Everyone is overstretched for time these days. It’s not uncommon for people to sign up for a webinar that interests them with the best intentions, and then when the day comes, find they’re too busy to attend. If you’re getting about half of your registrants showing up on the day of your webinar, that’s not uncommon.
In fact, it may be ahead of the curve. According to a study by Livestorm, average attendance rates across industries range from 30-46%, depending on the report.
But there are ways to boost that signal. Here are a few ideas.
Get registrants engaged—before the event. A big difference between a video and a live event is that attendees get to talk to you and ask questions. Find a way to engage registrants before the event, so they’ll make attending a priority.
There are lots of ways you can do this. If you’re discussing a topic that might involve an opportunity to critique someone’s work (to see if they’ve followed your principles), invite registrants to submit their work for a brief, in-webinar critique.
Or ask people to submit questions ahead of time—on Twitter or other social media channels, or through email. This way, registrants will be more likely to sign in on the day of the webinar to see if their question has been answered or their work has been selected for discussion.
Give something away during a webinar. Prize giveaways can be a very effective way to raise webinar attendance. Be sure your giveaway matches your audience’s interest; you could partner with a complementary business or give away one of your products or a free consultation around your services.
Either way, be sure your audience knows about it ahead of time by including the giveaway in your marketing materials leading up to the event.
Make something exclusive. Exclusivity can work in tandem with free giveaways. Make sure attendees know they’re receiving something they can only get by attending. This could be a giveaway, or it could be a special discount.
Give the impression of scarcity. The idea that only some people can have something tends to motivate them to want that thing.
Some webinar platforms have a max capacity of attendees. Most webinar marketing materials never mention this—but if you do, it may be to your advantage. Send an email out a few hours before your start time, emphasizing that space for your webinar is limited so attendees should log in early.
Even those who don’t attend your webinar have demonstrated interest in what you do. Their presence on your email marketing list is still valuable and they may wind up attending your future webinars. Consider your list of registrants a win, even if you don’t get a 100% attendance rate.
