Jared Atchison October 22, 2020 There are plenty of ways for businesses to promote their products and services to a broad audience. One of the most popular ways to communicate with your audience is through video content.
Research shows that 85% of business owners use video as a marketing tool. When you consider the higher than average return on investment, enhanced engagement, and additional sales, video content makes sense.
When you’re working on videos for your brand, you’ll need to think about the type of content you want to create. Webinars are a common but powerful video marketing tool you can use for rapid growth. These events are great for showing consumers why you’re an expert in your industry and turning prospects into full-blown customers.
Let’s look at several things you need to do if you want your webinar to generate more sales and engagement for your business.
Brainstorm for Relevant Topics
Before you can host an event, you should decide on a topic. This step will vary based on your industry, but the process should be similar to the strategy you use to generate blog topics.
In other words, think carefully about the people who visit your site and what kind of content you can create that will improve their lives. So, if your business sells model airplanes, you could create a webinar that shows people how to build advanced plane models. Focusing on your existing customers’ needs will ensure that the right kind of people find your event.
Don’t be afraid to keep coming up with topic ideas, either. Some people stop when they get to 10 or 20 topics. If you still have more ideas, keep writing. There’s a good chance that several of your ideas will work well. Instead of selling yourself short, spend some time and thoroughly brainstorm relevant topics in your industry.
Once you’ve decided on the topic of your webinar, it’s time to move on to the next step.
Start Promoting Weeks Before the Event
Now it’s time to start promoting your event. You’ll want to use the marketing channels at your disposal, like email, social media, and on-site marketing.
Your email marketing plan should work in two parts. First, you should create a registration form on your website that encourages users to sign up for the event. We suggest using a lead magnet or promotion to encourage more people to sign up.
Once people start saving sports for the event, you can begin sending out emails. Let potential leads know what to expect and what they should bring to the event. Letting everyone know the details in advance will ensure that more people show up.
Don’t forget to send out emails to people who have joined your lead list but didn’t sign up for the webinar. Let them know what’s coming up, and most importantly, why they should care. Focus on explaining how the subscriber will benefit from attending your event; then ask them to sign up.
Take to social media and let your audience know about your upcoming webinar. Include a link that allows people to register for a spot directly from social media. This small but essential step ensures that people can quickly sign up when they see your promotion.
Make the Experience Interactive
Now, let’s fast forward to the day of the event. Let’s assume you’ve sent out a last call email and reached out to participants to let them know precisely when and where they should meet. It’s time to give your presentation and get your audience engaged.
One great way to make the event more interactive is to include a question and answer segment at the end of the webinar. Encourage users to type questions into a separate Q&A form that you’ll answer after the main presentation.
Furthermore, you can encourage users to submit their common questions and pain points before the webinar begins. If you can get this information, use it to form and shape the way you relay information. Focus on the pain points and offer actionable solutions and information to people taking the time to view your event.
You should also consider adding a satisfaction survey at the end. Listen to what participants have to say, and you can use this information to improve future webinars.
Overdeliver on Your Promise
Finally, don’t forget to overdeliver on your promise. There’s a good chance you’re going to see more traffic and engagement after your event. A surprising 43% of consumers want more video content, so we expect to see people interacting with businesses that take their campaign to the next level.
But if you want that engagement to stay up after the webinar, you need to overdeliver on your promise. You can accomplish this task by including a “bonus” at the end of your webinar. For instance, after your big event on email marketing, you can give participants a link to a free lead magnet highlighting some of the tactics you went over during the presentation.
You may also want to consider creating a webinar series. Imagine the excitement some visitors will feel after your big webinar ends, and they find out that it was just one part of a series. Encourage users to subscribe so they can get updates about the next part of your webinar. Subscription models such as the one we mention lead to higher retention and engagement, according to 76% of business owners.
Earning the trust of your audience is the number one sign that your webinar worked. You want consumers to see you as a knowledgeable expert in your industry. Hosting webinars where you can deliver on your promise, and exceed expectations, will add more value to your brand name and future events.
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