Christa Tuttle January 22, 2021 
Virtual events have increased almost 1000% since the beginning of last year. Webinars have become an increasingly popular type of virtual event with B2B marketers as 73% of marketing and sales leaders consider webinars to be an ideal way to generate high-quality leads. Along with generating leads, webinars are also a key part of B2B marketing content strategy. When creating a webinar, there are three stages that should be followed to ensure your webinar achieves maximum success.
Before
Capitalizing on a virtual event, such as a webinar, is a step-by-step process. Before your webinar goes live, there are creation, planning and promotion efforts that should take place to assure that your webinar is the best that it can be before it goes live.
Creation and Planning
- Title and Abstract: Keep the title and abstract short and simple. The longer both are, the more it reveals about your webinar content, which is something you want to save for your presentation. When thinking of your title and abstract, try to include keywords that are relevant to your audiences. That way, when someone searches, your webinar has a higher likelihood of being included in the first few search results.
- Image: Many webinar platforms include an image or thumbnail in the preview. Ensure your brand elements are visible so your audience knows who the webinar is being presented by. It is also common to use a screenshot of the title slide, but if you want to go beyond this, use an image that is relevant to your presentation content.
- Platform: Organizations often use a platform to host webinar. Some examples of webinar platforms are Demio, BrightTALK and GoToWebinar. There is also the option to host your own if you have the resources and technology to do so.
Promotion
Promotional emails are a great way to bring attention and gain interest to your webinar. When people sign up for webinars, 33% sign up 1-7 days before and 28% sign up more than 15 days before. To cater to the different timing of when people sign up, you should promote your webinar around 3 weeks before it takes place. This gives people enough time to check their calendars for availability. Posting on social media is also a way to promote your upcoming webinar. Share the link on your company Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media channels you may have to reach a large audience.
During
On the day of your webinar, use this checklist to make sure you are fully prepared for all facets of your presentation:
- Test: Your video, audio and other general computer settings should be tested in advance to see that everything is working without glitches or issues. Once your settings are tested and ready to go, leave them the way they are.
- Assist: If you are the webinar presenter, it is ideal for someone else to run slides, answer questions via chat and watch the time. This alleviates pressure on the speaker and allows them to focus solely on presenting. If this is not an option, make sure your speaker knows how to operate the webinar platform and other technology used.
- Aesthetics: Lighting is key when presenting virtually. There are webinars where speakers don’t have their cameras on and present only the content, but there are also many that do present live on camera. If you are live on camera, make sure there is ample lighting. Natural light is best, but if this isn’t possible, you can use a mirror or lamp to gives the same effects. Try different angles, setups and locations in your presentation environment to see what looks best.
- Set Up: If possible, keep your computer at eye level. This sets the audience up for a more face-to-face view. To make your presentation have a more in-person feel, and if you would like to, stand up. Standing up during a presentation adds energy and shows your audience you are ready to deliver valuable information.
After
Webinars are a lengthy process but can bring great benefits when executed effectively. Establishing and continuing the digital connection made with audience members is important. After a webinar has completed, focus on the on-demand follow-up.
On-Demand
Making the webinar on-demand as soon as possible after it is completed live is ideal. 25% of those who sign up only watch the on-demand version. Have the on-demand access link or slides file easily accessible to those watching live for easy access to download the slides or save the link for later. This also allows you to promote your on-demand webinar on social and in email.
Executing the steps at the before, during and after stages of webinar creation will allow you to attract a deliver valuable content to a large audience while bringing in quality leads for your organization.
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