ON24’s “console” is how they refer to the entirety of the features your audience experiences when they attend your virtual event. In the world of webinars, this is rare. You can choose custom fonts, colors, buttons, and even background images to give your event a distinctive look that suits your brand.
But have you considered that the ON24 console might be used to increase “connection” between audiences and presenters?
Over many years of providing program management support to enterprise clients, here are six ideas we can help you implement to increase the audience-presenter connection that sets your event apart in a noisy world.
Help your presenters take questions throughout the webinar
Some presenters are comfortable opening the questions “window” and responding on the fly. Others are not (and would benefit from a V2 moderator keeping an eye on questions and being the “voice of the audience” during the event).
Either way, send the clear-but-subtle message that interaction is welcome throughout the whole event by placing the Questions window in a clearly visible place (instead of simply enabling it as a clickable option).
Use the “Speaker Bio” window to enable deeper personal connection
Many audience members want to investigate speakers at a deeper level than is shared in an opening script or introduction. Use the Speaker Bio panel to provide direct links to presenters’ social media pages or even email.
For example, in the following image, note that presenters shared a link to their LinkedIn profile (a great way to build your following!).
Use the Media Player window to share a welcome video from the presenter
Like you, we don’t expect your audience to watch a video from the presenter during the live event itself. But before the event begins, engagement can begin if there is a video for them to watch while waiting.
An example might be something like: “Hey, it’s Roger, and let me give you three tips in 30 seconds that’ll give you a sneak peak at what we’re going to learn in this webinar.”
BONUS IDEA: This could also be used on your registration page, too.
Use the Resources window to provide the unexpected
Virtual event attendees likely expect to receive resources such as a summary handout of the event content, a pdf of the presentation deck, marketing data sheets and the like. But what is unexpected?
Over the years we’ve seen clients have success using information kits, calculators, resource lists (e.g., a list of free stock image sites that aren’t full of junk), digital copies of the presenter’s book, etc. The key is that it’s unexpected – a surprise that goes above and beyond.
To maximize this tactic for engagement, however, don’t just provide a dump of stuff. Instead, the presenter should at some point explicitly direct attention to it and position it as a valuable extension of the value being offered.
Create in-console calls to action that invite a deeper experience
Unlike most other platforms, ON24 lets you do more than just host resources – you can also use attention-grabbing images that draw attention to a call to action. For instance, in the image below, the combination of “ad” and “join button” create a direct opportunity to click.
This tactic could be used for more than presenter-audience engagement, of course, but it’s a perfect way to provide a link to, for instance, something like an invitation-only private Q&A session with the presenter, deeper-dive demo, or similar high-engagement experience.
Get real-time feedback with The Reactions Widget
Attendees can now give feedback during the webinar with the reaction bar – a panel of emoji icons that allow them to give thumbs up and down, a smiley face and hand clap, among other icons, a fun way to engage your audience and allow quick feedback on the fly.
The bottom line
Virtual and hybrid events often seem like they’re all the same. But it doesn’t have to be that way – visually or interactively. One of the most powerful reasons to use live events is that people can connect with people. Your audience showed up for a reason – now maximize that experience by helping presenters really create a next-level connection.
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