How to plan a webinar with these 10 great tips!
Webinars are a key way to build relationships, trust with your audience, boost your e-list, and also attract new clients and grow your revenue! Chris Garret talks about some great benefits on how to plan a webinar. For this article though, I’ll be sharing with you all the necessary moving pieces that you’ll need or may want.
Landing Page – You need a landing page for people to register when planning a webinar. It’s best to use a landing page (versus a page on your website) as they are created with only one goal in mind (to register) with no distractions or other links to go to. It tells the What, Where, When, Why they should take part. Appeal to the ‘what’s in it for them’ mentality.
Opt In Form – This landing page needs an opt in form that is integrated with your email system (be it Infusionsoft, 1ShoppingCart, Aweber etc). It needs to tell them what to do (Ex Enter your name and email to claim your seat at this xyz event). It needs to have the required fields (Ex Name, Email and sometimes phone number). And of course the button to REGISTER NOW!
Google Analytics – You may wish to insert your google analytics script on the landing page and thank you page to analyze results and how many have viewed the page, vs how many have registered. If you find 500 people have viewed the page but only 50 have registered, then something on the landing page is not compelling them to take action. It could be the layout of the landing page (perhaps the call to action isn’t high enough up on the page, or perhaps the title and ‘benefits’ aren’t attracting them). Course correct if possible.
Thank You Page – Once they DO register they will be directed to a thank you page. There are a few ways to go about this.
1 – have all the information on that page about the event and how to login
2 – directions to watch their inbox to see the information on how to join the event
3 – ask them to share the original landing page/event with friends etc with share buttons/features
4 – provide a video thanking them and re-iterating the benefits and what they’ll ‘get’ at the webinar
5 – give them another offer while they are ‘hot’ – (with or without video) ‘Hey if you like this then you might like xyz’ – whether it’s a book (a tripwire), a new program, course etc. Thus there will be another link on this page to direct them to that offer and take advantage of it OR have another opt in box right on this thank you page.
Webinar System – You need a way to deliver the webinar and most likely a way to record it. There are a ton of options out there. Popular one’s include WebinarJam, Go To Webinar, WebEx and so on. Some have various features and allow you to have a ‘chat window’ for the attendees, statistics to track how many have logged in and attended and dropped out part way through etc, and even an offer button to present and have the attendees click and say yes to the final offer at the end of the webinar. I have a couple of clients that are NOT allowing replays (to get their live attendees up – and it’s working I might add) and using Zoom instead. It allows you to share your screen, and thus slides, use a white board and of course show your face in live video. Some systems are more complicated than others and many integrate with your email system for auto responders and tagging. Find one that is right for you.
Slide Presentation – Most webinars include slides to provide a more graphic presentation. The slides often illustrate:
- Who this webinar is right for…
- What they’ll learn
- Sharing the pain points and struggles (the issue you are solving with this webinar)
- Perhaps your story
- The content – value, value, value!
- Recap
- Any free gifts/ resources you are providing
- The offer
Hand outs – Ask yourself if you want to give attendees hand outs. From my experience it increases engagement and adds an interactive element to the event. Plus, it adds value. You would provide the PDF or document in the thank you and reminder emails.
Email Marketing – After they register and get the thank you page – they should also receive a thank you email confirming the event. One – you want to ensure they have the information to join on that day and you want them to get used to opening your emails. You will also need reminder emails along the way before the event. I find the day before, 1 hr before, 15 minutes before and ‘starting now’ is sufficient. Some of my clients also remind them what the event is about and deliver some tips in them to keep them excited about the event to ensure attendance. You may also wish to consider having a replay email for those that were not able to attend live.
Promotion – You, of course, will need to promote the webinar in order to get registrants! There are a number of ways to do so. Send out emails to your list, include information in your e-newsletter. If you do a printed newsletter include the info in there too. Don’t forget social media posts and even LinkedIn Pulse articles. Perhaps you wish to include Direct Messages in Facebook or LinkedIn or emails to your LinkedIn Group if you have one. Always update your website with the new event (perhaps include a sidebar sign up button or pop up!). Do some videos about the content (teasers) and then a call to action to sign up for the free webinar. Facebook Ads also bring in great results for free Webinars!
Dry Run – Always do a dry run. You’ll want to test the technology and ensure the systems work and folks will be able to see you, hear you, see the slides etc. Test that all links work. Do a dry run of your content to ensure the timing is great – ie not too short and not running over time.
Don’t worry – the first one is always the hardest. Once you have a couple under your belt – you’ll be a pro in no time!
Don’t have time to set it all up and plan? Want to spend your time on more revenue generating tasks or serving your clients? No problem – let us take all the work out of it and get you on track – so that you can be growing your list and serving and boosting profits before ya know it! Call me 484-284-0933 or email captain@ssonlinesupport.com
