6 Types of Visual Content to Use in Your Webinar
You want your webinar to be engaging, right? Well, in that case, using visual content is a no-brainer.
Visual content brings your ideas to life, makes complicated statistics and information easy to digest, and adds humor. But only the right visual content gives you these benefits.
You need to use visual content correctly and in the right context. Originality is important, too; it doesn’t matter how stunning an image is if the audience has seen it a million times before.
Below are the six types of visual content you need to use.
- Images
Humans are visual creatures; they are naturally drawn to images. Attention spans are shorter than ever, too, so using images can make large chunks of information more palatable, especially to visual learners. Moreover, if you remove the background of the image, there is literally nothing for the consumers to get distracted with.
But the images need to be relevant to the webinar’s subject matter and be of high quality. Also, original images are better than generic images, as they add a personal touch to your webinar.
Above is an example of how Reed Word’s webinar, ‘Building a Brand Voice, ’ used images to make their session more engaging. The image shows an example of a ‘human’ brand voice, which helps illustrate the webinar’s topic.
- Presentations
Presentations are similar to infographics in the way they use design to make information more appealing and digestible. However, presentations can have a much wider scope. A presentation is the right visual content to use if you have a concept with data that needs properly fleshing out.
Consistency with colors, shapes, headings, and fonts is key, as well as breaking up information appropriately. You will also want to include relevant images to add additional visual content.
Below are the first few slides of a presentation. The presentation’s subject matter is “How to successfully run a remote team.”
The first slide has an easy-to-read font, contrasting colors, and fun visual content to illustrate the information.
The second slide uses the same font, the same color scheme, and the same style of visual content to illustrate the statistic. Continuity like this makes for a more visually appealing experience and makes information easier to absorb.
Therefore, take your time to create engaging presentations for your webinar. You can also use some of the slides from the presentation to promote the webinar. Share them on social media and publish them on your webinar landing page.
You can also use the landing page to publish the webinar itself in the future. In fact, most businesses do these to use past webinars for lead generation. You’ll just need an optimized website on a fast web hosting platform to house all your content.
- Videos
Although webinars are in video format, including additional videos within the webinar is also a good idea. Videos are insanely popular and very engaging. In 2022, it’s estimated that 82% of internet traffic is attributed to video content.
Video content within a webinar can help explain a particular point and gives the audience a break from the main speaker, keeping them engaged. But what kind of video content should you use in a webinar?
You can use the following:
- Video interviews
- Explainer videos
- Short films
Candid video interviews are personal and captivating. The medium allows the interviewee to express their personality and content with the webinar participants while retaining structure and focus.
Video interviews are great for expressing the views of a CEO or other important person who may not be able to attend the webinar personally.
In webinars, explainer videos are a form of content that can be used as a glossary of sorts. A good explainer video will explain key terms and concepts, so the whole webinar is on the same page.
Here’s a good example that explains five key concepts of marketing management orientations:
Marketing Management Orientations – The 5 Marketing Concepts 🤩
After watching a video like this one, the webinar participants will know exactly what is meant when each concept is referred to later in the webinar.
It’s best to make explainer videos in-house, as it allows you to share your company’s specific definitions, which may vary from other companies.
You might also want to make the video available on your business website and app so participants can refer to it later. You can use a QR code for app download to popularize your app and increase downloads for better success.
A short film is an effective piece of content for explaining a concept or idea. The combination of narration and visuals allows a complicated topic to be shown visually and makes it more interesting.
For example, this video explains the concept of hybrid work:
The Office Providers Explainer Video – Hybrid Working Solutions
Using fun animations with an informative voiceover means your webinar audience is more likely to understand the subject and be engaged. But be wary of the length of the video; you don’t want the video to be the main component of the webinar and overshadow the other elements.
- Infographics
Infographics are a great way to visually explain data, statistics, or knowledge. A compelling infographic will make complicated information easy to understand without boring the audience. But making an infographic or finding an existing one isn’t easy for non-designers. There are some key considerations you should make.
Simple things like color, shapes, and fonts make a huge difference with data-driven visuals like infographics. The colors need to contrast without being an eyesore. The shapes need to separate information and show information flows properly without becoming visually unappealing.
Likewise, the fonts need to be professional, clear, and visually appealing. There are lots of great infographics out there you can use, but it’s best to make your own. You can do this with the help of a good graphic design services software solution like Venngage’s infographic maker.
Here is a good example of an infographic that can be used in a webinar discussing health matters.
The overall color scheme stands out and is visually appealing. The headings of each section have a consistent color, making it easy to see where each section starts and ends. Also, low stats are consistently represented, with a red color indicating a negative.
Also, the shape selections in the example are good. For instance, in the section depicting the dental expenses of different oral health conditions associated with diet, the larger circles indicate the higher costs for Turkey teeth. The font selection is great as well. It’s professional without being overly formal.
- Memes
Memes can make fun and engaging visual content for your webinar. On the internet, a meme is usually thought of as a funny picture with a caption. But the origin of the term is from scientist Richard Dawkins, who coined the word to describe a process of an idea spreading by imitation from person to person.
Memes can be used in webinars in a similar way to how Dawkins describes them. You can share an idea in a succinct, engaging package, as well as create a moment of levity. Memes are best for webinars with younger demographics but can also be used with other tech-savvy audiences.
For example, if your webinar is on keyword research, you could include a meme like this:
To the target audience, the meme is amusing. But it also shares an overview of a marketing concept and the difficulties you might face.
But make sure you research the origins of the memes you use, as some memes have inappropriate origins that could cause offense or controversy.
- Screenshots
Screenshots are great visual content for showing the inner workings of a process or online product. Functions can be shown effectively and from the user’s point of view.
For example, if your webinar was about an SEO product, you could use a screenshot to show a particular feature or demonstrate results.
A screenshot like this shows the ‘paid competitors’ feature of an SEO tool in action. Using a screenshot is far more effective than explaining with text-based content, as the audience can see what you’re talking about.
Another use of screenshots is to explain to your webinar audience how to perform a task themselves. A step-by-step with words can be confusing; it’s much easier to understand a process with an accompanying screenshot.
In Closing
So now you know six types of visual content you can use in your webinar visual content strategy. If done correctly, content with visuals will enhance your written or verbal content, make complex data and concepts easy to understand, and make the webinar more fun and enjoyable.
To recap, the six types of content you need to use are images, which are used to make content more interesting and add a personal touch; video, which is great for explaining concepts in depth; and infographics, which make complicated statistics and information easy to understand.
The other types of visual content are memes, presentations, and screenshots. Memes add humor to your webinar and can be used to introduce an idea or concept. Presentations help explain an overall concept with facts and statistics. Meanwhile, screenshots are great for explaining a process or product.
Combining these six types of visual content will make your webinar more engaging and easier to understand. But remember to always ask permission when using others’ content and ensure the content you use hasn’t been used for a webinar in your niche before. Try to provide authentic experiences for your webinar audience as much as possible.
This article was written in collaboration with Matt Diggity, a search engine optimization expert and the founder and CEO of Diggity Marketing, The Search Initiative, Authority Builders, and LeadSpring LLC.
About the Author / Akeem Okunola
