The fundamentals for executing a successful webinar are not complex; Have an understanding of the audience and provide content that is compelling and addresses their challenges. That’s it. However, how to promote a webinar is equally critical, and in this blog post, we’ll cover the standard tactics that should be considered in any webinar.
Email Promotion.
You can promote a webinar in a variety of ways, but arguably the most common and effective tactic used to create registrants is email. That being said, there are a few elements that are vital to successful webinar promotion via email.
Create a clean and simple layout.
The layout of the email should not be overlooked because a bad layout spells disaster for registration rates. If your audience doesn’t receive a clean email with clear CTAs, they will not register because the majority of people scan emails, instead of reading them. If your email’s layout makes it difficult to scan, then fewer people will read it, even less will register, and your efforts are wasted. An effective and simple layout should include CTA buttons at the top near the header, as well as either beside or below the content in the body of your email.
Write short and concise copy.
The messaging in the email needs to be to the point. If your audience cannot quickly scan the email and know the benefits of registering, then you have not done your job. A bulleted list of 3-5 points that will be covered in the webinar is one of the more effective ways to accomplish this. This will make the email extremely easy to scan and increase registrations. It also helps to preface these points with a header, such as “key takeaways” or “action items.”
Always A/B test.
When sending invites, it’s important to experiment with different subject lines, as it is invaluable for improving your webinar promotions over time. You can also test different header images and personalization in the body copy, among other elements of the email.
Send multiple invites.
It’s best to send at least 2 invites to your target audience, as each invite yields additional webinar registrants. This is because as the event draws closer, people are more likely to have a clearer outlook on the availability in their upcoming schedule.
Use employee email signatures to expand reach.
Email signatures can help spread the word about an upcoming webinar to everyone receiving an email from you or anyone else on your marketing and sales teams. A GIF applied company-wide, to everyone’s email signatures to promote the webinar in all of your communications.
Landing Page Promotion.
Another important source for promoting your webinar is through your website. You should have a dedicated landing page promoting the webinar. Similar to the email, the landing page should have a simple design, with the title of the webinar headlining the page. Make sure to keep the same look and feel. All the messaging, graphics, and CTAs have to share the same look and feel for emails and landing pages to support one another and reinforce the reasons why your audience should register.
Make the time of the webinar known.
Highlight the date and time, as well as the session duration at the top of the page. This includes letting your audience know the correct time zone. Additionally, as the online event draws closer, your messaging should reflect the fast-approaching event via emails and social posts with a mention that the webinar is “this week” or “tomorrow,” to create a sense of urgency.
Give a complete rundown of the important details.
The body of the landing page should feature a few introductory sentences of what will be covered, along with a few bullet points listing what registrants will learn. Assuming your email promotion audience will be sent to this page to register, expand on the need for this webinar a little more than you did in the email. Below that, feature the speaker(s) headshot, title, company, and background information. This will establish the credibility of the source(s) that will be discussing the topic at hand.
Limit form fields.
The registration process needs to be streamlined, so it does not discourage people from registering. As such, limit your registration forms to a maxim of five fields. In addition, consider progressive profiling as it will help reduce the number of form fields a website visitor needs to complete.
Social Media Promotion.
Other efforts on creating interest and generating registrants include, but are not limited to, social media advertising, sharing, display ads, and also through your partners. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are channels we recommend using to promote your webinar. Facebook form ads are a great option for quick registration without sending prospects through multiple channels to register on your website. The faster and easier the process, the more registrants you will get for your webinar.
Keep in mind, social media often will not be your biggest driving force, but it will bring in more registrants. One of your biggest end goals should be to increase the number of relevant people who register.
