If there is one valuable, useful tool that marketers are only now using to its full potential, that’s webinars. These offer you with rich, strong sources of content that can allow you many options and benefits through their duration. You can leverage them in many ways if you know how.
There are a couple of things you can get when you get a proper webinar. For example, you get an entirely new avenue open to you, you get new networking opportunities and the complete undivided attention of many listeners. It’s an amazing way to generate leads, to communicate with both potential and current customers, and above all, you get to share your knowledge and expertise with the world.
Now, marketers are wise in using webinars as part of their content strategy. However, keep in mind that, as always, there is more room for improvement, planning, and development. For this reason, we have written up this little article. It deals with webinars and setting up a good campaign. For some people, the points here need repeating. For others, they might be hearing them for the first time. Whatever the case may be, read on to find out exactly how to set up a proper webinar campaign.
Remember your audience
So, first things first – who is your audience? This one is tied closely to your goals, to your needs, and your wants. Figure out what you want to accomplish with this system, and move on from there. You need to tailor your webinar to be in line with the results you want to achieve. So, before you put a good old date on that calendar, choose your people. Are you marketing to people new to your field, or are you working with veterans? Do you actually intend this webinar to serve people who are just interested in the services and products that come out of your field, or are these people in the industry interested in expanding their skills and knowledge? Identifying your target audience is not easy, but it can be very useful later on.
Invest properly
A webinar isn’t some random campaign that you haphazardly cobble together. It needs to be a serious and well thought out systemized approach towards teaching and networking. This means that if you just invest pennies, you won’t get the results you want. You can’t just get a cheap laptop webcam, film yourself with some basic software, and call it a day. The same goes for your application forms, website, meetings, event specification, hosting…. This all needs to be done by you or delegated to some of your employees.
Or, you can always contact a company that provides professional digital event services, and that can help you with the nitty-gritty of setting up a webinar. This includes having assistance with hosting or getting help with gear, maybe even some advice on how to hold the entire thing.
What format are you interested in?
So, think next about the format of your webinar. Since you know what kind of audience you are aiming at, and you have invested properly, you need to find a way to demonstrate expertise on specific topics. This will, then, help you advance when it comes to trust with your speaking, your brand, and your network.
Now, educational webinars usually have one or two speakers, they use animations and videos to illustrate points, they usually have audience participation, and try to have a Q&A section going.
Then, you have exclusively Q&A seminars. There are essentially interviews held by the audience, where they ask a question of a couple of experts, trying to figure out solutions to problems, picking their brains, and just getting some advice.
Similar to question and answering webinars, you have panellist discussion. Again, quite similar to Q&As, except these are more guided by a moderator than by the actual audience. It’s a lot less random, it gives more control to the experts, and is more structured. The moderator often has his own list of questions for the panellist. This one is perhaps the best option if for networking. It attracts multiple influences and experts on a given topic, pulls them forward, and combines their audiences. This means you get to meet other experts, and your work is exposed to people you wouldn’t usually see or get to check out.
Promote it completely
Finally, don’t forget to promote your work. What’s the point in hosting a series seminar and webinar if people won’t even know its happening? This one is last on the list because you need to understand all the other points in order to have it work properly.
So, are you getting multiple panellists? Awesome, that means you can use their channels to promote yourself, as they can also use your channels to promote themselves. Are you targeting a younger audience? Great, that means you can get a bit techier savvy people involved, and you can advertise on newer, younger platforms. Social media particular is strong with younger folks. Email marketing, if done correctly, is nothing to scoff at.
We also suggest you start promoting no sooner than 10 days, and no later than two weeks. Starting too early can build up too much hype that will fizzle out pretty quickly. On the other hand, starting too late simply doesn’t give enough time for people to sign up and reach you.
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks, a guide on how to set up a good Webinar Campaign. There are of course several things you need to keep in mind. You need to promote this thoroughly and completely. Furtherer, you have to be clear with your goals and your plans, you need to set everything up, and you need to understand your audience.
