According to a study completed by Marketing Profs, companies who are marketing online face a few common webinar problems:

• Brand differentiation
• 60% say that their greatest challenge is generating more leads.
• 1/3rd respondents reported biggest online marketing challenge is accurately measuring and attributing online conversion to correct marketing channels.
• 34% say they do not know the right tools to use
• Understanding analytics metrics
• Companies are still confused with things they can do with data

What’s Your Unique Selling Proposition

What should we do a Webinar on? This is probably one of the biggest and most important questions to ask first. So, how do you pick a winning webinar topic?

Craft the webinar invite first.

Figure out a webinar that covers maximum benefits to the target audience. Then create the webinar content that delivers the promise. Come up with the value you’re trying to delivery, before coming up with the webinar, to make sure we deliver what we promise.

Re-purpose content already created from blog or case study.

Narrow-casting: Market to a small audience looking for content specifically for them.

Develop a buyer persona:

• Traits of ideal customer
• Traits of non-ideal customer

Webinar Announcement Distribution Plan

E-mail

E-mail invites are responsible for 58-64% of registrants, according to Marketing Sherpa.

E-mail format:

From Name and Subject line are the most important. Here are some tips from some of the experts in this field with multiple successful webinar campaigns:

• E-mails that start with “re.” had a better open rate of 27.4%, according to Inbound Educators.

• Invites do not have to sound like a invite. Keep things fun and personal. The more character in your subject line, the more likely it’ll stand out from the crowd.
o Have your subject line read like a blog post in disguise.

• Words like “you” and “my” are attention grabbers. “Web clinic” and “workshop” “web seminar” “35 minute online smack down”, are examples of other ways to capture someone’s attention without saying webinar.

• Hold A/B tests for webinar titles
oSplit test using the word “webinar” vs “private web cast” or “exclusive web cast”.

• Subject line must address the “pain point” and add webinar as the solution.

• People are looking for solutions not features.
• Almost all webinars are free but free isn’t a lure – incredible content worth paying for is – if it’s what they need.
• Give them an incredible solution to their incredibly painful problem.

These are examples of some of the best webinar titles that have seen the best results:

“11 objectives A/B tests to do today”

“Minor change, major lifts: how button & form organization increases conversions by 166%.”

“The Science of….” <– This is also a strong opening title that has seen good results with open rates, according to experts.

Content Of The Webinar Invite

All high converting e-mails have common factors:

• They have a single goal
• Largely text based no images
• They don’t look like a newsletter
  • No headlines
• They’re written as 1-to-1 me to you

Avoid lengthy backstories, focus on creating a connection with your target audience:

• Action
• Desire
• Interest
• Attention
•  3-7 lines with bullet pointed webinar benefits not features
• Have urgency and stay light on visuals
• Easy registration is key – try to only capture first name, last name & email address.
• Holding the webinar mid-week & mid-day is the best time to host a webinar time 25-55 min total with Q&A.

Delivery: 7 Part Strategy

The Teaser

• Add a webinar teaser in a regular newsletter that’s sent out
• Pique your readers interest
• Newer, better, faster solution for pain “X”
• Don’t give them the solution right

PS save the date

• The next e-mail should reveal the date of your upcoming webinar
• Remind them of the teaser you told them before

Registration invitation

• Start the promotional cycle 6 weeks before the webinar date.

Hours before event, send out reminders

• Consider segmenting your list to target your message like so:
  – People who open e-mail 1 and e-mail 2 but did not click, ask them to tell you what’s holding them back.
  – People who opened e-mail 3 but did not click.

Make it easy to register in then e-mail. Lead with link to register, repeat it at the bottom, and between both links add some anxiety reducers and objection stoppers:

• It’s free and you won’t be pitched throughout!
• Get the latest data on [insert topic here] – [insert teaser data]
• Only registrants will get a saving code
• It’s only 35 minutes, plus a LIVE Q&A with time for at least 7 questions
• If you’d rather watch the recording, you’ll need to register to get it
• The “It’s happening now” – reminder

Post-open refer a friend

• Have a referral program set up so that your registrants will feel compelled to share with friends or LinkedIn connections.

Example of a referral offer:

“Enter to win in our live contest if you share now.”

Post Webinar Lists

• People who attended webinar. Send a request for feedback and offer. Then add to next webinar list.
• People who didn’t attend. Send video recorded webinar distribution, 39-55% of users watch archived webinars, according to Inbound Marketers.

Alternative Distribution

Paid Ads

• Google Adwords
• Bing
• Display ads on select placements
• Remarketing

Featured listings

• Pick select sites to host a month long featured listing
• Banner Ads

Direct mail invites

• Post cards to local businesses or businesses that fit our buyer persona.

Web landing page

• Specific page on site for registrants

Ad & listing in e-newsletter

• Internal news letters
• News letter partnering with local chambers
• Local news site news letter promo

Listings on hub websites
Social media

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

During the webinar discuss upcoming webinars happening in the future:

• Poll during webinar and pitch new webinars that are coming up to pre-warn webinar participants of next e-mail update
• Repeat successful things
• If a specific channel works, use it again for the next webinar

Resources:

http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2b-marketing/sales-lead-generation/b2b-effective-webinar-strategy/
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33540/18-Ways-to-Guarantee-Nobody-Misses-Your-Next-Webinar.aspx
http://www.takeflyte.com/resources/newsletters/09/03-webinar-how-to.php
http://info.tmrdirect.com/inbound-marketing-agency-blog/simple-email-strategy-gets-our-best-open-rates?
http://unbounce.com/content-marketing/webinar-marketing/
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2013/06/13/promoting-webinars/