Webinars aren’t a new marketing tactic – nearly 58% of marketers use webinars for promotion! However, creating webinars isn’t just about promotional value to your company. In last month’s blog, we talked about being of service to clients in order to form meaningful relationships. Webinars are another great way to educate and inform, and hone in on the principle that serving, not selling, is the best way to build lasting client relationships.
However, creating an awesome webinar is a challenge in and of itself. LMI360 breaks down exactly how you can create a killer webinar that helps to educate and provoke thought in a specific industry, inform through meaningful content, and of course, generate high-quality leads for the sales team:
Topic Creation: Hubspot suggests utilizing topic ideas that blend sales and marketing together as one. The marketing team shouldn’t be guessing what pain points clients are experiencing! Another way to generate topic ideas it to look at what’s been successful for you in the past. Is there one eBook or LinkedIn Pulse article with a ton of views or downloads? This is a topic in which people are interested.
Guest Speakers: Don’t stick to the status quo when it comes to your webinar. Consider inviting an influential guest onto a webinar as a co-host to attract more attendees and add credibility to your message. Plus, they add a different perspective to your webinar topic. Discussion-style webinars with guest speakers are great for an educational back-and-forth where you may reach points or conclusions you wouldn’t have arrived at on your own.
Engaging Visuals: While bullet point noted PowerPoint slides are one of the most common ways to create a webinar, it’s important to think outside the box in terms of visuals so your audience has a meaningful reference piece to look back to. Beware of excessive text, and use high-impact visual slides utilizing things like video and animation to keep your audience engaged. Impactful visuals are one of the most meaningful aspects of your webinar – you want to keep your audience engaged with you, not checking social media or emails.
Switch It Up: You’ve got the killer topic, guest speakers, and the ability to create stunning visuals your audience is sure to love. What’s next? Mix up how your information is presented. Whether you choose an unscripted, discussion-style webinar, build your webinar around client questions (bonus points if you create a poll with an offer), or script your webinar to pack the perfect punch, giving valuable information to your audience should come in unique forms.
Promote Your Webinar: Market your webinar through all promotional channels available, including your website and blog, email newsletter, social media, ad campaigns, and more. It’s okay to go nuts with webinar promotion. Nailing your promotion strategy means your killer webinar content will end up in front of as many eyes as possible. Congratulations, you’ve done your job as a marketer!
Post-Webinar: Consider reaching out to attendees with a recording of the webinar when it’s over, or a non-intrusive email follow-up. A calendar with past and future webinars is also a great resource to have on your website. The cherry on top that your sales team is sure to love? A way to collect suggestions from webinar attendees and sales reps for new topics of interest for the industry!
Create Your Next Webinar with Confidence
Webinars are another way to offer service to your clients and build lasting client relationships. Creating a webinar as an effective way to serve your clients and use as a marketing tool can seem tricky at first, but utilizing the above tips is sure to help you get well on your way to creating a killer webinar. Interested in generating leads for your company? Contact LMI360 for more information.
