When it comes to webinars, the expectations of your audience have risen. From the initial email invitation to the creation of the presentation to the post-show follow-up, marketers must strive to create moments that distinguish your webinars and drive deeper engagement.
Here are 5 ideas to make your webinars a huge success.
1. Experiment with different formats.
Is your webinar format appealing to your target audience? Knowing your audience and what they want from a webinar is what will get them to show up, lean in, and tell others that you are producing engaging content worth watching. To see if there is room for change in your program, consider the following format options:
What should the duration of your webinar be? Could a 30-minute webinar be the most effective option?
Would a 10-minute webinar with hyper-specific content and 10 minutes of Q&A be a good fit?
What about small/moderated discussion groups with a limit on attendance?
Is it more important for your audience to hear from panels, your CEO, or something else?
What about hosting a webinar series? Keep people interested in your next related session and on an ongoing engagement journey.
2. Create a brand for your space
Although it may appear simple, a surprising number of people overlook this step — making sure people know where they are and who is speaking to them.
For example, within Cvent Attendee Hub, presenters can use the Cvent Studio to set a theme and brand, create a lower thirds banner, and place logos on the presentation’s screen.
There are other options if your current webinar platform does not have these features. Set up an LED light in your brand colors, use a branded mug as a backdrop, wear a company shirt with the logo, or use a virtual background. Consider your personal “set” for a moment, as webinars have evolved to be more intimate and authentic. We’re all at home, getting a peek behind the scenes into each other’s lives. Make sure you’re a good representative of your company and the people who work with you.
3. Connect with your audience
Another seemingly obvious tip, but one that is always worth repeating: interact with your audience. Don’t be afraid to participate in the chat, ask questions, or hold polls. All of these elements, when used correctly, can add additional layers of engagement to your presentation.
Virtual events lack the clear separation between speakers and their audiences that in-person events do. Chat, Q&A, and polls enable you to be present with people who want to hear from you and make meaningful connections that they will remember for a long time. It’s critical to position yourself as a trustworthy, relatable resource and to break down the barriers that prevent people from connecting with the people behind the brands.
4. Distribute valuable content
You get to do the following by giving away great content:
Make a name for yourself as a resource, thought leader, and industry expert.
Create a sense of reciprocity with your audience.
Score your webinar attendees’ engagement and send them on a thoughtful and relevant journey afterward; you’ll be more likely to earn their business. Following your webinars, thank those who attended and offer them not only a recording of the session, but also helpful videos, eBooks, and resources to help them understand the topic better.
5. Create “can’t-miss” moments
Though there are numerous benefits to pre-recording, they are only worthwhile if your audience is willing to take time out of their day to come and listen. People lose motivation to login on time or at all when they realize that more and more webinars are pre-recorded. We’ve all seen a webinar invitation and thought to ourselves, “I’d love to learn more about that, but I’m not going to sit through another hour on Zoom… I’ll sign up and wait for the recording to be sent to me.” Then, of course, we never watch the tape.
There are ways to deal with this. Create and promote must-see moments, such as a live Q&A with your CEO, a live critique of something submitted by an audience member, a giveaway, access to free content for showing up, or whatever it is, and you may notice an increase in webinar attendance.
When optimizing your webinar, remember to allow time for trial, error, and testing to determine what works. There is no quick fix, and you may not become buzzworthy overnight, but if you can commit to a new way of thinking and implement these best practices, the tide will begin to turn.
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