Companies, especially small businesses, are always looking for ways to set themselves apart from the pack.

A webinar or web conference is a good way to offer a service. Webinars or “web seminars” are conferences conducted over the Internet. It allows you to remotely share presentations, products and services.

How can a webinar help you promote and brand your business? If a free (or small fee) webinar is offered, you can reach hundreds, if not thousands of people in real time. You can share your knowledge and expertise on a particular subject matter, recent events or whatever may be trending in your business industry. You can include your audience by engaging them in Q&As and polling, and with some systems, allow audience members to actually speak.

There are many web conferencing software and service providers. Features vary by vendor and may include:

• Slideshow presentations
• Streaming of LIVE video
• Real-time recording of your presentation for archive purposes
• Whiteboards for highlighting and/or making notes
• Text chat for Q&As
• Screen, desktop or application sharing

Some notable service providers include:

• Adobe Acrobat Connect
• Cisco WebEx
• CitrixOne (provider of GoToMeeting & GoToWebinar)
• Google Hangout
• LiveStream
• Oracle Beehive
• ooVoo
• Skype
• TeamViewer
• UStream

One of the great things webinars…depending on which vendor you select, your presentations can be recorded and shared over and over again. You can keep it forever and it will be out there for anyone to see at any given time. Using “embed” features can help spread the word by making your presentation viral content.

If you’ve never done a webinar, you should consider one or two. It is a great way to share who you are and what you do – and can help build new Likes, Follows and Shares on social media.

When you try it, let me know what you think.