You might be thinking: “Another online event in a world of zoom meetings, great.” But webinars are a chance for you to promote your unique brand in an engaging and impactful way to a worldwide audience.
Webinars are a type of virtual event that has become an essential tool for businesses to connect with their audience, share knowledge, and generate leads. With the rise of remote work, webinars have become increasingly popular as a digital marketing strategy. The webinar, SEO, and Social Media/short-form content are now the most prominent tools in the 21st-century marketer's arsenal. This beginner's guide covers everything you need to know to host your first webinar and make it a success.
Planning a webinar? Check out the Webinar Best Practices Guide to ensure your webinar program is a success!
Selecting the Right Webinar Platform
Choosing the right webinar platform can make a significant difference in the success of your webinar. Consider factors like budget, audience size, features, and technical requirements when choosing a platform. Features and budget are where you’ll find the most variance between platforms.
1. Budget
When choosing a webinar platform, it's important to consider your budget. Some platforms are a few hundred a month, while others can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Determine how much you are willing to spend and choose a platform that fits within your budget. Costs can quickly balloon when customizing platforms to fit your needs, so it’s important to do your research and due diligence before deciding on a platform.
2. Audience Size
Different platforms have different limits on the number of attendees you can have. Choosing a platform that can accommodate your expected audience size is essential. Platforms can even charge by the attendee, so if you expect large, variable audiences, investing in a platform with unlimited attendees makes sense.
3. Features
Webinar platforms have different features that can profoundly affect the webinar's success. Some common and sought-after features include screen sharing, recording, chat, emojis, interactive elements(polls, CTAs, etc.), marketing integrations, post-event analytics, automated emails, and closed captioning, to name a few. Welcome has one of the most advanced and comprehensive feature suites of any platform.
4. Technical Requirements
Ensure that the webinar platform you choose meets your technical requirements. Consider things like the quality of the audio and visual elements, the stability of the platform, and any necessary software or hardware requirements. Your company may have specific legal and security needs, so make sure to start the procurement process well before your first event.
Choosing the right webinar platform can make a significant difference in the success of your webinar. Features and budget are where you’ll find the most variance between platforms. Popular options include Zoom Webinar, On24, and GoToWebinar, but these can feel somewhat clunky and archaic. With the right webinar platform, you can host a successful and engaging webinar for your audience, leading to higher conversion rates.
Create a Script or Outline
Like any public-facing event, it’s important to have a step-by-step game plan. Make sure to optimize the time of your audience and guest speakers since you will likely only have 30 minutes to an hour to make a lasting impression. Leveraging resources and templates from internal live events or the web are great places to start. When scheduling a webinar, time zones can be a challenge. Make sure to choose a convenient time for most of your target audience. For example, if your ideal customer is in the USA, it’s wise to schedule a coast-to-coast friendly start time at 10 or 11 AM PT (1-2 PM ET).
Inviting Guest Speakers
Inviting expert guest speakers enhances your webinar and provides added value to your audience. A 100% in-company webinar can feel like a sales pitch; adding a varied cast helps build credibility and trust with your audience. Consider inviting high-energy experts in your field or individuals who can bring a fresh perspective to the subject matter. Your webinar host should be comfortable with your cast of guest speakers.
Having guest speakers can also help you reach a wider audience, as your guest speakers will promote the webinar to their own network. And who knows, a marketing relationship can develop, leading to more success for you and your guest speakers. Make sure to thank your guest speakers for their time by giving them a thoughtful gift post-event.
Creating a Registration page
Now that the skeleton is in place and you have an idea of who’s speaking, it’s time to work on the actual touchpoints. First things first, you need to create a landing page or registration page for your webinar. This page should include the date, time, and a brief description of your webinar. Make sure to clearly state the benefits of attending your webinar and who the intended audience is. Most platforms have a built-in registration page, so you really just need to populate the information.
Promoting Your Webinar
Like any other marketing exercise, a thorough email list of prospects is essential for the success of your webinar. This list should include people who have shown interest in your webinar by registering or signing up for your newsletter. Regularly send out reminders and updates to keep your audience engaged and informed. Many platforms have built-in email marketing and reminders. So again, you need to come up with the content, and the rest will be handled with a few swift clicks.
Make sure to utilize social media, as it’s a valuable tool for promoting your webinar. Utilize your LinkedIn account and other social media channels to reach the widest audience possible. Post regularly, using hashtags and engaging content to generate interest in your webinar. Once you have your first webinar under your belt, you can use content from it to promote your next.
Optimizing Your Webinar for Lead Generation
Webinars are an excellent opportunity for lead and demand generation. Collect information from attendees as they enter the event, such as their email addresses and titles, so your sales team can reach out post-event. Have a solid and clear call-to-action at the end of your webinar, encouraging attendees to take the next step. Some strategies to incentivize taking the next step are getting a free consultation, buying now at a discount, learning more in an email course, signing up for the next webinar, etc.
Conducting a Successful Webinar
When it comes to conducting a successful live webinar, preparation is vital. Rehearse your presentation several times, ensuring that all speakers' audio and visual elements are in order. The fun doesn’t stop there. Many platforms allow for post-event on-demand webinar recording and viewing. These can be particularly helpful in email campaigns and for those who missed the live event.
Post-Event Content
Webinars don’t end after the 30-minute or so live segment. They are powerful content generators. Webinars are great for clipping and promoting other marketing initiatives on social media or in email campaigns. If a guest speaker drops a memorable quote regarding your product or field of expertise, creating a 30-second clip and posting that to Linkedin can be as powerful and impactful as the webinar itself.
Analyze the Numbers
Always analyze the numbers post-event to see what worked and what didn’t. Where was your audience the most engaged? When did most people drop off the call? How has the webinar affected pipeline and lead generation? Again, many webinar software, such as Welcome, includes a feature set that analyzes attendee metrics post-event. Don’t be afraid to follow-up with team-members, attendees, and guest speakers to gain insight. Make sure to consider all of this when planning your next webinar. Each webinar will provide more insights and lead to more efficiencies when planning the next one.
Conclusion
Hosting a webinar can be daunting; we hope this step-by-step guide has made things more palatable. Following this beginner's guide will give you everything you need to host your first (and many more) successful webinars. From choosing the right platform, promoting your webinar on social media, and analyzing the numbers, you should be set!
