What is an online seminar? Explanation of the merits and specific holding procedures

An increasing number of companies are conducting online seminars. It is attracting attention for its great advantage of being able to hold seminars of various sizes, from a few people to hundreds of people, at low cost, regardless of location. However, I don’t think there are many companies that are fully utilizing it.

In this article, we will explain the benefits of using online seminars and the specific procedures for holding online seminars for those who are not yet accustomed to holding online seminars or those who are about to start.

Table of Contents

Online seminars are “seminars held over the Internet using web conferencing tools”. It is also called a webinar or webinar because it is held on the web.

Due to various factors such as the improvement of the communication environment, the spread of web conferencing tools, and the diversification of work styles, in recent years it has become possible for people who are far away to communicate smoothly with the cameras and microphones of their personal computers and smartphones.

In that environment, more and more companies are stepping up to online seminars in addition to web conferences. Online seminars, which can attract customers nationwide without being bound by location, are now becoming a source of merit for many companies.

There are several types of online seminars. Typical approaches include real-time distribution and recorded distribution, as well as one-way and two-way types.

Let’s take a look at the overview and features of each.

Real-time distribution and recording distribution

Real-time delivery refers to a format in which the delivery time is decided in advance and the online seminar is held in real time. In addition to being able to produce a sense of realism in the seminar, the organizer can instantly grasp and respond to the reactions of the participants.

However, if there is a problem with the organizer of the seminar, there is a risk that it will be transmitted to the participants. .

On the other hand, recording distribution is a method of distributing recorded seminar video at a set time. Since it is a recording, the advantage is that you can take your time to create a seminar and retake it as many times as you like. In addition, it is easy to deliver seminars to participants because it can be delivered any number of times and the delivery period is flexible.

On the other hand, there is no real-time communication between participants and organizers, such as asking questions, and there is a risk that participants will not be able to respond immediately.

Unidirectional and bidirectional

The one-way type is a method in which the organizer of the online seminar conducts the seminar in a one-way manner. However, there is also a mechanism to respond to questions and opinions from participants in real time using a chat tool. This one-way format does not respond to the reactions of the participants, so it will be easier for the seminar to proceed as planned and for the participants to maintain their concentration.

An interactive type is a seminar that progresses while responding to questions and opinions by looking at the reactions of the participants. Participants are more likely to feel a sense of participation and are more likely to be engaged.

The online seminars held by our company HubSpot also adopt an online seminar format that combines real-time distribution and recording, one-way and two-way. First of all, we will hold an online seminar in real time, prepare the presentation content in advance, and answer the opinions and questions of the participants through the voting function and questions from the chat.

After the seminar, we will send the recorded data to those who applied but could not participate. In this way, it is better to use them properly according to the purpose and scene.

Benefits for organizers using webinars include:

• Capable of attracting customers from far away
• Lower costs than offline
• Can be recorded for secondary use

Online seminars are held over the Internet, so there are no physical distance restrictions. For example, even if a seminar is held in Tokyo, people living in rural areas or overseas can also participate.
In addition, it is also attractive that it does not take time and money to prepare the venue. . There is no cost for staff or writing utensils to be deployed at the venue. If you already have a web conferencing tool in place, no additional costs are required.

Furthermore, once recorded, it can be used for secondary purposes in various ways, such as distributing it to existing customers or including it in downloadable materials.

On the other hand, online seminars also have some disadvantages.

• Communication and equipment trouble risk
• Two-way communication is difficult
• Ingenuity is needed to increase engagement

During online seminars, problems may occur due to communication or equipment malfunctions or operational errors.

Also, in a two-way event, the organizer and participants do not share the same space as the venue, so if two-way communication is emphasized, there may be discrepancies.

Furthermore, in online seminars, participants participate through the screen of a computer or smartphone, so it is less likely to feel a sense of presence or a sense of ownership compared to offline seminars. Therefore, in order to concentrate on the seminar, it is necessary to devise something that is not offline.

What are the advantages and disadvantages for participants? Let’s check the benefits first.

• feel free to join
• No need to physically travel to the venue
• can participate while

With a webinar, you don’t have to go out and communicate with other participants. Compared to offline seminars, you will be able to participate more easily without the cost and hassle of moving.

However, online seminar participants also have disadvantages.

• Minimum equipment and internet environment required
• Requires login/registration to the tool
• There is a possibility that you will not be able to participate due to communication or equipment problems.

You need a smartphone or computer that can use the online seminar, and a communication environment such as Wi-Fi. It takes time and money to set up the environment.

Depending on the tool you use, you may have to register personal information such as your name and date of birth. In addition to being troublesome, some people may feel resistance to registering information.

Also, in online seminars, you may not be able to attend due to a problem with your home equipment, or you may have trouble with the organizer.

Online seminars can be used mainly in the following situations.

