Webinars have become valuable marketing tools for businesses in all industries. With just one event, entrepreneurs can connect with professionals around the globe, make valuable connections and establish themselves as thought leaders on various topics. But choosing a unique, attention-grabbing topic can be challenging, especially with so many other webinars competing for attention.
During the holidays, the frequency of webinars seems to slow down. Entrepreneurs are distracted as they prepare to take the last part of the year off and most webinar hosts save their big plans for after the New Year. However, you can take advantage of the slowdown by offering a holiday-themed webinar that audiences will be excited about attending. Here are a few tips for creating an attention-getting webinar with a holiday theme.
Leverage the New Year
At the end of each year, business leaders often set time aside to reflect on the past year and set goals for the coming year. Webinar hosts can take advantage of this by offering a goal-setting workshop that relates to their vertical or niche. Even busy entrepreneurs who might not normally set time aside to attend a webinar during the holidays will often welcome an event that helps them with something they were planning on doing anyway.
For best results, create worksheets that you can use during the workshop to make the event as participatory as possible. When attendees are invited to take a few minutes to scribble down some goals during the webinar, they’ll come out of it feeling as though they’ve accomplished something. MENTOR has some great worksheets that can be used as guides when you create your own unique documents.
Make it Fun
The most important part of a holiday-themed webinar is levity. No matter what important message you’re conveying, add in some humor, fun PowerPoint backdrops and maybe even holiday music in the background. If you feel the need to be strictly professional, consider adding a “Happy Holidays” slide at the end of your presentation to end the meeting on a positive note.
The spirit of the season is giving, so in addition to making it festive, your webinar should be more focused on helping others than yourself. Use the opportunity to let your attendees give their own thoughts on various topics and set aside a section of the presentation to allow attendees to ask questions and interact with each other.
Create a Holiday-Themed Invitation
Once you’ve chosen a theme, it’s time to get the word out about your upcoming webinar. Choose a holiday-themed background and font, and try to make the invitation look as festive as possible. Make sure you send at least one reminder in the days leading up to the webinar, as well as a reminder the morning of the event to keep attendance numbers high.
A service like GetResponse can handle everything associated with your webinar, including helping you create and send invitations. When everything is tied in together, you save time and reduce the risk of errors. Each email will include a link that takes readers directly to the webinar without even needing to login. Since many webinar attendees now join webinars on their mobile devices while on the go, being able to skip the inconvenience of logging in dramatically improves the user experience.
Add a Holiday-Themed Promotion
The most important part of hosting a webinar is making a connection that stays with you after the holidays. Whether that connection is a colleague or a new client, if you can gain even one or two new contacts through your webinar, it will be a win. And don’t forget to offer attendees the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter or email list to be notified of new promotions.
One way to land new customers through a webinar is by offering a deal to all of your webinar attendees. Give it a holiday theme to make it relevant and make sure the expiration is at least 30 days after the holidays to give them a chance to get past the chaos of the holidays before taking action. Then send a final reminder after the first of the year to capture all of those who might have forgotten the offer.
Holiday-themed webinars can be an innovative way to reach new clients and make new business connections. When you take the right festive approach, you’ll leave attendees with a satisfying experience that may even result in a new sale.
