The most versatile marketing professionals are fully aware that engaging a targeted audience is key. And one of the best ways to ensure engagement is to breathe life into your association is with the assistance of thorough research, eye-opening and stimulating presentation, and a voice of influence.
Webinars can be the secret to your success. A memorable webinar can do two things; first, it can send an unforgettable message to the attendee. Second, it can generate leads and stretch your brand. That is, if all is presented properly.
Webinars, of course, are seminars conducted over the internet, but let’s simplify that even more. Webinars are seminars – and seminars must do a combination of several things. They must inform. They must converse clearly. They must impress. They must motivate.
And, perhaps most importantly from a growth perspective, they must build connections – which will result in generating leads.
In organizing a webinar, you must think about your target audience in crafting content. Planning a successful webinar may seem easy on the surface, but it’s the planning stages that will ultimately separate your webinar from being riveting or ratchet – and you definitely don’t want the latter.
Here are some tips to focus on when planning and marketing your webinar. We’ll call it “playing the right C.A.R.D.S.”
C - choose the proper day and time
Simply put, weekend webinars are not the best ideas for many. Reason being: The weekend is when most people look to decompress and not think about work. Fridays are bad ideas. Saturdays and Sundays are even worse. Even Mondays aren’t great days, as they are the days where many jump into busy weeks.
The best days to put on a webinar are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. As for best times for webinar, that same article suggests late-morning starts, preferably an hour before or after your region’s lunch hour. A late-morning webinar on the East Coast means an early-morning webinar on the West Coast. A late-morning webinar on the West Coast means an afternoon webinar on the East Coast. Be aware of that.
A - analyze your audience
A good audience analysis will allow you to find out a lot about your members and prospects demographically. That information will aid in your marketing webinar strategies for the future.
Metrics are valuable in pretty much everything, so why not use them for webinar planning? Understanding who is actually watching your webinar will play a role in the development of a targeted action strategy.
R - run teasers as reminders
Put together a short teaser video for your webinar to immediately earn the attention of your targeted audience. Upload it on your company’s website and social media channels. Intrigue is everything.
Never forget how powerful video presence can be. A solid teaser will instantly stimulate the mind of an attendee – or someone looking to become an attendee. Use the teaser to deliver the theme or purpose of the webinar, as well as to announce the esteemed presenters. Treat it like the most persuasive television commercial possible.
D - determine the purpose
Think about your target audience and why they are tuning in. Then ask yourself: “How can this make them better?”
That’s your vision, putting together a presentation that will make your audience feel like they left the webinar better professionally, mentally, whatever. The purpose of a webinar is to succinctly present your topic while keeping your audience interested. It seems simple enough, but it can fall by the wayside if you’re not careful.
S - set your registration goals
In planning a webinar, you always want to have an idea of how many attendees you’d like. Smart Insights suggests that webinars get about 36% of pre-registrants to attend live events.
Make sure you’re tracking your registrations. MemberClicks discusses setting goals for how many people who register, how many actually attend and how many are coming from each specific marketing activity, “so that when you do future webinars, you know where to focus most of your marketing efforts.” In short, that’s thinking ahead.
Webinars can be outstanding sources for information, particularly with the influx of digital communications. Proper planning of a webinar can help you reach new targets, boost lead generation, and build your association.
The planning and marketing of a quality webinar should never be taken lightly. Play your C.A.R.D.S., and get as many eyes and ears to your webinar in an effort to truly deliver your message and boost your brand.
