Many businesses today are considering webinars as a tool for reaching a wider audience. That’s because they’re a cost-effective way of bringing your business big rewards.  For starters, hosting a webinar allows you to show your expertise in your field. Talking to existing and potential clients about your business builds a good brand reputation that’ll help you gain and retain customers.

In addition, while webinars aren’t about making a hard sell, they’re a good way of generating and converting leads. This is because sharing information about your business, services, and products increases engagement, which promotes lead generation and conversion. 

Nonetheless, deciding whether to host an automated or on-demand webinar can be challenging because they can share similar benefits. If you’re unsure which of these two webinar types is best for your business, this article is for you. This post explores automated webinar and on-demand webinar to help you determine the one that suits your business best. Stick around to find out more.

Understanding Webinars And How They Work

A webinar, also called a web seminar, is a video conference that businesses use to educate, train, or demonstrate an idea or concept. They help you reach existing and potential clients in a way that adds value. They’re also a convenient way of reaching larger audiences worldwide despite their geographical locations.

Webinars work similarly to in-person workshops, save for the face-to-face experience that characterizes the latter. They often involve a host, a panel of participants, and attendees. The role of the host is to facilitate the discussion. The panel, meanwhile, is responsible for presenting their ideas within the designated time frame.

On the other hand, attendees watch the webinar and interact with panelists via chat or, in some instances, audio. The average webinar has 100 attendees, but some can have up to 500 viewers. The majority of webinars are free, but some charge a registration fee.

Automated Webinars Vs. On-Demand Webinars

Automated webinars are pre-recorded events scheduled to begin and run automatically at a specific time with or without a host, panelists, or attendees. In this type of webinar, the host determines the content they’d like to present. This can be a presentation, a survey, a pre-recorded video, or a third-party program recording. The nature of an automated webinar requires attendees to join the webinar at the specified time to avoid missing the beginning.

In contrast, an on demand webinar doesn’t have a specific schedule despite being pre-recorded. Instead, once the webinar has been recorded, the host sends it to the participants. This provides them unlimited access to the content and allows them to join the event at their most convenient time.

Benefits Of Automated Webinars

• They’re Efficient And Time-Saving

Automated webinars cut back on the tasks required to run a successful webinar, which saves time. For example, deciding to play an automated third-party program recording or a presentation minimizes the need for a host. This leaves you with more time to plan the next webinar or answer questions from your attendees, thus increasing engagement. 

• They Enhance Customer Service

Customer service is critical to any business. Excellent service increases customer engagement, lead generation, and lead conversion. An automated webinar improves customer service by granting you ample time to respond effectively to your customers’ requests. This translates to good customer support, which is vital to customer satisfaction.

Additionally, automated webinars facilitate efficiency during the registration process, ensuring that registered attendees can access your webinar without trouble. Consequently, satisfying your customers’ needs enhances customer service and increases brand loyalty, allowing your business to thrive.

• They Offer Convenience 

The success of your business is dependent on more than just webinars. Nonetheless, for your business to flourish, it’s essential to ensure your webinars are successful. The convenience of automated webinars is one of the ways you can accomplish that.

Automated webinars help you reap the benefits of connecting with your clients without working too hard. For example, because the webinar is pre-recorded, you can run it without hosting it. Instead, you get to focus on responding to your customer’s questions and concerns promptly. 

In addition, you can also take advantage of the real-time feedback to pre-record another webinar. This helps you increase engagement because your viewers see their opinions being considered, thus making them more inclined to associate with you.

Benefits Of On-Demand Webinars

• They Increase Lead Generation and Conversion

As mentioned above, on-demand webinars allow attendees to access a webinar anytime. This is convenient to most individuals because of their varying schedules. It also means that your attendees join the webinar because they want to, not because they’re required to.

Additionally, attendance increases because attendees can join at their convenience. This increases lead generation and makes it easy for you to convert them into customers because they’re genuinely interested in what you offer.

• They Enable You To Concentrate On Other High-Level Tasks

The nature of on-demand webinars also means that you spend less time running the webinar and more time fulfilling critical tasks. For example, while your customers attend the webinar, you and your staff can attend to other duties.

Since your operating hours and the time the attendees are on the webinar may not match, you can ensure that your business’s needs won’t be neglected. Additionally, it gives you and your team time to brainstorm more creative ideas for upcoming webinars. This helps you enhance engagement and promote lead generation.

Which Between On-Demand And Automated Webinars Is Better For Your Business?

On-demand and automated webinars are an excellent way to grow your audience. However, choosing between on-demand and automated webinars can be challenging because both benefit your business immensely. The primary difference between these webinars is that the former is accessible at any time, while the latter has a specified time for attendees to join.

Therefore, an on-demand webinar is more convenient if you’re dealing with a wide range of clients from different continents. This is because their different time zones don’t affect their ability to join your webinar, as access is unlimited. If your client’s time zones aren’t an issue, then either type of webinar would suit your business.

In Summary

Webinars are a convenient tool for reaching a wider audience. Besides being cost-effective, they help you build a good brand reputation while increasing engagement and generating leads. Choosing between an automated and on-demand webinar can be challenging because both offer similar benefits, including convenience and efficiency.

Their only difference is that automated webinars have a specific schedule for attendees to join an event, unlike on-demand webinars. Therein lies the basis for your decision on which suits your business best. If your clients’ time zones aren’t a factor, feel free to experiment with both webinars to discover the one with more potential.