• Product briefing session
• Company briefing session/recruitment briefing session
• Seminars, lectures, lectures, etc.
• e-learning

Product briefing session

It can be used to explain your company’s products and services to people outside the company and customers.

It can be used when you are far away and cannot explain directly, or when you want to communicate as soon as possible. There is also the advantage of saving the cost of moving and setting up the venue.

Company information session for recruitment

It can also be used for recruitment briefings, which were mainly offline. can be used in the following situations.

• Company information session for new graduates who wish to change jobs
• Recruitment of part-time jobs

Recruitment activities will be able to target excellent human resources nationwide. You can also communicate your business and company prospects to important business partners and shareholders.

You can also use chat tools to ask questions in real time.

In-house seminars, lectures, lectures

You can also hold seminars, lectures, and lectures not only for outside the company, but also for the company. Study sessions using videos not only can be distributed to employees all at once, but can also provide an environment in which they can watch them as many times as they like.

e-learning

You can also have them learn the qualifications and skills you want your employees to cultivate, such as English and management, as e-learning.
Another option would be to create an e-learning video and market it externally.

The procedure for the online seminar is as follows.

1. Clarifying the purpose of the event
2. Implementation content/date and time planning
3. Event announcement and start of attracting customers
4. Document creation on the day
5. Send reminder emails to participants
6. Equipment and communication check the day before
7. Online seminar held
8. Post-completion follow-up

1. Clarification of the purpose of the event

First of all, let’s clarify the purpose of holding an online seminar. If the purpose is not clear, the contents and goals of the seminar will be blurred, and various adverse effects will occur, such as it being difficult to gather participants and the effectiveness cannot be verified. Simply decide what you want to say to whom.

The purposes of the event are, for example:

• New customer acquisition (create the first point of contact to approach)
• Improve branding
• Enlightenment activities to convey the company’s philosophy
• improvement

The important thing is not to focus on company-oriented goals such as “I want to take the lead” and “I want to increase sales.” Of course, in the end, it should lead to profits for the company, but the first thing to consider is what kind of value should be provided to the other party.

Let’s think about how to create such a flow that provides value to the other party and also benefits the company.

2.Planning of contents and date

Once the purpose is decided, the contents and the date and time of the event will be decided. Make sure that the content matches the needs of your target audience, and decide on times and days of the week when the target audience is likely to gather.

3. Announcement of the event and start of attracting customers

Of course, you can’t gather people just by planning, so you have to announce that you will be holding it and attract customers. For example, the following can be used for announcements and attracting customers.

• Listing advertisement
• Landing page dedicated to seminars
• Posting on website
• SNS (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)

Problems can be reduced by organizing the application process, such as creating an application flow in advance.

4.Creating documents for the day

In the online seminar, materials will be provided as data, not paper. If the size is large, it will take a long time to download, so it is recommended to keep it small.

In addition, there are materials for seminar instructors and materials that are necessary for staff, so if you prepare a platform to share in advance, the operation will be smooth.

5.Send reminder emails to participants

By sending reminder emails to participants who have applied, it is possible to prevent absenteeism due to forgetfulness or sudden schedule changes.

Prepare an email containing the seminar information.

6.Equipment and communication check on the previous day

In order to avoid troubles due to equipment and communication environment on the day, let’s actually rehearse and make sure there are no problems.

7. Online seminar

On the day of the seminar, make sure there are no problems with the equipment or communication environment before holding the seminar. It is also recommended to have a point of contact with the participants through the seminar.

8. Follow-up after completion

After the seminar, follow-up emails or other approaches are recommended to maintain ongoing contact with attendees.

Now, we will introduce 7 carefully selected tools that can be used when actually holding an online seminar. Since each tool has its own characteristics, what it can do, and what it cannot do, it is a good idea to select the tool to use depending on what kind of seminar you want to hold in advance.

In order not to fail the online seminar, please be aware of the following three points.

• Always prepare and rehearse
• Add variable factors such as Q&A
• Learn how to liven up online seminars

In order to liven up the unique way of online seminars, it is necessary for the operator to have their own ingenuity. However, there is no need to think too hard, and you can create two-way communication between the participants and the organizer by using the voting function and chat function that can only be used in online seminars.

You should be able to do a lot of ingenuity, such as responding immediately to good comments in the chat function, asking questions in a quiz format and having them answer with the voting function.

Doing so will naturally improve attendee satisfaction and engagement.

Online seminars have various advantages, such as cost savings and secondary use of content for the management side, as well as lower hurdles for participants to participate more easily.

In this article, I think I was able to understand the benefits and the flow of the event. Start with a small webinar and scale up as you get used to it. If you feel that it is difficult to plan and operate in-house, you can also outsource to a company that has a lot of experience in holding web seminars. If you want to know more about how to hold an online seminar and after-sales follow-up, please see the following materials.