Facebook Live vs Webinar: Which Marketing Tool is Best for You?

Are you considering using Facebook Live to market and sell your product or service? Or are you thinking about doing a webinar instead? In this article, we’ll compare Facebook Live and webinars, and outline the pros and cons of each. By the end, you should have a good idea of which marketing tool is best for you. So let’s get started!

What is Facebook Live and what is Webinar?

Facebook Live is a feature of the Facebook social media platform that allows users to broadcast live video content through their personal profile or page. Webinars, on the other hand, are online seminars or presentations that are typically conducted by businesses in order to promote their products or services.

Facebook Live can be used for a variety of purposes, such as sharing newsworthy events as they happen, providing behind-the-scenes access to businesses or public figures, or simply streaming everyday moments. Webinars, meanwhile, are usually more structured and focused on delivering educational or promotional content to an audience. In most cases, webinars are per-planned and require participants to register in advance.

key differences between Facebook Live and Webinar

1. Interactivity: Facebook Live is designed to be interactive, allowing viewers to comment and react in real-time during the broadcast. On the other hand, Webinars typically are more structured and, while they may offer some interactivity through Q&A sessions, they are not as spontaneous or interactive as Facebook Live.
2. Access and Availability: Webinars are usually accessed through a link that the attendees receive after registering for the event. They are usually one-time events and are not generally available after the end. Facebook Live, however, is accessible to anyone following your page at the time of the broadcast, and it can be replayed later on your timeline, providing continuous availability.
3. Control Over Audience: With Webinars, you have more control over who can attend the event. You can set registration requirements and even charge for attendance. Facebook Live is open to all the followers of your page, thus providing less control over the audience.
4. Content Ownership: Webinars are hosted on a platform that you choose, and you typically own the content outright. Facebook Live, on the other hand, is hosted on Facebook’s platform, and while you still own your content, it’s subject to Facebook’s terms of service.
5. Technical Requirements: Webinars typically require more sophisticated software and higher bandwidth for hosting due to their presentation-focused format. Facebook Live is simpler to set up and requires just a device with a camera and an internet connection.
6. Preparation and Presentation: Webinars often require more preparation and a formal presentation style due to their structured format. Facebook Live, on the other hand, tends to be more informal and spontaneous, with less preparation needed.

Key Similarities between Facebook Live and Webinar

1. Real-Time Communication: Both Facebook Live and Webinars allow for real-time communication. They are live events that allow businesses to engage with their audience directly, albeit in different ways.
2. Educational Tools: Both platforms can be used as educational tools, often used to provide informative content. Companies can deliver presentations, host Q&A sessions, or share product demonstrations using both.
3. Marketing and Engagement: Facebook Live and Webinars are both powerful marketing and engagement tools. They provide a way to engage with your audience on a personal level, and they can be used to promote products, share news, or provide customer support.
4. Audience Interaction: Both allow for some level of audience interaction. Facebook Live allows real-time comments and reactions, while Webinars often have a dedicated Q&A section for audience participation.
5. Use of Multimedia: Both Facebook Live and Webinars support the use of multimedia. You can incorporate audio, video, and sometimes even share your screen or display slides to enhance your presentation.
6. Potential for Wide Reach: Both platforms offer the potential for a wide reach. Facebook Live can reach anyone following your page, while Webinars can attract a wide audience if effectively marketed.

Pros of Facebook Live over Webinar

1. Facebook Live is a great way to connect with your audience in real-time.
2. It’s interactive and engaging, which can help you build a stronger connection with your audience.
3. Plus, it’s a great way to get feedback and gauge interest in your products or services.
4. Facebook Live is more spontaneous and requires less planning and preparation compared to a webinar. This can make the process less daunting and more fun.
5. It allows you to engage with your audience in real-time, answering questions and addressing concerns as they come up. This can help create a more interactive and engaging experience for everyone involved.
6. Facebook Live can reach a wider audience as anyone with a Facebook account can tune in, regardless of whether or not they’re on your email list or subscribed to your blog.

Webinars are also excellent tools for building relationships with your audience. However, they tend to be more one-sided than Facebook Live. With a webinar, you’re typically the only one talking, while your audience listens passively. This can make it difficult to build that same level of rapport that you can with Facebook Live.

Cons of Facebook Live compared to Webinar

1. You can’t go back and edit your broadcast on Facebook Live, so if you make a mistake, it’s there for everyone to see.
2. There is also a time limit on Facebook Live broadcasts, so you won’t be able to cover as much material as you could with a webinar.
3. With a webinar, you have more control over the format and flow of the presentation, whereas with Facebook Live, anything can happen.
4. Finally, webinars typically have better audio and video quality than Facebook Live broadcasts.
5. Facebook Live broadcasts have a time limit, so you won’t be able to cover as much material as you could with a webinar.
6. The audio and video quality of webinars are typically better than Facebook Live broadcasts.

