Webinar.

The word combines 'web' and 'seminar'. Unlike a video conference, where everyone speaks on an equal footing, a webinar has clear roles: one or more people present, while participants listen and take part via chat, a Q&A function or polls. Unlike an open livestream, participants usually register in advance. That means the organiser knows who is attending and can send materials and the recording to the right people.

In marketing, the webinar is a format that demonstrates expertise and brings in contacts at the same time. Registration works like a lead magnet: whoever signs up becomes a lead and has shown concrete interest in the topic. During the webinar itself, trust grows because prospects hear the expert speak and can ask their own questions. That is more persuasive than a text but needs more preparation.

Typical formats include the expert talk with Q&A, the product demonstration, the open consultation on a current topic (such as a new regulation) and the client webinar, in which existing clients learn to use a tool better. The recording can then be reused: shortened as a video, as an article with the key answers or as the basis for a white paper. That way an hour's talk becomes a building block in your content marketing.

Data protection and technology need attention. The choice of webinar software determines where registration and attendance data are stored; under the Swiss Data Protection Act (FADP, SR 235.1) this belongs in your privacy notice. If you record, say so in advance, and participants should be able to join without a camera and under a pseudonym. Promotional follow-up emails generally require consent (Unfair Competition Act, SR 241, Art. 3 para. 1 let. o), most simply via a separate tick box at registration. This is general guidance, not legal advice.