With the fast-evolving trends in technology and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in December 2019, about 82% of employers prefer engaging employees to work remotely at some time.
Remember, this trend will affect operations in major business sectors like marketing, advertisement, and lead generation. It’s evident that webinars now stand tall as the ultimate content marketing tool.
Webinars have proof a lot of pros than cons – they are cost-effective, able to reach a massive audience at the same time, captures attention, and provide quality customer engagement.
Now, for this reason, if you aspire to move your business to the next level, compete in the market and skyrocket your earning during this era, then running a more effective webinar is not optional.
I know you’re asking… How? Don’t worry. This article covers you.
And here we go…
#1. Know Your Audience
Before you begin preparing for a webinar, know your audience and their needs.
People have problems, but among them, there is a crucial problem that needs immediate intervention. Yes, focus your efforts on this number one problem, and your webinar will attract a magnitude. And in this regard, your webinar should focus on solving the problem for the audience.
The big question is… How can you identify the needs of your audience?
For you to know the specific needs of your audience, here are three practical ways to do this:
Obtain their demographics: Know your audience in terms of age, sex, occupation, level of education, religious, and cultural background. These will enable you to create a webinar that’s friendly to your audience.
Identify the problems they face and prioritize them: Identifying the problems your audience face is not enough. Prioritize the issues to ensure that your webinar addresses the most crucial challenge of your audience.
Conduct a survey: Survey is the ideal way to obtain the above information. Your survey may online include questionnaires or use keyword research to find the questions asked about your topic over the internet.
#2. Create a Compelling Headline
Do you know the success of your webinar starts with the headline you’ve created?
Create a title that can never be ignored by the audience – a “must-read” headline (I’ll discuss more on this later in this article, so stay tuned).
Besides, your webinar title must be unique and plainly communicates what the webinar intends to address.
For example, Gini Dietrich and the team wanted to run a webinar on Google Analytics. And instead of using the title “Advanced Analytics,” they opted for “The Lies and Truths of Google Analytics” – this sounds nicer and appealing. Right?
Now, as I said earlier, there are three types of headlines that will boost registration to your webinar.
A title that asks an open-ended question: If your headline asks a question that triggers a dialogue among the audience, know that it can generate leads. Many people will register for your webinar to find an answer to the question.
Also, ask a provocative question, but remember to avoid questions that need a “Yes” or “No” answer.
A title starting with “How to”: The “How to” title sounds suggestive. It creates a sigh of relief in your audience’s minds that your webinar will equip them with the knowledge to solve their problems.
A title with the word “New”: The word “New” in your title communicates how relevant and current your webinar is. It prompts the audience to be aggressive to register for the webinar with the view of learning new ideas which many people don’t have.
#3. Select a Reputable Webinar Platform
There are a variety of webinar platforms in the market. However, choosing a reputable platform holds your webinar success. Your choice of a platform depends on your goals, the size of the audience, the number of events you intend to conduct.
Also, consider a platform that enables your audience to watch your webinar in multiple ways – some can watch via computers while other people watch through mobile phones.
Here are some of the top-rated webinar software platforms that guarantee your success; WebinarJam, GoToWebinar, Demio, WebinarNinja, ClickMeeting, Livestorm, and EasyWebinar.
#4. Promote Your Webinar
You’ve prepared your webinar, and it’s ready for presentation. But do you think your audience will automatically know about it?
In the real sense, there are so many webinars out there. Some are also covering the same topic as yours.
So, what next… promotion, promotion, and promotion of your webinar to the audience.
And here are your tips for effective promotion:
Create a perfect landing page
Write a detailed landing page explaining what your webinar is about and the benefits it carries. Remember to include here the date and time of the webinar, names of the presenters, and a registration form.
Create a teaser video
A teaser video is a short recorded piece talking about the webinar and its content.
After recording this video, share it widely, including in social media platforms, so that it can reach many people.
Do email marketing
Check on your mailing list and those of your team members.
Inform them of the webinar by sending mails. Reach out to everybody.
Don’t forget to end with a “call to action” statement.
Create a blog
Write a promotional blog article for promoting the webinar. In your blog, provide all the essential components of the webinar and benefits therein.
Publish this blog and share it widely, including on social media platforms.
#5. Rehearse, and Rehearse Your Webinar
Conduct a brief session with the dammy audience to check the viability of the technology. It also helps you to get familiar with the webinar software platform for easy control.
Identify technical hitches that need to be corrected before the actual presentation. Continue rehearsing and troubleshooting until you confirm the efficiency and reliability of the system.
Remember also to test the presenters to prepare them for the actual day.
#6. Choose the Right Time and Day
As I mentioned earlier, the success of your webinar depends on the size of the audience. So, what’s the best time and day for your webinar.
According to Daniel Waas – Director GoToWebinar, it’s evident that webinars presented at 11.00 am and at 2.00 pm attracts high number of audiences. And that middle of the week, especially Thursdays, is the best day for presenting a webinar tailored to reach a large audience.
Capitalize on this clue to run a successful webinar.
#7. Keep Your Audience Engaged
We’re now on the actual session—the presentation day.
If your presentation doesn’t keep your audience engaged, then your effort will be in vain.
Yes, it would be best if you kept your audience engaged throughout the session.
Avoid too long webinars. A standard webinar should go for about 50 minutes. Again, as you conduct your presentation, schedule time for Q & A.
Besides, create a live chat box where your audience can post their comments, questions, and concerns.
Points to Remember
- You hold the key to the success of your webinar.
- Know your audience before you start preparing your webinar,
- Create a compelling headline for your webinar.
- Invest in the promotion of your webinar.
- Conduct rehearsals for your webinar to ensure that everything is working well.
- Choose the right day and time for your webinar.
- Keep your audience engaged during the presentation.
Take action to run a webinar that converts, and you’ll move your business to the next level.
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