Pros of Webinar over Facebook Live

When it comes to webinars vs Facebook Live, there are a few key pros of webinars that make them the better choice for many businesses:

1. Webinars tend to be more focused and structured than Facebook Live videos. This means that they can be more effective in delivering your key messages and achieving your marketing goals.
2. Webinars also offer a higher level of interactivity than Facebook Live, with features like Q&As, polls, and chat that can help engage your audience and get them involved in what you’re saying.
3. Webinars can be recorded and repurposed after the live event, giving you more bang for your buck in terms of content.
4. Webinars are more focused and structured than Facebook Live videos, making them more effective in delivering key messages and achieving marketing goals.
5. They offer a higher level of interactivity with features like Q&As, polls, and chat that can help engage your audience.
6. Webinars can be recorded and repurposed after the live event, giving you more value in terms of content.

Overall, webinars offer a more professional and polished experience than Facebook Live, and can be a more effective tool for businesses looking to achieve specific marketing goals.

Cons of Webinar compared to Facebook Live

1. While webinars can be recorded and watched at a later time, Facebook Live videos are only available in real-time.
2. Webinars usually require advance registration, while Facebook Live does not.
3. Facebook Live has a more casual and personal feel to it, while webinars tend to be more formal and professional.
4. Facebook Live is shorter in duration than most webinars, which can often last an hour or more.
5. Webinars usually require advance registration, while Facebook Live does not.
6. Facebook Live has a more casual and personal feel to it, while webinars tend to be more formal and professional.

Situations when Facebook Live is preferred over Webinar

1. When you want to show off your personality: If you’re looking to build a personal brand on social media, then going live on Facebook is a great way to show off your personality and connect with your audience on a more personal level.
2. When you want to be more spontaneous: One of the benefits of Facebook Live is that it’s a more spontaneous format than a webinar. You don’t have to plan and prepare as much ahead of time, which can make the process less daunting and more fun.
3. When you want to engage with your audience in real-time: Another advantage of Facebook Live is that it allows you to engage with your audience in real-time. This means you can answer questions and address concerns as they come up, which can help create a more interactive and engaging experience for everyone involved.
4. When you want to reach a wider audience: Facebook Live is also a great way to reach a wider audience than you might be able to with a webinar. This is because anyone with a Facebook account can tune in, regardless of whether or not they’re on your email list or subscribed to your blog.
5. When you want to build relationships: Last but not least, going live on Facebook can help you build deeper relationships with your audience. This is because the format lends itself well to building rapport and trust, two essential ingredients for any strong relationship.

Situations when Webinar is preferred over Facebook Live

Webinars are generally preferred over Facebook Live:

1. When the focus of the event is on presenting content in a more formal and structured manner. Webinars also tend to be more interactive than Facebook Live, as they can include questions and feedback from participants during the live session.
2. Webinars allow for a higher level of engagement between presenters and participants since interaction can take place via chat, polling or other methods that aren’t available with Facebook Live.
3. Webinars can often be recorded and archived for later viewing, which makes them ideal for longer presentations or training sessions that would not be feasible using a real-time platform like Facebook Live.​
4. When the focus of the event is on presenting content in a more formal and structured manner. Webinars also tend to be more interactive than Facebook Live.
5. Webinars are ideal for longer presentations or training sessions that would not be feasible using a real-time platform like Facebook Live as they can often be recorded and archived for later viewing.

Facebook Live vs Webinar Summary

We hope this article was helpful and answered any questions you may have had about Facebook Live and Webinars. Have you given either a try yet? Let us know in the comments below how it went! If you have any additional questions, we would be happy to answer them in the comments as well.

Comparison	Facebook Live	Webinar
Interactivity	High (real-time comments and reactions)	Moderate (dedicated Q&A section)
Audience Control	Less (open to all followers)	More (registration requirements)
Content Ownership	Subject to Facebook’s terms	You own the content outright
Technical Requirements	Less (simple setup)	More (sophisticated software)
Preparation	Less (more spontaneous)	More (structured format)
Reach	Anyone with a Facebook account	Anyone who registers
Use	Real-time communication, education, marketing, engagement, multimedia	Real-time communication, education, marketing, engagement, multimedia
Pros	Interactive, spontaneous, less planning, wider reach	Focused, structured, higher interactivity, can be recorded and repurposed
Cons	Can’t edit broadcast, time limit, less control over presentation	Requires advance registration, more formal, longer duration
Situations Preferred	Showing personality, spontaneous events, real-time engagement, wider audience reach, building relationships	Formal and structured content presentation, higher audience engagement, longer presentations or training sessions