Webinars can be an effective part of your marketing strategy. They can help you boost awareness, increase engagement and reach new audiences. Webinars can also help you generate leads, with nearly three-quarters of registered B2B webinar attendees becoming qualified leads, according to Zippia.
When you host a webinar, your work isn’t done when you switch off the webcam, according to Laura Roeder, founder of MeetEdgar. She says that to get the most from your webinar, you should follow six best practices. We outline her tips in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.
1. Save your recording. Some platforms automatically save your video and chat, but it’s best to double check as soon as your webinar ends. Roeder recommends seeing what you can save to your own desktop or cloud storage right away, just so you have it immediately.
2. Email the replay. After your webinar, send a link to the replay. This is because most people don’t attend webinars live due to different time zones or busy schedules. Roeder says that some webinar platforms give you the link in advance, helping you get a jump on writing and scheduling your email before the webinar even happens.
3. Kick off an afterparty. Keep the conversation going on an informal Facebook Live stream or by using your webinar’s hashtag in a Twitter chat. This is a great way to keep momentum going, Roeder says. You can use the afterparty to thank attendees who made it live, announce any bonuses or answer questions.
4. Send a follow-up sequence. Remember that people who attend your webinar are interested in your products or services — that’s why they signed up in the first place. Roeder advises sending a short email sequence giving registrants some kind of offer or call to action outlining how they can work with you. Don’t let too much time pass before following up. Ideally, you should send your follow-up emails within 24 hours.
5. Share the replay on social media. This lets you reach audiences who may not have had time to register for your webinar. Use your webinar hashtags to let people join the conversation on different social channels.
6. Repurpose your content. Get the most mileage from your webinar by using the content in other ways. For example, Roeder says you could edit clips to use as daily Facebook videos, transcribe bits and pieces to turn into blog posts or turn your slides into a Slideshare.
Hosting a webinar allows you to share your industry knowledge with a wider audience. Whether you are discussing trends, highlighting new products or educating audiences on a specific topic, webinars provide a cost-effective and accessible way to reach prospective buyers. You can make the most of every webinar by incorporating the six follow-up best practices above.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Laura Roeder is an entrepreneur and social media expert who founded the social media tool, MeetEdgar.