Webinars have today become a critical part of marketing communications, especially for B2B outreach. Here are some detailed strategies for planning, promoting, and executing successful webinars and virtual events.
Read Part 1 here: How to Plan a Webinar for Maximum Marketing Impact
Part 2
Identify The Most Suitable Platform
There are several options in the market for a robust webinar platform with multiple features. What you need to watch out for is the audience numbers it supports and its robustness in terms of connectivity.
Of course, your budget has to be the first consideration while identifying a platform. There are top-of-the-line solutions in the market, but there are also free platforms that are good for single-time usage. Whatever you choose, the biggest requirements need to be ease of use and a friendly UX. The goal has to be that attendees and webinar creators should have a smooth, hassle-free experience during the event and during its planning.
All platforms have various features that can be very useful for different purposes. Elements like recording options, in-webinar polls, screen sharing, and the feature to mute all except the presenter could be very useful.
While features are important, software and after-use support are more critical. Choose a platform with a highly responsive live chat. The service team should have no downtime at all, especially during the webinar. Software can have many glitches that can be disastrous for the webinar.
The platform needs software options that can help in delivering seamless and easy experiences. You will need a variety of engagement tools and customizable landing pages. The registration process for the webinar needs to be super simple, and no one should face any issues logging in for it.
At the end of the day, the quality of experience that the webinar provides, will determine its success for the attendees. So don’t scrimp on that.1
Choose Experts with Care
Unpopular opinion- all experts are great speakers!
Look for experts who have a proven track record of good communication on public or industry platforms.
Identify leaders who know the business as well as their subject. These speakers will determine the content quality of the webinar, so choose wisely. Often, if it’s a sponsored webinar, the client decides the experts.
But in an independent webinar, ensure the lead speaker has the knowledge to speak about the industry and the issue or solution. This insight can help build a relationship with the audience. A good speaker can engage the audience in a lively manner, all the while delivering the message effectively.
Once the speaker is decided, give adequate time for the discussion on how the content has to flow. The moderator and expert (or experts) need to connect before the webinar for this discussion. They need to decide the queries that will be placed.
Pre-decide the flow of the discussion to avoid any embarrassment or conflicts while on the virtual podium.
Creating a concept and agenda for the webinar
There is a debate about whether the decision on a subject or concept should be made before deciding on the experts or after.
The practical way to go about it is to get in place a board of experts and have a discussion with them for the most relevant topic for discussion. This could relate to peer conversations, or a topic related to the solution being marketed. Even if it’s a thought leadership discussion, the subject can ultimately lead as a marketing pitch for it.
So, in most cases, it is a smart move to identify experts in the relevant feel, invite them to advice about the best topic. A conference discussion a few weeks before the planned date will help to determine the exact topic, and the order of questions or the line-up of presentations.
If there are presentations, establish a deadline to submit their presentations, to avoid last minute glitches.
With this knowledge, create a concept note that will be useful for getting delegates.
You need to explain clearly the industry scenario, the issue at hand, and why it needs to be addressed. Then talk about how this chosen topic is relevant. And how your webinar intends to take it apart. List out who should attend and why.
Also list out the experts that are invited to speak or present.
After the concept, create a structured agenda for the program. The agenda should clearly articulate the time, topic, duration of the presentation (or panel/ discussion), and speakers. Add a short note about the topic, too.
Also Read: Choosing the Best Tools for Campaign Management
Webinar dates Decision
Choosing the most suitable webinar date involves several factors.
Choose a dry period when no competing events are planned. If several events are planned, your audience will suffer.
Also, avoid holidays, vacation weeks, and public holidays. Look for a time that gives ample time for basic planning. Doing a webinar in a rush is a recipe for disaster.
Typically, the best days for holding a webinar are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the best times are business hours. These are the times for highest audience participation.
Creating webinar content
This is perhaps the most critical yardstick for judging the quality of the webinar. Create content that resonates, informs, and educates while staying interesting and engaging. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation with relevant details, the subjects of discussion, and a short overview of the experts.
Plan the content to engage with the audiences from the get-go, and ensure no subject has a slack, allowing a slowdown.
Adding polls, Q&As, and interactive elements like games to the webinar is a smart way to keep engagement high.
This way the content goes down easier, and the audience feels they are a part of it.
Market your webinar
Promote the webinar well to ensure it reaches its business goals. Social media is, of course, the go-to strategy. But promote it through various channels, send out newsletters, and issue press releases to attract the highest possible audiences. Be sure to include a string call to action in all digital communications.
Showcase the expert speakers to generate more interest in the event. Highlight the value additions the discussion will provide, especially for business participants. Plan a strong promotional strategy to ensure the event reaches its target audience.
For more outreach, paid advertising is an option—through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads.
Decide if it will be a paid webinar or a free one. Based on that, decide on how registrations will be done.
Share Payment links, registration forms (maybe in Google Forms), etc., with the audiences before the webinar. this will help avoid last-minute hassles.
Decide on the freebies you are offering to start a long-term engagement with the new prospects.
Do a Trial Run
A trial run before the webinar will be very useful to identify glitches and also time the webinar. Learn from the challenges of the trial run to ensure the final version is trouble-free and enables your brand to reach its goals.
With this basic structure, plan a webinar that delivers to its promise.
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