Social media has transformed the Internet into a metropolis of brands and celebrities that constantly make attempts to engage an audience. Interacting socially on the Internet is similar to interacting with others in the real world in that becoming an active part of the community leads to an increase in popularity. The difference comes in how this interaction can be used as a tool to garner more engagement among your audience. This is the part that many businesses don’t get right.

Many social media experts would tell you to write posts frequently. There’s nothing wrong with this advice, but there’s a component missing from it. Even if your posts are somewhat meaningful to your audience, you still risk just piling up amid all the noise. Unless the posts are sufficiently rewarding for the audience, you’re not going to get their full attention. If you want to lend some credence to your brand and expand its reach, it’s probably about time you start a webinar. But why start just any ordinary webinar when you can start a Zoom Webinars?!

When you host webinars with Zoom, you get to include up to 25 two-way video panelists and broadcast your video to up to 1,000 view-only audience members. It gives you the exact platform you need in order to cement your expertise and brand into the minds of your viewers. Webinars alone aren’t going to cut it, though. And one webinar isn’t going to make people suddenly love you on social media. But using the right methods and a little bit of creativity, you can transform your webinars into powerhouses that will generate a motherlode of organic engagement. We’ll show you how!

Make the big announcement and invite people to speak the right way.

Of course, your Zoom Webinars is going to have lots of tumbleweeds and you’ll have nothing to show for it if you don’t make the announcement somewhere. Tell all of your followers, fans, and whatnot that you’re having a webinar, with details on the time and the webinar room link. Make sure that you have a meaningful theme to discuss. For example, if you own a bakery, discussing homemade recipes may inspire the cooking enthusiasts in your audience to show up.

OK, so you made the announcement and about 20 people want to attend it. What do you do now? You can’t have an awesome webinar with just 20 people.

This is where your co-panelists come in. You need to compel others to share your webinar with their own followers. There’s virtually no better way to convince a popular person to share this than inviting that person to join in as a speaker. You see, the human ego works like this: “If I am speaking somewhere, I better make sure that my fans are there so I can impress them!” Make sure you remind your speakers to share the webinar with their fans.

Center the webinar around your brand without being too obvious about it.

Feel free to mention your company and why it’s great. People expect it; it’s your webinar after all. But your webinar should be mostly informative. As in the example above, the webinar topic was recipes, not why your bakery rocks. Similarly, if you’re a data security company, your webinar should be about data security information with a little plug for your product, not an entire webinar about how great your product is.

Webinars are beautiful little tools, and so are virtual webcam effects applications. If you have one installed, great! If you don’t, get one. With one of these applications, you can add text and logos to your Zoom window. Add a hashtag for social media discussion and a URL leading to your brand’s social media accounts. Zoom Webinars has a Q/A function built-in, but if you want to build some interest, you can encourage viewers to use these to ask questions and comment on your webinar on Twitter instead.

This has a dual effect. First, it allows viewers to have a voice. But perhaps most importantly, it allows your brand to interact directly with its potential fans. As they relate to you, they’ll start following you. Eventually, they’ll share the things that you share with their own friends.

Towards the end of the webinar, gently remind your viewers to follow you on social media if they want more awesome webinars. Also, don’t forget to return the favor to your speakers and speak at their webinars if they invite you!

Time your webinar correctly.

The internet has many people from all walks of life connected to it. This means that they are less occupied at certain hours and these hours correspond to different time zones. Think about the audience you’re trying to engage.

Are you targeting people in the US? Perhaps 2 PM ET/11 AM PT is the best time to start your meeting. This lets many people watch your webinar during their lunch break. We suggest using websites like World Time Buddy to get the best times for your target audience to attend your webinar. Just remember that as your targeted area becomes more dispersed, your window of opportunity will shrink.

Record and distribute.

Just like with any other meeting in the web or in real life, there are always going to be people who can’t attend. As a courtesy to them, record your entire webinar and upload it to a streaming video website (which may also give your channel more publicity), such as YouTube. After you’re done, share the link to your video on social media. You won’t get as much engagement as you would during the webinar itself, but every little courtesy goes a long way to improving your image.

Don’t be afraid to experiment!

There are tons of things you can do during a Zoom Webinars, but which ones actually work? It all depends on who you’re talking to. We can’t give you a formula that works every time, but we can provide you with the tools to determine whether your formula is working. Zoom gives you full reporting after your webinar, which gives you an indication of how successful your webinar was.

Now, it’s your turn to determine what adds more engagement to your webinars and what turns your audience off. In some instances, perhaps sharing your screen and providing colorful visuals is the game-changer you need. Other times, adjustments to your webinar’s agenda, no matter how minor, can make or break it.

Become a webinar expert by hosting Zoominars!

Perhaps the most important thing to have in every webinar is software that simply does its job. Instead of monkeying around with gizmos and toolboxes galore, perhaps it’s time you tried something sleek and powerful that gives you what you want on a whim. Learn more about Zoom Webinars. Not ready for webinars yet? Sign up for a free regular Zoom video meetings account instead!