laptop watching webinars after a hard day at work - it's on their own time - or should you schedule these events during the working day?

So what should you do? I certainly don't have all the answers. This post was created because of my own digital fatigue and an overwhelming number of live webinar invitations. However, I would suggest a few important points:

• Don't transpose in-person events online: you can't use Zoom recreate the experience of hanging out in Las Vegas at a big event so don't even try.
• Think different: everyone is doing online webinars right now and many of the same tiresome themes are being repeated... what have we learned about work-from-home? How do we adjust to the new normal? When will be returning to normal? What can you add to the conversation that is not being covered by a hundred other commentators?
• Think about how to engage better: live webinars are often used because the brand wants audience engagement, but often the audience barely engages or the questions are not interesting or appropriate. Think in more detail about how you can engage before an event, stimulate some conversations and questions and then use that discussion in the actual event, following it with the opportunity for further debate.

So what would I do?

If you really want to run a webinar then I'd suggest that it is one component in a series of smaller events. Write some blogs or articles. Be seen talking about the subject in question. Stimulate some discussion. You can use a series of blogs to create discussion before the event and also to promote the live event. Critically though, ensure the speakers are happy to engage with the debate before and after the event - so there is a genuine way to feed into the event and questions that were not possible to answer live can be debated on LinkedIn later.

Also, make the replay option easier. Don't just expect on-demand viewers to sit through an hour of content. Break it into chunks. Post a dozen one-minute videos as the 'best of' clips.

But what I would really suggest is that all that effort you are putting into a single online event that attracts 20 viewers could be more effectively focused elsewhere. Let's say you are really focused on work-from-home and how it may become a permanent part of how every professional service is delivered. Create a video blog - upload 1-minute viewpoints on a regular basis to YouTube or Instagram. Create a blog, even just posting on LinkedIn. Create a podcast and own the subject. Be seen as the expert.

My own CX Files podcast is a great example. It's now one of the most popular CX-focused podcasts globally. I could have hosted a webinar on Zoom on the future of CX, but instead I have an ongoing series of shows that all offer something new to the debate. It's also great to have Peter Ryan on board now as he adds a different perspective and our respective networks can take an interest in what the other presenter has to say.

So think carefully. Are you going to spend time and effort creating yet another webinar that will be ignored, even by those who might usually be interested in the subject? They are less interested now because yours may be the 13th invite in the same week to a discussion about something that everyone else is already talking about.

Think about how to create more interesting content that really does engage the audience and allows them a way to genuinely offer feedback - not just a rushed 5-minute Q&A at the end of a webinar.

CC Photo by Arthur Savary