7 Effective Webinar Promotion Strategies to Increase Registrations
By Sakshi Arora
Mar 16, 20227 min read
The growing popularity of webinars in our post-pandemic world does not always guarantee higher registrations or attendance.
But what if it could? It would be great, right?
To reach (or even exceed) your webinar goals, you need to have a solid promotion strategy. It could include sending emails, creating engaging social media posts, giving it a perfect title, and building a well-thought-out landing page.
If you do not have a webinar promotion strategy yet, let’s supplement all your hard work into planning an irresistible webinar. Here are seven proven steps to increase registrations and ultimately drive maximum revenue. It’s time you implemented these tips to crank up the registration numbers.
What Are Webinars?
As the pandemic forced marketers to move their events online, it blurred the distinctions between webinars and other online conferences and events.
Simply put, webinars are online marketing events on a topic that lasts between 30 and 90 minutes. These allow the presenter/hosting organization to share slides, information, web pages, and other information.
Webinars often include audio-visual components and let your target audience interact with your brand through chats, Q&A, and real-time polls. What separates a webinar from other events is its purpose—educate, instruct, or demonstrate.
7 Proven Steps to Drive Revenue With Your Next Webinar
Before promoting your webinar, make sure you have optimized landing page to increase the conversion rate. Mention all the relevant information that will help people decide whether or not they want to register, including what you will speak about and what is in it for them. Some other details you might want to include are:
- Webinar date and time
- Speakers’ profiles and what they will speak on
- A clear call to action
- A form to register for the webinar
To further make sure that your webinar is a successful and effective one, implement the following tips:
1. Be Social
It’s a great idea to be active on social platforms as it allows you to promote various campaigns including webinars. Publish webinar-related updates on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Create short reels, stories, and teaser videos—get as imaginative as you want.
- Pick a unique hashtag that your audience can use to ask questions or drive engagement before, during, or after the webinar.
- Post several times on Twitter and use relevant hashtags.
- Also, consider LinkedIn Groups to post webinar updates. It can potentially help you find relevant audiences.
2. Email Without Being Spammy
Email marketing can work wonders as part of your webinar promotion strategy. It is the most effective way to promote any event, provided the content is planned and properly scheduled. Studies claim that this marketing channel can provide a strong return on investment, with every $1 you invest in email marketing yielding an average return of $42.
Make email marketing a routine, not a one-hit-wonder. But don’t be spammy. Studies show that sending three emails is enough, with the last two emails being in rich text format. Also, keep removing people from the webinar marketing list as and when they register.
3. Add a CTA on Website
Consider placing a registration button on your website to promote your webinar. It can be a small blurb that slips from the slide, exit overlay, or even a hello bar—a full-width browser ribbon on the top of the screen.
Hello bars are proven to be successful since they are catchy, upfront, and non-intrusive. Depending on what you are promoting, you can use a sentence or two with a call-to-action to your webinar landing page. If you haven’t tested it yet, it might be worth trying now.
4. Blog About It
Write a blog on your webinar before and after the event. Before the webinar, blog about what the registrants will learn and the value it will provide. Mention the key talking points and why it is a must-attend for people.
After the webinar, have the speaker blog about the topic or create an event recap based on the transcript. Promote the blogs on social media platforms, newsletters, or third-party websites.
5. Use Your Signature
This one is extremely easy. Ask all employees to put the webinar link in their signature for a specific period. It’s free—and imagine all the people your customer-facing teams such as sales, client success, and account managers email daily!
Adding a webinar link in your email signature is an effective way to spread the word to people outside your marketing database.
6. Encourage Customers to Speak
Invite clients to speak in your webinar for a maximum impact. If that’s not possible, invite them as registrants if the topic is relevant to them. Also, encourage your clients to bring their peers, friends, or even a colleague.
If it is not a stretch, request them to write a blog or promote the webinar from their social media accounts. The more people promote your webinar, the more reach and impressions it will get—which means higher registrations!
7. Go for Online Advertising
If the topic is meaty and unique and you have the budget, then roll out a press release in an industry-specific publication. If that’s too expensive, then consider search engine marketing or online advertising on social media channels that work for you.
Checklist for Your First Webinar
Now that you know some of the tactics needed to build a great webinar promotion strategy, use this checklist to ensure that you have covered all the key steps before going all out. Let's get started.
Before the Webinar
1. Set KPIs and Goals
Determine what you would like to achieve through the webinar—lead generation, brand promotion, or event monetization. Setting goals allows you to measure the performance and insights into what's working and what isn't for your future webinars. Set SMART (Specific," "Measurable," "Attainable," "Relevant," and "Time-bound) goals.
2. Determine Your Target Audience
Create marketing personas that can benefit from the webinar topic. Understanding your audience's potential lifestyle and preferences can help you identify which channels to use while promoting the webinar.
3. Create Landing Page
Create a kickass landing page that will help you collect the registrants' details. Make sure to integrate with an online calendar so that people can add it to their own.
4. Build a Social Media Event
A month before the webinar, create an event on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and add a retargeting link that redirects people to your landing page. Mention the topic, time, and date, and a background image that aligns with your brand.
5. Fire-Up Emails
Send one email per week; don't spam. Start sending emails at least three weeks before the webinar. You can send an invite and two reminders, one of which can have the webinar agenda.
Schedule an email reminder a day before the webinar, only for the registrants.
6. Post on Social Media Platforms
With three weeks to go, it's time to start updating your social media platforms with regular posts. You can publish generic posts, videos, speaker bios, infographics, or questions related to the webinar topic. The idea is to increase engagement and, eventually, event participation.
Related: Top 10 Social Media Engagement Strategies to Build Your Brand in 2022
7. Check Your Presentation
Make sure your presentation is ready and you have rehearsed it well. Make the session interactive by adding polling questions, short ice breakers, or even Q&A so that your audience stays with the event till the end.
During the Webinar
1. Stay Active on Social Media
Add final reminders to social media stories or reels and post on the Event page. You can also use a hashtag during the event and encourage people to use it for commenting or asking questions. Display live feeds in a small dialogue box during the webinar.
2. Send Final Reminder
Send an email to the participants an hour before the webinar starts and include the webinar link. This will ensure a high show rate during the event.
3. Do a Dry Run
As the host, join the webinar a few minutes early for a dry run and ensure everything is working fine.
After the Webinar
1. Close the Landing Page
First things first, close the landing page so that people do not register anymore. Any more registrations would be meaningless; so it’s time to say goodbye.
2. Send Thank You and Missed You Emails
Be polite and send “thank you” emails to all the attendees and “missed you” emails to absentees. Send a survey link to understand what the audience liked the most. To the no-shows, get insights into why they could not attend and what you can do in the future to have them in your webinar. Share recording of the webinar with everyone so they can watch it on-demand.
3. Write a Blog
Write a blog about what was discussed during the webinar. Add the key highlights and metrics such as how many people attended and what was the conversion rate. You can also include the types of questions people asked during the event.
4. Promote on Social Media
Repurpose the webinar content and post it on social media. Convert anything that made the webinar look great into short videos or posts and publish these on social media platforms.
Final Thoughts
A webinar is an important marketing strategy that, if done right, can drive huge revenue. When you incorporate these seven tactics to promote your webinar, don’t forget to keep the following points in mind:
- Have an optimized landing page with an easy registration form.
- Start promoting the webinar at least three weeks before the actual date.
- Ask for feedback from attendees and no-shows. Customize survey forms accordingly.
- Test different aspects such as tactics, timing, or copies to understand what works best for you.
- Record the webinar to send it to registrants and continue promoting it on other channels as long as required.
Over to you now!
