Embracing the future: How webinars in APAC are evolving with the power of AI

This article was created in collaboration with Hubilo

Webinars have emerged as a powerful tool for businesses, transcending geographical boundaries to connect with audiences and foster engagement.

In the Asia Pacific region (APAC), this trend is not only on the rise, but also evolving rapidly with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). According to a report by Grand View Research, the APAC webinar market is set to reach a staggering £10.8 billion by 2027, showcasing the region’s appetite for this dynamic communication medium.

Webinars as lead generation powerhouses in APAC

Webinars have established themselves as invaluable lead generation tools in APAC. A report by DemandGen International highlights that 76% of B2B companies in the region utilise webinars as a source of lead generation, contributing to an impressive 20% of all leads generated.

Here are some key statistics from the report that underline the effectiveness of webinars for lead generation in APAC:

• 56% of B2B companies in APAC deem webinars as their most potent lead generation tactic.

• Surprisingly, only 17% of marketers in the region are currently leveraging the capabilities of AI across their marketing activities.

The role of AI in webinars

Artificial intelligence is making waves in the world of webinars, offering a multitude of benefits. By automating tasks, personalising content, enhancing engagement, and providing valuable insights, AI is becoming a cornerstone for delivering more effective and engaging webinars.

At a recent webinar hosted by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Tamara Dinneen, global alliance partner marketing director at Oracle, spoke about the potential of AI to leverage sensory data in order to support webinar hosts in adapting to real-time feedback.

“You could have an AI-based system like FACS (facial action coding system) for objectively measuring micro facial movements and expressions, taking an aggregate of those and use it to keep a sentiment analysis record,” she said.

This would allow the organiser to either adapt in real-time or use the information gathered for improved offerings and experiences in the future.

Dinneen also predicted that AI will help organisers augment their abilities to interpret data post-webinar in order to improve the efficacy of nurturing campaigns.

“Most companies – even large ones – really struggle to comprehensively implement insights from their audiences. AI can assist with more accurate predictive modelling and causal modelling. With enough robust statistics supporting it, this would allow organisers to make more informed marketing decisions” she said.

Marketers embracing generative AI

Generative AI is gaining significant traction among marketers in APAC, and the benefits are becoming increasingly evident. A Gartner study revealed that 70% of marketers in the region have plans to incorporate generative AI into their webinar strategies in the coming year.

Further findings from a Forrester report suggest that generative AI can boost webinar attendance by 15% and improve conversion rates by 10%. Additionally, a survey conducted by Meltwater highlights that 80% of APAC marketers believe that generative AI will be an indispensable tool for webinar marketing over the next five years.

How AI is transforming webinars

1. Personalising content: Generative AI enables the personalisation of webinar content for each attendee. Utilising attendee data, AI can recommend relevant content or dynamically generate content based on attendee interests, enhancing engagement and retention.
2. Post-webinar content repurposing: AI plays a crucial role in improving the repurposing of webinar content. It facilitates the generation of follow-up nurture emails, social media posts, blogs, infographics, and shorter video snippets, maximising the impact of the webinar.
3. Improving engagement: During webinars, AI-driven chatbots can answer attendee questions, while live analytics identify and address engagement issues, ensuring that attendees stay engaged throughout the session.
4. Providing insights and ROI: AI provides valuable insights into webinar performance by analysing attendee data, tracking engagement, identifying trends, and measuring the effectiveness of webinar campaigns. Integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems can even provide in-depth ROI analysis, tracking metrics from win rates to pipeline velocity and webinar attribution.
5. Technology integration: Integrating CRM and marketing automation tools allows businesses to capture valuable audience information from webinars. This data can then be utilised by sales teams to personalise outreach and boost engagement, creating a seamless marketing-to-sales transition.

Conclusion

Webinars are witnessing a renaissance in the APAC region, and the integration of AI is propelling them into the future. As the statistics and trends suggest, AI-powered webinars are not just a fleeting trend, but a crucial tool for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age.

By embracing AI, businesses can deliver more personalised, engaging, and data-driven webinar experiences, setting the stage for continued growth in this dynamic market. The future of webinars in APAC is indeed exciting, and AI is at the forefront of this transformation.

This is not to say that marketers aren’t facing legitimate challenges when it comes to getting the most out of their webinar strategies. To see the top five challenges marketers face with webinars, and suggestions on how to overcome them, check out this report by Hubilo in partnership with Forrester Consulting.