It's well established fact that virtual events are among the best ways to connect with potential customers, generate leads, and establish your brand as an authority. But...let's get real, here. Isn't it frustrating to put a bunch of effort into creating an amazing webinar, only to find yourself in a virtual echo chamber? You're certainly not alone, and the good news is, there's a pretty straightforward fix: effective virtual event marketing.
This guide is packed with a step-by-step marketing and promotion checklist to help you plan, promote, and follow up like a pro. Let's cover all the essential elements of a webinar marketing plan so you can boost your attendance rates and make sure all your efforts pay off.
Planning Your Virtual Event
We've said this before, but we think it bears repeating: you need a solid plan in place before promoting anything related to it. This includes:
- Define Your Target Audience - Who are you hoping to connect with? Give thought to their interests, challenges, and goals, then shape your strategy around the customer persona(s) Opens in new tab. you decide on.
- Choose a Topic - Dig deep, here. What's the one thing your audience can't afford to miss? Be sure to pick a topic that's relevant to their needs and aligns with your business objectives.
- Set the Date and Time - It's true what they say: timing is everything, and virtual events are no exception. Make sure you take time zones and your audience's schedules into consideration to land on a convenient time for as many people as possible.
- Choose the Right Webinar Platform - Choose a platform that checks all the boxes for your needs and wants, such as registration, robust security, engagement, Q&A tools, and analytics. (Hint: Hi there. We're EventBuilder and we can help you with all of that and more!)
- Create Engaging Content - There's more to a virtual events than your message; what's equally important is the way you deliver it! Use visuals, video, stories, and interactive features to keep your attendees glued to their screens through your entire presentation.
How to Promote Your Webinar
With your plan in place, it's time to start spreading the word. Here are some tried-and-true strategies to get your virtual event in front of the right attendees:
- Email Marketing - Email marketing is still the gold standard for promoting your virtual event! Craft attention-grabbing invitations - targeted by segment - and be sure to include a clear call-to-action as well as an obvious route to your registration page. Don't forget to send invitations to your current customers and subscribers, too!
- Social Media - Post about your webinar on social media channels like LinkedIn and Facebook in the weeks leading up to your go-live date. You might also want to consider other platforms such as WhatsApp if it's a fit for your business goals and target audiences. Include relevant hashtags, eye-catching visuals, and even AI tools to help you create engaging content that's just begging to be shared.
- Content Marketing - Leverage your content channels to help you promote your webinar! Write blog posts, articles, and LinkedIn posts that tie into your topic and provide value to your readers. Be sure to incorporate relevant keywords, and remember to include your call-to-action (CTA) with your registration link in each piece of content you publish.
- Create a Dedicated Landing Page - Build a dedicated, visually appealing landing page, packed with all the essential details. Make sure it's easy to navigate, and consider embedding the webinar's registration form for a frictionless registration experience.
- Paid Advertising - Run paid ads on social media and/or search engines to reach a broader audience. Even a small budget can make a big impact!
- Collaborate With Influencers and/or Co-Sponsors - Expand your reach by collaborating with industry influencers or consider partnering with an aligned company to help you spread the word and promote your webinar.
Webinar Promo Best Practices
Keep these best practices in mind to maximize your webinar's reach and attendance.
- Start Early - The earlier you start your webinar promotion, the more time you have to reach potential attendees and respond to data to adjust your promotion strategy. Ideally, start promoting the webinar as soon as your details are finalized to build momentum.
- Diversify Your Channels - It's a bad strategy to rely on one channel to promote your webinar - tailor your event marketing content to a variety of promotional avenues to reach a wider audience.
- Create Urgency - Encourage registrations by creating a sense of urgency, such as early-bird pricing or an incentive for a limited number of registrants, such as a promo code or discount to be redeemed after the webinar.
- Simplify Registration - Make the registration process as frictionless and simple as possible. While it's tempting to try to gather as much data on your registrants as you can, less is more when it comes to the number of registration questions. Prioritize essential information such as name, email, and company name.
- Pro-tip: Add an opt-in for permission to follow-up with the attendee as a registration question. You'll not only stay compliant, but it will help you plan your post-event follow-up strategy and prioritize leads.
