The shift toward virtual education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic has driven many companies to adopt webinars as part of their core education and lead generation strategy. As you build your webinar strategy for the months ahead, or revamp the one you already have, this list of quick tips will come in handy for hosting a successful webinar.
1. Ask Qualification Questions on Registration Forms
When you set up your webinar, make sure you are asking qualifying questions to help your sales team follow up with leads. For example, you may ask about current experience level with your product category or whether the prospect has interest in a follow-up from a sales representative.
2. Market to the Pain Point
The way you message and market your webinar will have a major impact on your registration numbers. Make sure you are marketing to the veterinarian’s pain point. Messaging should be clear and easy to understand. You only have a second to capture the attention that you need to convert a registration.
3. Create an Engaging Presentation
Webinars enable a more interactive and engaging method of education. Incorporating the following elements can make for a more exciting presentation.
- Webcam Streaming: Allow the audience to see the speaker
- Videos: Share videos that visually demonstrate concepts
- Poll Questions: Ask the audience questions to tailor the content to their needs
- Handouts: Share value-add documents
4. Don’t Let CE Hold You Back
While it’s great to have a RACE-approved webinar that offers CE credits, it isn’t required. If your content is compelling, you can host a successful webinar that doesn’t have CE. You can always apply for CE later if the content is strong enough.
5. Don’t Let the Technology Get in the Way
Don’t let technology challenges get in the way of hosting a great webinar. Many platforms allow you to prerecord the presentation. If you’re new to webinars and are worried about technical issues, this is a great way to host your first virtual event. Some platforms allow you to host a live Q&A at the conclusion of the webinar.
If you are planning on doing a live webinar, get the entire team on a practice webinar in advance to make sure everyone is comfortable.
Here are a few key things to troubleshoot:
- Video recording: Some platforms require adjusted settings to capture webcam feeds. Do a practice of your video recording to make sure your recording captures what you want.
- Audio: There can be audio challenges with multiple presenters. Make sure everyone knows how to dial in on their phone and mute themselves. In the case of echo problems, have everyone dial in on a phone instead of using computer audio.
6. Follow Up with Handraisers
Before you host your webinar, make sure you have a plan in place for following up with those who answer qualification questions favorably. Make sure you also have a way to track conversions of these conversations into sales for ROI tracking.
7. Ask for Feedback After the Webinar
Deploy a survey after your webinar to collect feedback about the quality of your webinar. Attendee feedback can help you pinpoint issues that need solving to help ensure a more successful webinar next time. Consider adding a question to your survey to collect additional prospects that are interested in a sales call follow-up.
8. Send an On-Demand Link
Send a link to the recording of your webinar, gated behind a form, for additional lead collection. Leverage the content for long-term lead generation, and consider adding it to relevant lead nurturing sequences that you’re already employing.
9. Enter Leads Into a Relevant Nurturing Sequence
Enroll prospects into an automated lead nurturing sequence to provide additional value and to convert more leads into sales-ready conversations.
10. Leverage Webinar Content to Create Other Content
Transcribe your webinar to leverage the content for blog posts and other content marketing. Consider creating infographics and social posts to make the most out of your long-format content.
Armed with these tips, you’re ready to dive into your next webinar project. Not sure what topic to present on? We have you covered there, too.