10 great tips for webinars

Great webinars generate qualified sales leads. They require planning, practice, and constant monitoring. Here are 10 tips that are sure to work for you.

  1. Plan, plan, plan – Create a webinar plan that includes schedules, potential speakers, a registration process, budget, promotion, success metrics, and follow-up.
  2. Timing is everything – Schedule your webinar when the largest number of people can attend.
  • If your audience is national, run the webinar in the middle of the afternoon.
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally the best. People don’t just start or end their week.
  • Promote it – If you build it, will they come? It depends. Do they know? They care?
    • Study your key audience and develop a targeted marketing strategy.
    • Try different messages and ad sources. Be creative. See what works.
    • Activate networks. Word of mouth is key, so include a “invite a colleague” link in all exchanges with potential attendees.
  • Webinars don’t happen in a vacuum. Make sure your webinars are integrated into your overall marketing strategy.
  • Engage your audience – Email, the web, to-do lists, and the phone are just a few of the many distractions your speakers have to be content with
    • Make sure the content is informative and your speakers are interesting.
    • Get insights from your sales team.
    • Involve your entire marketing staff.
  • Conduct Surveys – Don’t miss the opportunity to ask your audience for their opinions. Use your webinar to learn more about your audience and what matters to them.
  • Practice, practice, practice and plan for the worst – Train your speakers. Presenting at a webinar is very different from doing it in person.

    N’oubliez pas – All speakers must use landlines with headsets and have a hard copy of their presentation in front of them.

    • Technology is not infallible. Prepare for all calamities. Schedule at least one run that covers:
    • Web conferencing technology
    • Presentation and programming of the webinar
    • Questions and answers
    • How to Handle a Loss of Audio or Web Access
  • Choose a good conference provider – There are many web conferencing providers. Can yours handle your volume and support you when there is a problem?
  • Get the most out of registration – Every time someone registers for your event, they have the opportunity to learn more about their interests and needs. Include different points of contact such as demos and whitepaper downloads in all registration emails. N’oubliez pas – Automate the registration process as much as possible and make sure your metrics capture what happens.
  • Respect your audience – People take time out of their day because they are interested in solving a problem. The hard sell doesn’t work. Soft selling does.
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