- Focus on Value - Attendees are more likely to register if they see a clear value for them in your webinar. Highlight what they'll learn, what they'll take away, why it matters to them, and how it will offer a solution to their challenges.
- Send Reminders to Registrants - Treat the people who register ahead of time like they're important to you! Send timely event reminders at a balanced cadence. Ideally, you can schedule them to be sent automatically via your virtual event platform.
Engaging Your Audience During the Webinar
Congratulations! People showed up! The challenge now is to keep your audience engaged and interested. Try these tips for making it happen:
- Start on Time - Demonstrate you value their time by kicking things off promptly. This sets a professional tone and helps retain their focus.
- Incorporate Visuals - Give them stuff to look at! Slides, infographics, and videos capture attention and help make your content more memorable.
- Make It Interactive - Encourage participation by asking questions, running live polls, and using engagement features like Q&A and live polls. Engage directly with attendees to generate a more dynamic and personal feel to your event.
- Keep It Concise - Respect your audience by keeping the session focused and streamlined. Information overload is real, and keeping a narrow focus will help the important highlights of your content stand out.
- Wrap It Up Well - Finish with a clear, compelling, and simple call-to-action that includes what their next steps are, whether it's visiting a webpage, downloading a resource, or signing up for your services.
Post-Webinar Follow-Up
The work doesn't end just because your virtual event did - follow-up is a critical step in your success. Closing the loop by nurturing relationships helps maximize your webinar's impact and keep your brand top-of-mind. Here are a few ideas for effective follow-up:
- Send a Thank You Email - Express your appreciation for their attendance by sending a thank you email. Be sure to include links to the webinar recording and your event assets, such as the slide deck.
- Share the Recording - Make the recording available for anyone unable to attend the live event, and add a call-to-action with the recording link to your website, inviting visitors to catch it. This is a great way to generate more conversation and leads. Invite them to share the link with others in their networks who might be interested.
- Answer Outstanding Questions - Promptly reach out post-event and personally address any questions that came up during the webinar. This demonstrates your responsiveness and expertise.
- Engage With Leads - Don't let potential opportunities slip through the cracks! Reach out to leads generated during the webinar with personalized messages within a short time frame post-event to keep the momentum going.
- Gather Feedback - Ask attendees for feedback on the webinar to help you gain insights into what worked, what didn't, and ways to improve future webinar offerings.
For more in-depth content on this subject, check out our
Webinar Marketing and Promotion Learning Hub
Harness the Power of Microsoft Teams and EventBuilder
If you're already using Microsoft Teams, it's a small step to ramping up your webinar offerings with EventBuilder's seamless Teams integration. Enjoy the familiar Teams presentation interface while we help you free up your time for marketing and promotion with powerful features such as:
- Streamlined Event Creation - Generate a webinar in minutes with templates, offering you consistent branding and data across multiple events.
- Content Hub - Enjoy customized listing pages with search, simplified multi-event registration for event series and multi-track conferences, downloadable event assets, and more - all in one location for attendees to access. A great tool for scaling your webinar programming!
- Automated Communication Emails - Seamlessly communicate with registrants and attendees on a schedule you set with customizable event confirmations, reminders, and follow-up emails.
- Multi-Layer Security - You're in control of the trolls with vigorous security options, including multi-factor authentication, registration approvals, allowlist/denylist, and more. Keep the bad actors off your company's Teams tenant!
- Round-the-Clock Global Support - We're real live humans on duty and available to help you and your attendees so you can stay focused on what matters the most: delivering your content!
Plan, Promote, Persist!
Successful webinars are a combination of thoughtful planning and implementation. Use this webinar marketing checklist to set yourself up for events that attract a crowd and deliver real value to your audience. Remember: plan thoughtfully, promote strategically, engage actively, and follow-up meaningfully to make the most of your efforts!
Next-Level Webinars
Let EventBuilder take your Microsoft Teams webinars and virtual events beyond what you thought was possible! Discover how our tools and support make it easy to seamlessly deliver the kind of events that stand out from the crowd. Get started today!