Let’s break down the best webinar marketing strategy for you so that, by the end of this article, you'll have everything you need to implement an effective webinar strategy and start pulling away from your competition.
Webinar Marketing
Webinars are one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. They provide an opportunity for you to connect with your audience on a deeper level, educate them about your product or service, and build trust with them. But in order to create an effective webinar marketing strategy, there are a few things you need to consider.
Webinar Marketing Strategy
First and foremost, you need to decide on the type of webinar you want to host. There are a few different options, but the two most common types are:
- Live Webinars
- Automated Webinars (sometimes referred to as evergreen webinars)
Live webinars are just what they sound like – live events that you host in real-time. This allows you to interact with your audience and answer their questions in real-time. This type of webinar requires more preparation, but it also has the potential to create a stronger connection with your audience.
Which is better? Live Webinars or Automated Webinars?
If you are just starting out with webinars, go Live first. This will give you the opportunity to practice presenting and give you the opportunity to work out your marketing & messaging with real-time feedback from your audience.
Automated Webinars
On the other hand, automated webinars are pre-recorded events that are played back at a scheduled time, or even made available on demand or “just in time.”
While this type of webinar doesn't offer the same level of interaction as a live webinar, it gives you one thing Live Webinars don’t: Scale.
Automated Evergreen Webinars have the ability to reach a wider audience and can be more convenient for your viewers who may have scheduling conflicts.
Once you've decided on the type of webinar you want to host, it's important to consider the content you'll be presenting.
Your webinar should be helpful, engaging and entertaining.
One of the best ways to get a new customer is by first helping them. Get them some results in advance, even if that “result” is just a new framework or strategy for solving one of their most pressing problems.
Why do you think Costco hands out samples? And high-end restaurants bring out fresh bread when you sit down?
They’re activating the Law of Reciprocity, making you more likely to buy from them (and buy more) because they first gave you something free.
Your webinar marketing strategy should leverage the same Law of Reciprocity.
Educate. Serve. Sell.
Webinars make your marketing personal. They give your prospects an opportunity to interact directly with you and your brand.
And the brands that get the most out of their webinars are those that understand how to get participants to engage through the entire process, from registration all the way to the follow up that happens after the webinar.
What is one way to create interaction during a webinar?
One way to create interaction during a webinar is to use polls and surveys. This allows you to gather feedback from your audience and can help you tailor your presentation to better meet their needs. On your next webinar, try asking the following question to everyone that registers (you can do this on your registration confirmation page or in a follow up email after they register):
I’m so excited you’ll be joining me on the upcoming webinar! I want to make this the most valuable 60 minutes (or whatever time frame you set for your webinar) of your week. So let me ask you this… what is your one biggest problem right now when it comes to [insert the main topic of your webinar]?
Another important aspect of your webinar marketing strategy is promotion.
You need to make sure that your audience knows about your webinar and is excited to attend. This can be done through a variety of channels, including email marketing, social media, and advertising. And if you’re just starting out and don’t have a list, find someone else that does. Webinars are a great way to provide value to someone else’s audience, while building your own.
Finally, a crucial component of your webinar marketing strategy is how you plan to generate a sense of urgency within your audience. The best way to do this is with a deadline.
Live Webinars have a deadline built in, because the training is set on a specific day at a specific time, and that becomes the deadline for those interested to register. However, if you are making some sort of offer on your webinar, I would highly recommend that you put a deadline on that offer as well.
You can even do this with evergreen webinars by using a software like Deadline Funnel.
Check out this podcast from Omar Zenhom, the Co-Founder & CEO of WebinarNinja, as well as The $100 MBA Show, where he shares how to increase sales and generate passive income with deadlines.
Overall, creating a successful webinar marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution.
By choosing the right type of webinar (Live Webinar vs Automated Webinar), creating engaging content (ask the “one biggest problem” question), and promoting your event effectively, you can connect with your audience and build a stronger relationship with them.
In the next section, we'll dive deeper into a proven webinar marketing strategy & playbook that you can copy and paste into your business.
