In Part 1, we discussed the value of using webinars in your digital marketing strategy, as well as how to get started. This week we are going to show you how to market your webinar through your website, blog and social media, and how to successfully sell your service.
Marketing your webinar
Your platform has been chosen, you have scheduled your webinar, and now you are ready to spread the word. You should already be providing amazing and consistent content through a variety of areas and now your online presence is primed to help you market your upcoming webinar to reach a wider audience. Here are 5 ways to market your upcoming webinar:
1 -Website
Add attractive, calls to actions and links on your website that take visitors directly to the registration page. Pop-ups, sidebar ads, or hyperlinks within your own blogs are all good options.
2- Devote a blog post to the webinar itself
Use your blog to articulate your unique approach to the problem you’ve identified and build interest in your solution. Describe exactly what will happen at the webinar, especially for the benefit of those who’ve never attended one. Tell them what to expect, and make them want to see it for themselves.
3- Send invitations
Send an email out to your entire list. Post the registration link, dates and basic info on all of your social media accounts.
4- Team up with others in your industry
Ask them join you as a co-host and have them invite their audience to the webinar. You can exchange their support for a share of sales proceeds (or for a similar cross-promotion for one of their events).
5- Social
A week before your webinar, ask your audience on social media what areas are they struggling with in your area of expertise. Get some engagement going and let them know you’ll be addressing this topic in your next webinar. When people are engaged in a conversation about a topic, they are more inclined to attend a webinar about it.
The goal isn’t simply to invite as many people as possible, but to target those most likely to attend.
Registration numbers can be deceiving, so reserve judgment on the impact of your marketing until you see the number of attendees as a percentage of registrants. On average, only about ½ of registered audience members will actually attend the webinar.
Selling your service
While you are providing good free content to your webinar audience to build trust and improve your reputation, you are also selling your services to potential clients. You can do both successfully without making your webinar seem “sales-ey” or turning your audience off.
Be transparent
Make it very clear to your attendees which portions of your webinar, are going to be educational and which are going to be where you make them a special offer.
Ideally, the webinar should be about 90% educational, and 10% sales.
Demonstrate
Give a demonstration, something that proves the effectiveness of your product. Highlight the experiences of people who have benefitted from your work.
Incentive
Reward your webinar attendees for attending with a special offer (free book).
Follow up
Send emails, and reach out through social media to thank attendees. Some webinar platforms have automatic follow-up features that do this for you. This is also a great time to have your audience give you feedback on your webinars, especially if you are new to using them. Quality honest feedback can help improve your search results as well as help you improve your next webinar.
Action Items:
- Use your website, blog, social media and email to promote your newsletter
- Be transparent and demonstrate your product/services and benefits
- Offer an incentive to your attendees
- Follow up for feedback and to create potential future sales
Did you know that you can watch past webinars on our website to see how CEO and leader in digital marketing Tom Young creates them? If you would like more information on how our team can help improve your digital marketing results, contact us today!
