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June is here at last, and the first week just flew by in a heatwave. Stay hydrated, friends.
This week we're taking a deep dive into a topic that many businesses struggle with - how to promote a Webinar and execute successfully to increase conversion rates.
New technologies can be difficult to adapt to, and the current global situation has pushed businesses of all kinds into the digital frontier - many for the first time.
Webinars are complex, with a seemingly endless checklist for preparation. We're here to help walk you through the process.
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What's New?
Webinars have really blown up in the past few years, and even more so in the past few months. What exactly is a webinar, you might be asking? Think seminars and workshops brought into the digital age - interactive, collaborative, and conducted over the internet rather than a physical location.
Webinars typically last about an hour, including a Q&A session at the end. The host presents educational information to a virtual audience through slides, documents, and screen sharing; with interactive elements such as polls, live chats, and document sharing that allow the attendees to engage with the presenter.
So, is a webinar the same as a webcast or virtual event? No, not really.
A webcast is typically a one-to-many presentation with very little to no interaction, much like a television broadcast.
A virtual event is essentially the same as a physical live event, only hosted online without the physical restrictions. They can contain webinars within their schedule, but are much more than just a single stand-alone session and can last several hours to several days.
Attendees can join live webinars, real-time networking rooms, engage in live chat, visit exhibitor booths, and meet with representatives from anywhere in the world.
For example, trade shows, exhibitions, career fairs, product launches, and multi-dimensional conferences delivered online are not webinars, but they are all virtual events.
Here is a good article that explains webinars vs webcasts in further detail, outlining the pros and cons of both methods:
What's Working?
So, you've put together a sweet webinar. What's next? How do you get the word out? Email? Social media? Lead magnet? Write a blog? The short answer is yes - all of it. It's not a simple 1 step solution that will get you the conversions you want.
The goal is to segment your leads, based on behaviour, and to nurture those leads as you guide them through the funnel leading up to the webinar and the follow-ups after.
What does that look like, exactly? Well, since email is generally the most effective strategy for nurturing leads, let's take a look at an effective email campaign funnel to maximize lead conversions through segmentation and targeted messaging:
Email 1: This will be your intro offer that gets sent out to your mailing list - the initial invitation email to your webinar.
- Send this first email out 3-4 weeks before the event.
- Highlight a few pain points that resonate with your cold leads.
- Include a unique solution that only your webinar can provide.
- Offer something immediately for signing up, like a brief one-page list of tips and tricks that aligns with your webinar content.
After this initial email, you can segment your leads into 4 categories:
- Did not open
- Email opened
- Email clicked
- Registered
From here, you'll want to send out 2 new emails to separate lists. One email with an added benefit sent out to the first 3 segments and a "thank you" email sent out immediately to those who have registered.
Next, the process is repeated 2 more times.
Once you have people registered, you will want to send out reminder emails to nurture your leads, reinforcing the reasons to attend.
A good rule of thumb is to send one 2 weeks before the event, then another 1 week before the event, and finally, 24 hours before the event and a final email reminder 1 hour before the event goes live.
Below, we've created a handy visual chart detailing the process:
Of course, email isn't the only way to promote your webinar, but it is proven to be the most effective channel for nurturing leads. You can also promote your webinar on social media, write blog content that aligns with your webinar, develop a lead magnet, and use paid targeted ads to gain more leads to bring into the funnel.
We've collected some great articles and resources that go into further detail on how to set up and promote your webinar. Check out the links below:
- How To Create A Webinar Promotional Strategy in 5 Simple Steps - Some insightful tips from an experienced local company and industry thought leader, The Streaming Network.
- I Increased Webinar Attendance by Doing This One Thing - A great read by Neil Patel, thoroughly detailing his process of promoting his webinars through Facebook Ads.
- Webinar Emails: A Start-to-Finish Promotion Process - This article talks about the different types of webinars, then breaks down a 6 part email series to promote your webinar, with examples of different approaches to the email content.
- 7 Effective Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Webinars - From design tips, inviting influencers, creating blog posts to making use of social media, this article provides plenty of interesting tips for getting people to your webinars.
- Use Evergreen Webinars as a Smart Ploy For Your Knowledge Commerce - Want to know what an Evergreen or OnDemand webinar is? This article digs into how to record a webinar once and reuse it again and again.
- How To Keep Your Webinar Participants Engaged - Here is an article by Forbes with some great tips for keeping your attendees engaged, like sharing your critical content early in the first third of your webinar.
- Get More People To Your Webinar: 35 Webinar Promotion Tactics - An article with more tactics than you can shake a stick at. Grab a steamy mug of java and settle into your favourite chair for this one. It's packed with valuable information such as ideal length, best days to host, best days to send invites, how to leverage evergreen content, and much more.
Feel Good Story of the Week
We're celebrating #PrideMonth at the Hive.
Here at Honeypot, we understand that no two bees are the same, and we love to celebrate the diversity that makes our team so unique. We're a creative bunch, and all those lovely colours make us super happy.
Sharing is caring and we want to share some tips on how businesses can support the LGBTQIA+ community by bringing awareness, education, and action against discrimination. We've collected some great reads that include advice, education, and examples of best practices to support each other. We're all in this together. #LoveIsLove
- How your organization can support Pride without rainbow washing
- The Biggest Mistake Brands Make With Pride Month Campaigns
- 5 Ways Companies Celebrate Pride All Year Long – and Show LGBTQ+ Employees They Care
