So You Want to Host a Webinar? Read me first!

Have you been lured in by the siren song of wanting to host a webinar for your brand? (‘It’s all virtual so it’s easy,’ they say! ‘Anyone can do it,’ they say!)

First, let’s get in touch with reality and do a very “official” poll.

• Who here has attended a webinar or virtual event? (Almost all hands are raising, we’re guessing.)

• Now, who here has attended more than one webinar that you actually benefited from and/or enjoyed? (We’re working on our mind-reading skills, but we’re guessing a LOT fewer hands are raising.)

Webinars are nothing new in the lexicon of marketing and content strategy. They can be a powerful tool to build brand presence; establish and grow industry prominence; reach anyone, anywhere; and generate leads. They can also be repurposed into blogs, videos, and more.

But, as you can see from our official poll (and your own experience will tell you!), not all webinars are effective, good, or even tolerable. In fact, many struggle with low attendance and high drop-off rates. It’s even more of an issue now, where screen fatigue is common and Zoom has become a four-letter word for many. And, we don’t mean to burst your bubble, but webinars aren’t as easy to pull off as you might think. Not sounding like such a pretty siren song, after all…

That doesn’t mean you should cross webinars off your list!

But, there’s a lot to consider before you press that “go live” button. So, stop and do not pass go, until you read this short list of things to keep in mind to escalate your virtual success!

Know Your Audience.

Who do you want to target in your marketing and promotion efforts; what messaging do you want to get across; what goals do they want to achieve? It’s important to answer these questions FIRST, so you can properly plan webinar design, promotion, messaging strategy, and content — from start to finish.

Think About Who’s Who.

Webinars come in many different styles — individual expert, multiple presenter sections, panel discussion, interview, Q&A, product demo, and more. No matter the format, you’ll want to carefully assess the “who” of your webinar to ensure that there’s a balance of expert knowledge, diversity, and polish — and entertainment quality is a good thing, too! An emcee can also be an asset.

Script It Out.

While you don’t have to have every single word down to the letter, what you will want to have is a very detailed run of show and show notes that’s shared with all participants. That way, everyone knows the exact lay of the webinar land and how much time they’ll be expected to speak. This is where a dry run can also be very beneficial — call it a dress rehearsal to work out as many kinks, questions, and tech issues as possible before show time.

Remember, Appearance Does Matter Here.

A professional, dynamic aesthetic is critical to elevating the webinar experience. This starts with the platform you use. Zoom, WebEx, Demio, and WebinarNinja are common options, but the list goes on and on — from simple to highly complex offerings. You’ll want to do some research to see what is best for your budget and the capabilities you need. Partner logos should be appropriately and seamlessly integrated; color palettes and fonts consistent; and slides and other graphics well-designed.

Delegate!

Webinars can be deceiving… they may seem easy to pull off, when really they can turn into a Pandora’s box of challenges (and opportunities!).  Consider having someone work with you to handle the project management of a webinar. (You’re going to need it, trust us!) That’s one of the reasons that, at CRANK, we launched our own webinar brand, PIVOT TO EXCELLENCE. Our clients were looking for a solution (and a team) to plan, promote, activate, and moderate their virtual events. They asked; we delivered!

Tell People About It!

A strategic digital marketing plan will serve you well when promoting the webinar — whether you’re trying to reach audiences far and wide, or a very targeted group. A landing page for the webinar or webinar series along with blog posts, social media, email, banner ads, and more can all be beneficial.

Roll With The Punches.

Just like IRL (in real life) events, some things likely will go awry in a virtual webinar. And that’s okay! Technology problems happen to the best of us.

So, are you webinar-ready?! At CRANK Digital Marketing Authority, we can help you get on the “good webinar list” with an effective, memorable, and brand-building experience. We’re here to strategize, plan, promote, and activate every step of the way — because we’ve been there, done that ourselves with our own PIVOT TO EXCELLENCE webinar brand. Let’s webinar together!