Webinars can be an effective way to get your message out. But if they are not done well, you can turn people off and miss opportunities.
Follow these steps to learn about the best practices for a successful webinar.
Attract Your Audience
- Choose a topic that ties to the audience’s challenges and demonstrates your expertise
- If possible, ask a client and/or a “neutral” source to present with you
- Promote via your current database and on social platforms multiple times over several weeks leading up to the event
- Ask partners to share and promote to their databases and social media platforms
- Create a dedicated webinar landing page with a simple registration
- The day before the event, send a reminder with the webinar link and logistics as well as a contact if there is a problem
Create an Engaging Webinar
- Limit to 45-60 mins including Q&A (30-45 mins of content and 15-20 mins of Q&A)
- Focus on educating and providing value, don’t just try to sell something
- Use visuals to tell a story instead of slides with many words
- If applicable, offer a special offer for webinar attendees
- Practice!
Present an Engaging Webinar
- Run through the logistics and technology ahead of time
- Start on time, end on time
- Have a facilitator introduce the speaker(s), manage the timing, chat, technology and Q&A
- Speakers keep their video off until introduced (like coming onto stage in a live presentation)
Build Relationships after the Webinar
- Send a thank-you email to all attendees within a few hours of the event
- Post the thank-you on social channels and tag presenters and organizations that were a part of or mentioned during the webinar
- Offer an on-demand or replay option and include the link in your communications
- Ask permission and add new contacts into your database for future communications
- If you gain leads, contact them immediately