Webinars are an extremely effective method of content marketing. The Content Marketing Institute recently ranked them in the top 5 methods used by professional marketers—and with good reason. Webinars are highly engaging, take time to watch, and tend to draw in the most interested and qualified of potential buyers.
But many business owners don’t use webinars—because getting started can seem like a difficult prospect. It might be more difficult to stage a webinar than it is to set up a social media account, for instance, but it’s not as hard as it might seem—and it’s an effort that pays off. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started.
Think about your topic. It all begins with the topic you choose to address. A webinar topic should be in-depth and challenging enough for your audience that your expertise is needed to help them understand or navigate it; but not so challenging that you can’t explain it in a single broadcast. It also needs to be of high enough concern to your audience that they’ll be willing to spend the time to learn what you have to say on it.
Figure out where you’d use these webinars. Where in your marketing mix do webinars belong? If you’re thinking of building interest in a product or service by addressing a common problem your prospects have, your webinar may be one of the first things new prospects see. If you’re considering filming a product demonstration, it should be among the last things your prospects see—as no one will want to sit through a demo on a product they aren’t sure they’re interested in buying.
Think about who can help you. You can do webinars by yourself—but if you have the resources to get a team together, it’s a good idea. Think about who you know who can help you on the technical end, develop a marketing plan to publicize your webinar, write the script, and handle the filming.In addition, think about who you could include as a co-presenter. If you’re not well-known in your field yet, bringing in someone with an existing fan base that would be interested in your products could give your webinar a boost.
Think about your platform. There are many different webinar platforms out there. Consider which one fits your goals—in terms of the volume of attendees you expect, whether you plan to produce many webinars, and how interactive you want the webinar to be. Consider how easy it is to customize each platform to align with your brand, and how each platform can help your marketing efforts.
Plan your marketing strategy. It’s not enough to produce the webinar—you’ll also have to market it, both before and after the event. Consider how you plan to get the word out over a period of time—over social media, email, your website and blog posts, the press, and other places.
Webinars can do a lot to help you reach a broader audience, establish your expert credibility, and drive sales. It’s worth it to give it a try in 2018—and with these first five steps, you should be well on your way.
