In our recent article “First Steps to Create a Webinar” we briefly mentioned some guidelines for promoting a webinar. Now, we focus in this topic and we give you some advices on how to promote a webinar in 4 steps.
When you have decided the theme and the date of the webinar, it’s time to plan the actions it entails. And among them, a good promotion strategy cannot be missing.
Steps to promote a webinar
If you want to know how to promote a webinar, we recommend following these steps:
1. Choosing the channels for the diffusion
It’s essential to know your target well to decide on which channels we will promote the webinar. We would have to analyze each particular case, but usually, it is published on the corporate website, blog and social media. It is advisable to create a landing page because it will explain the main information together with the registration form. In addition, you can share it on these channels.
We also recommend sending a newsletter to your database, as you can reach a good number of interested parties. Depending on the theme, it will be very effective to promote it in related LinkedIn groups. These groups are often very active and are likely to be of great help in generating skilled traffic.
A very simple and recommended action is to include the webinar link in the email signature. Since we send many emails daily, it’s an easy and effective way to spread it and get more registrations.
So far, we have talked about channels to capture organic traffic, but if you have a budget, it would be ideal to be able to expand the promotion. If you’re clear on where to find your audience, you can probably afford paid ads for a few days. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are two good options but remember that you need to find out where your target is.
2. Define how to publish information about the webinar
To publish the information by promoting the webinar, you’ll need to adapt the messages depending on the channel in which you post them. That is, even if the message is the same, how to transmit the information will vary according to the channel.
It is advisable to use visual elements that reinforce the message. If we only publish the text with the link, it may have less impact than if we add an image, graphic, etc..
Adding a clear call to action (CTA), as this facilitates the following action to reach the inspiration. It’s simple and essential to encourage the user to keep advancing in the process.
Your webinar speakers can also share the promotion on their social media to reach more audiences. Even it might sometimes cost extra, in many cases it is a free action.
The use of hashtags and emojis in posts increases their visibility. A hashtag can be created for each webinar or one that’s used for all of them. Ideally it should be simple, short and have some grace or wit. Emojis will reinforce the message in a more visual way. But be careful! You should the message to be too informal, finding the balance to give it that touch while still being professional.
3. Plan the post and diffusion of the webinar
When you’re clear on where and howyou will post the information about the webinar, it’s time to plan when you will do it.
To make a good planning you’ll need to create a schedule, defining when and how often you’ll publish the information.
It is advisable to start about 3 or 4 weeks before the big day. If it’s impossible because you’ve made up your mind in tight time, you should do it at least two weeks in advance. The idea is to send about four or five promotional messages, distributed among these weeks. So, you should release 2 more spaced messages and the last three: one week from the webinar, the same day and few hours before the event. Based on experience, many attendees register for the last day’s reminder.
As a post-event posting action, recording the webinar is a good opportunity to spread the webinar once finished. You can share it on your web, social media and other channels to reach more audiences and potential customers.
4. Manage the registrations
A good manage of the registrations is essential to ensure that registrants have made the right decision. It is a way to convey professionalism and generate positive expectations around the event.
To achieve it, once received the registration, you must send the following emails:
- Confirmation email. It’s essential to send it immediately after receiving the registration and you can take advantage of it to show your gratitude.
- Value creation email. A few days after the register (2 or 3 days), we can share teaser content to generate anticipation and keep the attendees engaged with the webinar. It is also the moment to facilitate the registrants to save the event’s date on their calendar.
- Final reminder email. It is advisable to send this email one or two days before, and even repeat it a few hours before the event. This way, you’ll ensure that registrants remember the appointment and you’ll increase their interest in the webinar.
The Watchity platform can greatly facilitate webinar promotion with its Event Manager. It allows you to create register forms, set a protected access, manage attendee lists, add calendar alerts and send reminders via email. Register forms allow you to capture leads, increase the potential customers and boost sales.
Now you know how to promote a webinar in 4 steps, do you want to find out how to create a webinar from the beginning? You can download the “Watchity’s ultimate Guide to Planning & Creating a Great Webinar”.
And if you’re interested in knowing in detail how to offer your audience virtual events, webinars or quality training sessions send us a message or request a demo.