In today’s digital age, associations are looking for new ways to reach their members and stay connected. Webinar technology has come a long way since its inception in 1995, enabling associations to interact more effectively with their members than ever before possible. By focusing on webinars, associations can benefit from increased reach, cost savings, and improved engagement opportunities — all while providing real value for their membership base at the same time! So why not give it a shot? You may be surprised by how much value your association can gain from hosting a successful webinar!
Connecting with members
Webinars are a great way for you and your team to engage with the people who have joined your association as well as prospective members. You can use webinars to share information about upcoming events or programs that may interest them, ask questions about current projects or issues, get feedback on ideas for future projects or initiatives — the opportunities are endless!
Connection doesn’t stop once the webinar is over, either. Through webinar polls and surveys, associations can get valuable feedback from attendees while also giving them an opportunity to interact and engage with one another during the event itself. After the event, webinar recordings give attendees another chance to review key points and important information shared during the session whenever they have time available.
Increasing revenue
This medium can help boost sales through live demonstrations of products or services offered by your association in an online format that allows participants from anywhere around the world — or even across town). For example, if someone is looking for an online course on how to help their medical practice with electronic healthcare records, they might be interested in taking an introductory course offered by one of your educational trainings, or even sponsors/exhibitors. A webinar would allow your association to showcase that information for continuous education. It doesn’t stop there, either! Offering webinar recordings after the live event can be another source of non-dues revenue for your association.
Revenue isn’t just about the dollars coming into the bank account — think about what you’d save with webinars outside of the traditional meetings and conferences. Now, we’re not saying to get rid of your annual meetings, but if you’re looking to save some money this could be an option, as there is no travel or venue costs associated with hosting webinars. The cost savings associated with webinars gives associations more flexibility when it comes to spending their budget on other initiatives and activities.
Brand awareness
According to HubSpot, more than 80% of webinar participants learn something new during the webinar sessions they attend. This is not only good for your attendees and industry that your association serves, but also for your brand awareness. Attendees will want to come back to your organization knowing that they’ll get value out of the webinar. You’ll also be creating trust with individuals which may lead them down the path toward becoming members or sponsors over time — or even immediately.
With so many webinar options available, it's easy to see why this format is so popular. Participation in a webinar can be much more than just an educational experience for your audience — it's also a great way to build relationships and promote your organization's mission.
