Advances in technology, computing and processing power, and an almost universal access to broadband connections have made interactive meetings conducted over the Internet a viable and cost effective solution. Although Web Meetings offer the same interactivity as face-to-face meetings, there are differences you should be aware of.

Below for nine simple tips to ensure your next online Webinar is a success.

1. Choose Your Webinar Vendor Wisely

Not all software vendors are alike. Many have hidden costs. Some require meeting attendees to install software on their machines to view your meeting. So choose a vendor that works with a variety of operating systems and is reliable and scalable. Also, consider vendors experienced in the latest techniques in application sharing, polling, chat, and recording features.

2. Choose the Date and Time of Your Web Meeting Carefully

Plan to host the Webinar at least twice to accommodate different time zones and people’s busy schedule. Avoid Mondays or Fridays as these are peak busy days and attendance is often much lower regardless of the quality of the content. Times such as 10 AM and 2 PM are optimal, to ensure most are at their desks and available before or after lunch.

3. Develop Quality Content

Invite an industry expert, customer, or partner to participate. This will stimulate more interest, drive participation, and create synergy. A big brand name partner can add cache and even double or triple your attendance. But don’t cram too much type or information on your slides. Keep them simple and leave plenty of white space. You may also want to use sponsorships to defray your promotional costs or to expand your reach through their customer list(s).

4. Webinar Etiquette

Join your meeting early and verify that all links and presentations are working. Share a “Welcome” slide that says your meeting will be starting shortly. Before your meeting begins, provide a quick review of housekeeping items, such as how to use the chat feature, that they should mute their phone, or how the Q&A session will be handled. Have each speaker identify themselves when speaking, and add a photo and bio of the speakers for more personalization.

5. Avoid PowerPoint Only Webinars

The most captivating presentations tend to be multimedia. Include animation, flash, photos, application sharing, or other visual aids to make your presentation more interesting. Engage your audience by including polling questions at key points in your presentation. This will help keep your audience’s attention and help improve future sessions.

6. Conduct Surveys Before and After

Ask qualifying questions during registration. This gives you important insight into your audience. Use this information to tailor your presentation accordingly. As people exit the Web Meeting ask them a short series of follow up questions to further qualify them. Questions like these can provide vital information for your sales reps.

7. Record Your Webinar

Post a recorded version of the Webinar on your site for future viewing. Build a reference library of past Web Meetings for your customers and prospects to review at their leisure. Recorded Webinars and their Q&As and polls can also be very helpful in training new employees or reviewing customer input prior to a new product launch, sales meeting, or internal business strategy sessions.

8. Follow up Leads

Send a follow up e-mail to participants thanking them for their attendance. Include additional relevant information, such as inviting them to your next Webinar. Send a “sorry we missed you” e-mail to registrants who did not attend and links to the recorded session. Nurture these prospects to entice them to attend your next event. Pass all registrants and participants to sales for follow-up, include the survey and qualifying information.

9. Review and Refine Your Presentation

Review all feedback gathered from the Webinar. Consider variations in the registration process, presentation, and Q&A session to determine what could make the Web Meeting even more engaging. If you follow these nine steps, which I’ve been using for more then five years, your next Webinar will be a successful one.