.In recent months, as we know, countless events, meetings, training sessions have had to give up classrooms and halls and have moved online. Most likely, what began as a need is already turning into a longer-term trend.
If well designed and managed
The webinar offers much higher engagement possibilities than a printed product or a recorded video, being able to integrate “the beauty of live” and personal interaction, with multimedia content of various types. Participation is potentially unlimited (server and software permitting).
We have already spoken extensively about strategies and content planning . But how do you actually organize a webinar? What are the timing and steps to follow to ensure the widest possible participation and effectiveness?
Let’s see all the steps below (the indicated timings could vary slightly depending on the target, the period of the year, the contents themselves, but we feel we can say that these represent on average a consolidated and effective structure).
8 weeks before: plan
Start to materialize , transform your general objectives – why do you want to organize a webinar? How will you organize it to satisfy your motivations? – into a project: define the date and time, outline the development of the topic / topics you will cover, select the speaker(s) and any guests you intend to invite. And if you think it is useful and feasible, start to propose yourself and contact any partners and sponsors.
5 weeks before: prepare the structure
Set concrete and specific goals: how many people do you want to register? Who are these people? Then define a precise outline – with timing – of your webinar. Choose the best platform based on your needs and start drafting the invitation email , the registration page , a mailing list to send them to and an outline of the promotion channels that you think are useful to exploit.
The invitation email you will send must be simple, attractive (in form and content); provide the guest with a valid reason to participate , highlight the benefits they will gain. Write the title, a description of the content that will be covered, the names of speakers and guests . Communicate clearly and simply the logistical information, date, time and registration method.
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01_Email_Save-the-date
By clicking on the CTA (Call to Action) that invites country wise email marketing data you to register, the user is directed to a landing buy lead page where they can enter their data for registration. The page could have a structure like this:
02_Landing-webinar-registration
Once you have filled out the form and sent your registration data, a feedback email will open (so-called thank you page ) that confirms the user’s registration and thanks them. On this page you can insert a notification system, such as a CTA that invites you to insert the event into your calendar.
03_Thankyou-registration-1
These “linked” pages of user interaction and data collection can be created through specific plugins to be installed on your site, or through a complete CMS. For example, we use the Hubspot CMS (i.e. a platform that collects and coordinates a whole series of functions related to your site and online marketing and commercial activities).
3 weeks before: launch
The moment is approaching, and it is advisable to start preparing the slides and/or multimedia content that you intend to propose. Furthermore, it is finally time to start the actual promotion : send the email you have prepared, launch the links to the registration landing page on social media, on your blog, in direct communications to customers. And, if it is part of your strategy, in targeted paid ads.
1 week before: relaunch
Send a reminder through all the channels you used previously. The email will be structurally similar to the launch email, but will contain some captions to liven up the anticipation. Like the first one, it will contain the logistical details and the CTA that invites them to register.
Also, don’t forget to do a technical test and possibly an exhibition, without participants!
04_Remind-webinar-perfect
The day of the webinar: set up the room
Send a reminder email notification only to those who have registered, and set up a conference room where they can wait for the event to start. Promote it on social media, and shortly before the scheduled time, gather the speakers and, finally, call and welcome the guests.
During the webinar: record, listen, track
Make sure to record the event so you can archive it, return it to the participants, distribute it (even if only in part) for promotional purposes. Arrange for a member of your team to monitor and manage comments and interactions live , so you can give feedback to all the questions and needs of the participants.
Don’t underestimate the management of a webinar and make sure that your team has assigned, defined and separate roles (it’s best if a speaker doesn’t also have technical or director roles, for example).
After the webinar: follow-up
Convert and collect the contents of your webinar into usable resources: video recording, slides, extra resources , Questions & Answers , so you can share them with the people who attended and with your collaborators who can benefit from them (sales department, colleagues interested in the topics, superiors to document, etc.).
Then send a follow-up thank-you email to attendees, including a CTA to download the resources.
06_Landing-followup-webinar
Don’t forget to include attendees in your contact management workflow and lead nurturing activities .
Finally, analyze and track the performance metrics of your event, in a data-driven / growth-driven design perspective : how many people did you reach with your communication activities and how many participated? Who were the participants
