We all are certainly aware of the effects that COVID-19 is having on all kinds of businesses around the world. The fact of accepting this reality as the “new normal” is the only way forward.
While there are numerous ways that a marketer can use to generate leads and grow, webinar marketing is one way that is the most relevant at this time. One of the stats by 99firms states that a single webinar is capable of getting you over 1,000 leads at once.
We know this number excites you, so we have come up with this blog that will answer all your questions about a paid webinar and how you can be an exceptional webinar host.
Let's dive into the deets of webinar marketing!
What is Webinar Marketing?
Webinar derived from the word “web seminar” is a novel and trending form of marketing used to connect and engage with an audience across the globe. The concept of webinar presentation for marketing is gravitating at scale because it allows you to reach your target audience (TA) at their and your convenience, both.
This method of marketing involves online sessions where you can introduce your product/service to your set of audience, make sales to an extent as well as allow your audience to ask questions about your offerings.
Compared to the brief amount of time that this marketing technique has been in the market, webinar conversions have been massive. We say this because webinars are alive and kicking and how! For this and many other reasons, we bring to you the ultimate guide to webinar marketing.
It is time now that events move to an online format to be inclusive. The reach of online events is huge.
Rashim Mogha, Founder – eWOW
Methods for Selecting a Topic
You have decided to conduct an online seminar. But, choosing the topic to present in this virtual event is one of the foremost important decisions to make. You want to give away information that is interesting, informative, and ultimately ensures lead generation. Hence making sure you cover a subject that's the sum and substance of your audience’s concerns is crucial. Here are a few methods to help you select an ideal webinar topic.
Check with the Sales Teams
Your sales team will have information about your buyer persona like no other. The insights that they can provide will surely help you recognize if your customers and prospects need a webinar service. Checking with your sales reps gives you an understanding of what works well for your sales funnel and if something doesn’t how you can come up with a solution.
Refer to Popular Blog Posts
People actively indulge in well-written content. They are constantly interested in knowing what is trending. Your audience is already interested in topics covered by popular blog posts, referring to them can guide you in picking topics to cover. It sets a foundation for you to build upon information that they are already aware of and you provide just the right insights through this live event.
Foretell Trends
Virtual seminars are about keeping each and every attendee engaged in the information that is either old, trending, or even something that is yet to be discovered. Covering concepts that are still not in trend but are capable of becoming topics of discussion in the near future is a great method of selecting a webinar topic. This way you become the first to introduce a new trend to your audience and thus gain their trust.
Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Web Seminar
Webinar marketing is only successful if you are able to generate the desired leads. So, to make this happen, it is necessary that you follow a process. We have listed some of the most important steps for creating a successful webinar.
Keep Your Content Crisp
It isn’t imperative to use too much information to demonstrate products or services well. You can have a webinar script with facts and data about your offerings that are relevant to your audience. Keeping your content short and crisp rightly services the purpose of content marketing.
Decide on a Format
There are different formats for hosting webinars. The trick here lies in selecting the format that suits your offering best and set of the target audience. You can choose a webinar format from the list that includes, Q&A session, panel discussions, and presentations.
Structure the Meet
The impact of web seminars and virtual events on your audience is equally significant when compared to in-person meets. Hence, it is crucial for you to structure the flow of the meet in order to appear professional and come off as someone who knows what they are doing. A strong introduction, key takeaways, and a catchy end should always be a part of the structure.
Design a Simple Presentation
If you know anything about graphics then you might be aware that visuals definitely have more recall value than written content. Going by this rule, make sure what you present to your audience has more visuals that are fun yet informative enough to help you in marketing your product/service better.
Use the Right Tools
There are various tools and applications where webinars can be held. These applications allow you to design a webinar registration page, invite interested individuals, create groups and rooms of discussion as well as other features like polls, surveys, etc.
We were already working to virtualize much of our product training and technical workshop efforts prior to COVID, and as a result of the crisis we accelerated those efforts and are now on a path to deliver 3x the amount of training content and support to our customers as before, and 100% virtually and self-service.
Patrick Moorhead, CMO – Pricefx
Tips for Presenters
Various researches have reported that 48% of people said that webinars were least enjoyable when there was a poor presenter. This number forms almost half of the webinar attendees. Hence it is important to be a good presenter to impress those prospects and get that influencer marketing started. Listed below are some tips for delivering a great webinar session.
Manifest Energy & Passion
Energy transfers and that’s true! If you want your audience to be enthusiastic and responding, you need to appear that lively. When you look and sound passionate about the topic that you are presenting, the attendee would voluntarily gain interest.
Share Personal Experiences
No matter if you are speaking to your webinar participants virtually, human experiences bridge all gaps. For this and many other reasons, you must share your personal experiences related to the subject. This gives the audience a chance to relate to something that has happened.
