So, you’ve decided to host a webinar. You’ve developed your content, the speakers are lined up, and the follow-up assets are ready to go. But how are you actually going to promote your webinar?
Unlike the field of dreams, this is not an “if you build it, they will come” situation. Driving registrations demands continuous, engaging promotion for the better part of a few months. But in the end, it’s an effort that pays dividends, moving leads along in their journey and even converting prospects to clients.
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Top 10 Webinar Promotion Strategies
Ready to ramp up your registrations? We broke down our advice for how to promote a webinar into 10 proven strategies that cover everything from who to target to how to make the most of your budget.
- Be targeted with your invites.
You can’t be everything to everyone. Specifically targeting a select segment of your audience allows you to speak more concretely about their pain points and challenges regarding your subject matter, honing in on relevant topics that mean the most to your audience members. This not only boosts registration but improves actual attendance from qualified registrants. Because when it comes to webinar attendees, it really is quality over quantity that is key.
- Explain the takeaways up front.
Your audience is constantly bombarded with promotional messages pushing webinars and conferences, which makes you just another player in an overly crowded field. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to relay exactly how your audience stands to benefit from attending your webinar vs. the 15 other competitor webinars being hosted that day. Be unique and most importantly, make it relevant.
- Implement a multi-channel approach.
Gone are the days of an email-only campaign. Your audience spans countless channels of communication and engagement, which means your webinar promotion needs to as well. However, just because you can include a promotional channel doesn’t mean you should. Knowing your target audience means knowing where they connect with brands and will be most apt to engage with your message.
- Incorporate paid ads.
Social media is a bevy of untapped audience members. What’s the best way to reach them? Paid advertisements. Whether you target a lookalike audience or filter based on demographics, paid ads provide a direct route to new registrations and possibly new revenue.
Hint: Make the most of your budget by following these tips:
- Invest in the platforms your audience is most active on.
- Set a daily or lifetime budget to ensure you don’t go over your spending limit.
- Boost posts on other social media platforms to get extra eyes on your promotions.
- Include your salespeople.
Your salespeople (or outsourced sales partner) have a direct line to your target audience. Use that connection to leverage more registrations for your big event. Include a promotion in their email signature, provide a templated email they can send to new leads or existing customers, and suggest sharing out your promotions on their social media. Leverage their expertise and existing relationships to generate excitement and registrations.
- Don’t forget to use video.
Video is a leading content driver which makes it your not-so-secret weapon for event success. Include all the relevant information –when, where, how long, what attendees get – and watch the registrations roll in.
- A/B test EVERYTHING.
Just because you love a subject line doesn’t mean your audience will. A/B testing gives you direct insight into exactly what resonates with your audience, and what doesn’t. And luckily for you, you can A/B test just about everything. Just don’t forget the golden rule: only test one variable at a time.
- Take advantage of any name recognition.
Big names mean big events. Whether you’re partnering with a well-known thought leader or highlighting an in-house expert, use those names to draw in a crowd.
- Leverage your presenter’s audience.
Social media isn’t just limited to your audience. By leveraging your presenter’s social audience (especially if they are an external though-leader) you open the door to a host of new audience members excited to hear what you have to say. Don’t waste the opportunity to make new (and valuable) connections.
- Make it as easy as possible to register.
Your audience expects an easy, seamless experience – for everything. If you aren’t providing that on your registration page, it doesn’t matter how great your promotions are, people won’t convert. Simply put, remove the hassle, and improve the experience.
Ramping up your registrations is just the one step in an overarching event marketing plan. Discover how we can help you drive more awareness and registration pre-event and more lead conversion post event – elevating your event strategy to boost your business goals.
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