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Keep Your Webinar Attendees Engaged by Utilizing Your Community Chat

Posted On Monday, 28 March 2022 19:23
Keep Your Webinar Attendees Engaged by Utilizing Your Community Chat

Webinars are a perfect option for connecting with new leads and sharing knowledge with the audience. As a result, they have become a popular marketing tool for transforming new leads into potential customers. Besides, they serve as an interactive way for presenting info and getting real-time customer responses through live chat. 

But keeping the webinar attendees engaged and managing the live chat simultaneously is a challenging task. Learn more about hosting a virtual event through experts like Viafoura. Here are some of the best measures to keep the webinar attendees engaged during webinars by leveraging community chat. Check the list below.  

  1. 1. Familiarize with your live chat features and functionality

Before you start the webinar, check the chat features of the webinar platform. Figure out the different functionalities of the live chat. Find out whether it has enough sorting tools for managing questions? It's best to conduct a few test runs and ask your team members to engage with each other on live chat. 

  1. 2. Spread the word about your webinar on social media 

Social media sharing is an essential part of the webinar strategy. Create a unique hashtag, so your audience and moderator can build interaction on social media platforms and discuss the event. 

One of the best things about social media sharing is that your audience will be encouraged to interact before the webinar begins. Plus, you can invite the attendees to create a buzz about the event on social media platforms. It will generate engagement among a large number of people. 

  1. 3. Schedule a Q&A session to boost engagement throughout the event 

Q&A session is a golden opportunity to keep the webinar audience engaged during live community chat. It encourages attendees to get answers to their doubts and queries in real-time. So prepare yourself for all kinds of questions at the online event. 

The Q&A session can be scheduled at the end of the virtual event. Alternatively, you may answer them at specific intervals in between the possibility of maintaining a smooth communication flow. 

Tip – avoid asking questions that could bring tough topics to the surface. Be innovative and strategic when conversing with the attendees during the Q&A session. 

  1. 4. Respond to customer issues on priority during the live chat

You'll not want any of your attendees to feel left out. Let's say – some individuals are facing technical problems or facing issues in accessing or communicating through live chat. In such cases, message the person privately and help them with relevant information and solutions to such problems. Aim at delivering the best possible experience to every guest attending your webinar. 

  1. 5. Assign a moderator for monitoring live chat

As a host, you may need to manage many things during webinars. There is nothing wrong with taking support or extra help for managing the session efficiently. Ask the moderator or producer to follow the chat actively and monitor the attendees' responses. 

People expect quick and relevant answers or solutions to their questions or doubts. Therefore, while not every comment or question can be discussed in the conversation, the moderator should ensure that none of the attendees feels ignored. 

For example, an attendee appreciates your brand and its value to their life. The moderator should quickly add a word of appreciation so that the commenter feels acknowledged. You may use emojis to add a fun element in the comment.

  1. 6. Stimulate excitement in the attendees through polls

Merely listening and watching may turn out to be boring for the viewers. You need to provide them with some content to interact with and share their opinion on specific actions or topics. 

  • Polls are a perfect way to keep the audience engaged, especially if the webinars are of long duration. It also keeps their minds stimulated.
  • You may spread the poll questions throughout the session to keep the attendees engaged with your virtual presentation. Or you may start your webinar with one or two poll questions. It generates curiosity and excitement in people. 
  • You may pose simple questions like where they are from, the reason for attending the webinar, their work background, etc. 
  • Polls are also ideal for learning more about viewers' content through their responses to the questions. If the poll participation percentage is low, it means you need to improve to put up a better "show" next time. 

7. Use different types of content forms in your presentation. 

Viewers are likely to feel bored with the same vision throughout the webinar. Therefore, both content and presentation should be engaging. 

  • If there is a bulk of information to be presented in the webinar, make sure to deliver it through both screen presentation and speech. 
  • Present the info smartly so that the attendees don't lose interest in the session. Avoid sharing too much information.
  • Use different content forms to create an appealing presentation. It will keep the attendees intrigued and excited. 
  • Add appealing graphics and colour to highlight the keynotes. 
  • If possible, incorporate one or two short videos. 

 

The idea is to intrigue the viewers visually and engage them with the content presented in the webinar.

  1. 8. Do not tolerate inappropriate comments in live community chat

Unfortunately, you may have some people (unsatisfied customers, competitors, etc.) signed up for your webinar who want to make a scene in the session. There is no guarantee that every participant will act professionally.

Some individuals could attack your brand and send complaints or disparaging remarks in live chat. Take prompt action against such people. First, delete their comments and block them from live chat.

Endnote 

Webinars have a vast potential to connect with the target audience. In addition, they help create a profound impact on them. Following the tips listed above, you can easily keep the attendees engaged and focused throughout the session. Also, make sure the viewers connect with the webinar's agenda and content. 

Besides Q&A and polls sessions, you may include various fun activities to get the audience's minds focused and active on the webinar and live chat. You may also consider them giving incentives for attending and participating in the session. 

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