Deciding on the format of content is one of the key aspects of content marketing. There are many formats that your content can take.
This includes blog posts, podcasts, video, e-book, webinars, etc. How do you know which one is best suited for you?
Well the best format depends on your target audience and the stage of buyer’s journey they are in. Webinar is known to give great results in converting leads to customers.
According to Content Marketing Institute, over 60% of marketers are using webinars as a part of their content marketing programs. In this blog we will talk about webinars and how you can use them to convert more customers
What is a Webinar?
Webinar is just like a seminar event except that it is conducted online. It is a presentation that is done live for the people who sign up for it.
Presenter and attendees are also able to communicate through live chat.
What makes a webinar unique is:
- It gives a personal touch
- It gives you more focused attention as it is live
- It gives you more time. A typical webinar is between 45 mins to 2 hours
- t gives you a chance to resolve objections in real time
- It builds relation through a two way communication
- You can reach anyone across the globeYou can see that a webinar keeps your audience more involved than a blog or video post. It is the closest to meeting to your leads face to face.
What are the conversion rates for Webinars?
For this reason webinars also have a high conversion rate. Whereas email marketing has a conversion rate of 3-5%, most webinars convert between 10- 20% of attendees down the line..
Companies like Adobe, Buzzsumo and KISSmetrics have confirmed above 20% conversion rates through webinars.
How to Use Webinars in Your Marketing Funnel?
Webinars can be used at two stages in a digital marketing funnel. Firstly, they can be used to connect with your visitors.
Webinars can even be used as lead magnets to convert visitors into leads.
Secondly, they are especially effective in the conversion stage, the last stage of marketing funnel.
Someone attending your webinar has set aside an hour for you, which means that they trust you to deliver value.
Most of the webinar attendees are hence qualified leads that are ready to buy.
How do I host a Webinar?
Hosting a webinar is not difficult. There are many webinar software that are user friendly and intuitive.
Here are the steps to follow to host a webinar:
1. Decide on the Topic and Presenter- Pick a burning question that your readers have or a pain point they face in their lives. A headline that speaks out to the visitor is half the job done.
2. Make your presentation – Make you presentation ready. A BIG mistake for any marketer would be treat your webinar as a sales pitch. A webinar is first and foremost a valuable training session for your attendees.
Remember they signed up to learn what you promised in the title, not to buy your products and service. Make sure you are giving tons of value in return of one hour that they have allotted to you.
3. Choose webinar software – There are many options to host your webinar like Webinars on Air by Google, Go to Webinar, Cisco WebX, Mega Meeting etc.
Go to Webinar is the most popular one with impressive features and reasonable pricing. It has a free 7 day trial and a monthly fee of $79 after that.
The software is easy to use with intuitive design. They allow you to share your screen with attendees, set up email notifications and reminders, take polls and surveys, chat with attendees and view webinar dashboard.
Practice a mock presentation a few times for successful live webinar.
4. Promote Webinar- Start promoting your webinar on social media, web-site pop-ups, email lists and any other channels you may have to reach your audience.
Make sure your topic matches your audience’s requirement. For example, a high school student is more likely to sign up than an undergrad for a webinar on ‘How to prepare for SAT Entrance’.
5. Host Webinar and Follow up- Use the tips shared below to host your webinar. Most of the attendees don’t sign up immediately but do end up buying up from you eventually.
Add the attendees to your email marketing list and follow up with your offer within 48 hours. Nurture these leads over time by sending webinar recording and other valuable content.
Tips to Host a Successful Webinar
- Be well rehearsed
If you are a B2B company share your company story along with your personal story too.
Learn all the functions of webinar software and make sure you know how to get over technical setbacks even if they occur. Being well rehearsed will also make you sound confident.
- Arrive before time
Arrive at least half an hour before the scheduled time. This will give you time to check if everything is working.
It is also a good opportunity to strike up a conversation with people have arrived early and are eager to start. Ask them about their expectation from the webinar.
- Keep it interactive
The beauty of a webinar is that you can get direct live feedback from your attendees. Keep your webinar interactive by asking questions and also receiving questions.
Keep moderators on your team who will answer questions in chats and keep everyone engaged. Take names of people who are responding, mention geographies from where people are logged in. All this will make attendees feel connected and part of a live event.
- Bring your personality
An event is way to know each other personally. So share your story and connect with your audience.
Tell them how you landed up here and highlight the similarities between you and your audience.
If you are a B2B company share your company story along with your personal story too.
- Keep it Light
One hour is a long time to ask for focused attention from your audience. If your presentation is long and boring they will either exit or drift off.
So keep your webinar light and entertaining. Use a lot of stories, short videos, jokes and real life examples.
There will be parts where you will be giving heavy information, but make sure you prepare your audience and spread out the heavy material throughout the presentation.
The rule of thumb is to keep no more than three slides of heavy concepts.
Final Notes
Hosting your first webinar may seem like a difficult job. However, it is easy once you get used to it. With a conversion rate of 20% you are sure to do more of them once you get started.