Indulge in Audience Engagement
More often than not the audience will have questions no matter what format you select. Hence connect with your audience by asking questions or let them share their experience or information. Indulging in audience engagement descends that virtual feel and gives it a human touch.
Types of Hosting Platforms
Webinar marketing benefits a company in more ways than one. But in all the prep, deciding the webinar platform for running webinars should be at the top of your free webinar strategy. Besides the zoom webinar that is oh-so-famous we have our top three options ready for you!
YouTube Live
YouTube Live is one of the most popular webinar software for conducting the perfect webinar. It is real-time and extremely simple to use. It all starts with having just a Gmail account for webinar registration and the rest follows. This platform allows you to arrange an automated webinar, broadcast vlogs, and more.
WebinarJam
This particular webinar platform is a presenter’s dream. It does not only host webinars but also sends periodic reminders to your target audience about your event. It can accommodate up to 5,000 people in a single session and a total of 6 presenters in the case of multiple speakers.
ClickMeeting
Another platform that can be a part of your webinar marketing strategy is ClickMeeting. Conducting live webinars is effortless with this as it helps you keep track of your leads before, during, and after the session too. All in all, this webinar software is an entire package to convert your prospects into customers.
Sponsors are embracing online events for enhancing their brand, scouting for talent, and keeping their employees motivated.
Rashim Mogha, Founder – eWOW
Action Plan for Webinar Marketing
You have concluded using webinars for promotion and your brand awareness program. That’s a fair choice to make. But now the question arises, HOW?
Since webinar promotions amid coronavirus are getting more difficult than ever, we bring you a three-step action plan that should be a part of your webinar funnel.
Entice
This is the first stage where you need to go all out for promoting your upcoming webinar. Enticing your prospects is primarily done to boost the traffic of your online channels through which you are publishing your event. This stage will decide your audience as well as the individuals who are tentative to join since they landed on your landing page. Attracting TA will include sending emails and constant reminders, content marketing as well as social media promotions.
Capture
This is your actual session. This phase will decide what kind of impact you will have on your attendees. Make sure you use all possible ways like tossing questions at your audience, conducting polls, and other such activities to increase your conversion rate.
Foster
The webinar is over, and you’ve done your part. Now is the time to see those qualified leads convert. In this phase, you will engage with your audience through emails and e-learning materials.
Techniques for Promoting a Webinar
According to Outgrow, 73% of B2B marketers say a webinar is the best way to generate high-quality leads. But for you to reach this 73% or more audience, you need to promote it in the right way. Two most sought-after methods that you can incorporate in your webinar marketing strategy are:
Emails
Webinar presentation invitations are typically sent through emails. Though there are other ways of promoting your event, email marketing still proves to be the most effective one. Keeping your emails short yet explanatory should be the motive. Your email should have the following key features to gain the desired output.
- Subject line
- Preview text
- Banner image
- Personalized greeting
- Introduction
- Objective
- Call to action (CTA)
- Email signature
Social Media
Social media can be regarded as the lead magnet in the digital marketing industry. Right from promotion to interaction to just gaining information, the social network has become a one-stop-shop webinar tool! Amidst this, it is ideal for you to popularise your online event on as many social media platforms suitable for your business. Here are a few tips that would help you in social media marketing:
- Offer a unique reason to attend
- Have an interesting landing page
- Enable social sharing on landing page
- Use trending hashtags
- Research your TA well
COVID-19 has shown that it’s more important than ever for sales and marketing organizations to be unified. I have a feeling that companies are increasingly more focused on finding ways to drive revenue than the historic rivalries between sales and marketing.
Mike Dickerson, CEO – ClickDimensions
Strategies & Best Practices of Webinar Promotions
Conducting a live webinar has its own set of rules. You have to follow certain do’s and don’ts to ensure you are marketing correctly.
Strategies
There is a list of strategies that we suggest that are legit and professional to make your webinar reach your desired target audience.
- Keep up with your email game
- Design an interesting registration page
- Opt for the most suitable medium of promotion
- Choose the accurate webinar software
- Schedule according to appropriate time zones
- Have outstanding audio quality
Best Practices
Webinar marketing is just not about gathering a huge audience through different techniques. It is about marketing to individuals that are relevant and who will be interested in investing in your products/services. To make this happen given below are the top strategies that you can use in your webinar series.
- Indulge in blog writing and SEO
- Be extremely active on social media
- Join networking groups on LinkedIn and Facebook
- Create a special hashtag
- Repurpose content
We hope you have gathered enough information about webinars to use it as one of your marketing strategies. We would like to know about your experience with webinars and if you are planning to host your very first webinar. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with our representative who can guide you through our process of webinar promotion.