Webinars became the go to method for keeping in touch with your prospects and customers during the recent lockdowns, but they continue to be an excellent way to get your message and solutions in front of your audience in a manageable and cost effective way.
We have supported several clients through their journey of producing and delivering a webinar and from those experiences we have complied these key steps which will ensure that your planned webinar event is expertly executed.
Working with Next Call was an easy decision; their experience with our partner, Onestream, meant they came to the table with understanding and prior knowledge of what our business does. We were able to explain the concepts of what we want to get across to prospects easily and the Next Call team absorbed this and understood it quickly. This meant the onboarding process was very streamlined. On an ongoing basis we’ve been able to work together easily and seamlessly quickly adapting and updating messaging and ideas as we go.
Kai Engel, Function Six
STEP 1: Determine Your Topic & Speakers
At the start of the whole process is a decision as to what your topic will be. What do you want to convey to your audience? You may have more than one type of audience and your event or events should be planned accordingly. Once you have the topic you can then choose who would be the best person to deliver it. To keep a webinar interesting it’s worth considering having more than one speaker or speakers and a moderator. A fireside conversation style set up makes for a more dynamic delivery and a more engaging experience for your attendees.
Further reading: Preparation is the key to maximise your campaigns
STEP 2: Where & When
Once you have a subject and speakers in mind, it’s time to firm up a date, allowing enough time for planning and crucially to drive registrations. You'll need to factor in the need to check or acquire your data and time to run your email campaigns and other audience generation tactics. This will give you your lead-in time and help you to decide on the date. Keep in mind national and school holidays and aim for a day in the middle of the week and a time in the middle of the morning or afternoon. Ensure that your chosen platform can send out timely reminders to keep your registrations fully updated and to encourage them to join the webinar.
Further reading: Successful lead generation campaigns are built on strong roots...
STEP 3: Tell The World!
Now you have your date and time, you have a subject and some speakers, and you have the correct data, it’s time to send out your email campaigns, and to share your event via social. Remember to test your email before sending it to your list. Send it out internally and get your colleagues to check the links and registration process. Include details of your speakers and a short summary of what they will be talking about. To drive as many registrations as possible, a focused telemarketing campaign will make a huge difference to your outcomes.
Further reading: B2B Sales Calling: What really works...
STEP 4: Final Preparations
As you get closer to the date, there is more behind the scenes work to be done; set up some rehearsals with your speakers and moderator. This should be done at least once, but preferably a couple of times to make sure everyone is comfortable with the running order, the tools available to show and progress presentations, and the interactive element of polls and Q&A. These rehearsals are key and will iron out any technical issues before you face your live audience.
On the day of your webinar, gather your speakers together 15 minutes ahead of the start of the webinar - go through the running order and a checklist of things they need to do to make sure there are no interruptions: have they switched off notifications on their PC, have they closed the door to their meeting room or study to ensure no interruptions, have they got their presentation ready to share?
All the pre-event preparation will ensure that the event goes smoothly and that everyone involved in delivering a presentation on the day is confident with what they have to do and what they are going to be talking about.
STEP 5: Post Event Analysis & Actions
Once the webinar is finished there is still more to do. The post-event analysis and follow up is now key to make sure no opportunities are missed and every opportunity is fully explored.
How many of the registrations attended?
How long did they stay on the webinar for?
How did the webinar itself go; did it run smoothly, were there any hitches?
Send follow up emails to all those that attended with further calls to action. Follow them up with a phone call to encourage them to the next stage of a more in-depth discussion, a meeting, or product demo.
Don't forget to also follow up with your non-attendees. Send them a link to the recording to watch the webinar at their convenience, and follow them up in the same way as your attendees.
And Finally...
The webinar is not just about the 40 minutes or so that you are live on the day. There is a lot of value to be leveraged using the recording of the webinar and ensuring that all attendees and non attendees are followed up to understand their level of interest and to nurture them for future opportunities. Your webinar recording can be used as collateral for other social and email campaigns and as well as a tool for prospects in the lead up to a meeting.
Further reading: Our tried and tested methodology enables us to deliver successful campaigns time and again
Want to know more about executing your own webinar or series of webinars? Get in touch with us to discuss your requirements further and find out how we can support you and your team through the process of delivering a great event!