A webinar is a popular marketing tool that can be very effective if executed and leveraged properly, but there are a lot of logistics to consider when planning a virtual event. Keep in mind, it is not intended to be a sales pitch, so keep the topic informative and save the sales plug for a different medium. Read further for some pointers on how to pull off a successful webinar, or refer to a more extensive article that we recently published, “Webinars: A Virtual Classroom for Your Business“.
Determine a relevant and compelling topic.
Choose a thought leader to lead the discussion and consider leveraging an analyst, industry partner, or subject matter expert.
Keep slides rich in graphics and light on text.
Prepare a slide deck that can be shared via various web meeting platforms such as GoToWebinar, WebEx, or Live Meeting.
Consider trends when scheduling your webinar.
Research proves that the best attendance rates come from events held on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 10-11 a.m. (PST) for a length of 30-60 minutes.
Market your event to encourage attendance.
Create promotional pieces such as an email invitation, banner ad, registration landing page, email reminder of upcoming event, and follow-up email to send after the webinar.
Collect analytics on registrants.
The identity and behavior of your attendees can provide valuable analytics about the customer profile to your marketing and sales teams.
Rehearse technology and logistics with your moderator.
Coordinate cues, determine who will manage slide advancement, practice transitions between speakers, prepare polling questions and seeded answers, and run through slides to check timing.
Ensure that the flow is engaging and content is compelling.
Trim any unnecessary slides and check for spelling errors and/or typos.
Offer the webinar on-demand following the event.
Help extend the life of the webinar by continuing to promote it via social media, newsletter, or email campaign.
Collect all of the registration and attendee data and provide final analytics.
Include the number of registrants, number of attendees, type of attendee in terms of company and title, and provide them to the sales team.
Need help with your B2B webinars? Contact Launch Marketing today! Be sure to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest B2B marketing tips and trends.
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