Search for webinars on Twitter, and you’ll be bombarded with tweets promoting webinars of various formats. Not only Twitter but some Slack communities also have a dedicated channel to promote webinars.
It reflects the potential of webinars and their huge impact on the business world today. A recent 2021 global report shows the use of webinars increased by 162% and attendance quadrupled to 60 million people – Source
The popularity of webinars can be attributed to the recent pandemic and the baggage of benefits these events offer. That’s what we will be discussing in this guide.
Table of contents
- Reach a new audience
- Increase brand awareness
- Establish you as an expert in the field
- Generate content for repurposing
- Create & nurture communities
- Generate high-quality leads through webinars
- Cost-effective content marketing strategy
- Build thought leadership
- Conclusion
1) Reach a new audience
As the world came to a halt due to COVID, webinars made it possible for businesses to reach people. You can conduct expert interviews, do a Q&A, and conduct workshops, all in the comfort of your home. People can attend webinars as per their convenience and time of the day
There is no limit on whom you can reach through webinars using different channels like social media, webinar emails, influencers and more.
Furthermore, you don’t need a huge database to widen your reach. For example, if you’re hosting a guest, you can leverage their audience and increase attendance by creating a joint promotional plan.
💡Insider tip: Use different promotional channels such as communities, social media, emails, etc., to reach people in your target audience. The more you promote your webinar, the more people will join if they see the value they’ll get from it.2) Increase brand awareness
To attract your ideal customer persona (ICP), they must know that you exist. That’s why brand awareness is and should be among the top priority of every business.
Webinars build that awareness by displaying the team’s expertise and benefits of products/services. The presentation of the webinar – design, themes, color, etc., also play a vital role in maintaining brand consistency.
Branded webinar platform tools like Nunify can help you create a customized screen that further enforces your brand identity.
💡Insider tip: Follow a consistent schedule and format to get your audience habitual to your webinars.3) Establish yourself as an expert in the field
As a brand, you have information unique to your product/services; only you can tell it authentically. Webinars help you disseminate that information among thousands of people, establishing your brand as a thought leader in the industry.
Furthermore, people who witness your expertise live tend to gravitate towards you for more information. You become their go-to source. And that’s how you build strong authority among your ideal customer personas.
💡Insider tip: Identify your target persona's pain points and address them in your webinars. Show real-life examples and results to build authority.4) Generate content for repurposing
Content repurposing is one of the most under-rated promotional marketing tactics. Webinars are the goldmine to repurpose content in a new format to cater to a different audience in different funnel stages.
Besides, when you repurpose content in blog posts and social media posts, you are adding value to those who like to consume that kind of content. So, it’s a win-win for both parties. You are using the same content in different ways and fulfilling the need of your audience.
Webinar content repurposing also strengthens brand awareness as you show up in your ICP’s feed consistently, keeping the youtube brand on top of their mind.
💡Insider tip: Have a strategy for how and which content assets you'll produce using the webinar content. Besides, analyze the activity level of your target audience on different channels. It will help you choose one with less competition and more growth potential.5) Create & nurture communities
Webinars are the best to build an interactive experience to create and nurture a community.
When you deliver valuable information through webinars, you attract your ICP and those who want to learn. You develop a conversation by giving them a platform to engage with fellow attendees.
For example, if someone asks a question, people can vote if they have the same question. Or people can share their opinion in the live webinar, making others respond.
Webinar tools like Nunify allow you to drive higher engagement through event gamification. It includes live chats, polls, quizzes, leader scoreboards, etc.
The more interactive a session will be, the more people will recommend and talk about it. What’s the best advertising than word of mouth, right?
💡Insider tip: Decide the timings and frequency of gamified elements to make the most impact. For instance, kick start the session with a poll.6) Generate high-quality leads through webinars
You can generate high-quality leads by addressing the pain points of your ICP through webinars.
Besides, to attend a webinar, people try registering for the event and adding it to their calendar. This reflects their interest in attending the event and seeking value in return.
One way to generate high-quality leads via webinars is to create a series of webinars discussing a topic from different angles. Through this approach, you can get the number of attendees who show up for each series. Those who always show up are higher in the funnel; all they need is the little nudge to convert.
💡Insider tip: Ask your audience through surveys and polls to determine topics they’re most interested in. It will give you a clear idea about which webinar topic to prioritize to attract high-quality leads.7) Cost-effective content marketing strategy
Webinars, once created, become a part of your content repository. These are evergreen content- record them and share on-demand recording at no recurring cost. This increases the lifespan of your content, offering brand traction even after years.
Gauri Manglik, CRO and Co-Founder at Instrumentl, says, “Webinars help us cut down on costs by allowing us to reach out to more people without having to fly all over the world or spend thousands of dollars on advertising.”
80% of marketers say webinars are cost-effective as they help lower the cost per lead – ON24.
Besides, the cost to conduct a webinar is as low as zero, as you can host it on YouTube. You can also use a webinar hosting tool to get more features like interactive chats, gamification, or custom branding.
💡Insider tip: Be clear of the goal you want to achieve through a particular webinar and keep track of metrics that helps you achieve that goal.8) Build thought leadership
Besides writing blogs and promoting content, webinars has proven to be an effective way to position yourself or your company as an industry expert. It allows you to interact with your community and real prospects. Based on your topic, audience – you also can monetize your webinar.
When you hold interactive webinars it allows your audience to get to know you , ask questions and solve their real problems.
💡Insider tip: Provide a takeaway from your webinar like industry statistics , actionable tips, infographics or an audio podcast linkConclusion
These points reflect how webinars can uplift your marketing efforts giving you high returns. To reap these benefits, you need to build a strong strategy right from the promotion to the post- follow-up.
Besides, the right webinar hosting tool can take a lot away from your plate. So, get started with Nunify, an all-in-one hybrid event hosting platform.
FAQ
What is the main purpose of webinar?
B2B webinars are mostly done for high-quality lead generation & product demos. While B2C webinars have various purposes – that include knowledge sharing, personal development, professional skills, health & fitness
What are the main strengths of webinar?
The primary strength of a webinar is that it’s easy and cost-effective to conduct. All you need is a webcam, good internet connection and amazing content. You can also pre-record webinars if internet or going live is an issue.
