Keys To A Successful Webinar That Drives Leads For Brands

So you’ve decided to host a webinar.

After all, you’ve heard it’s a great thought leadership tool, communicating directly with your ideal audience and providing your expert insights in an exclusive and uninterrupted way.

But then anxiety sets in. Where do I start? How can I go from a simple idea, or even just an educated knowledge of my topic, to presenting in front of potentially thousands of audience members?

It takes a careful approach to be sure, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

If you have decided do a webinarchances are you’ve already gone most of the way. You have the knowledge. You have the expertise. Now you just need to put it together into a compelling presentation.

During my time at Search Engine Journal, I have been a part of more than 75 webinars.

From the initial idea stage to running promotional campaigns and handling the technical side on the day of the presentation, I have seen the success of many different brands in many different formats.

But despite their differences, there are some key factors you must use to create a successful webinar, and they are universal for all potential webinar hosts.

Using these keys, I want to demystify the art of webinars – and walk you through the process step-by-step – to make the process a little less intimidating.

Let’s get started.

1. Develop a clear goal before the idea

Before diving into the details of your webinar, take a step back and think, “What is my ultimate goal for this presentation?”

Are you building brand awareness, generating potential clientsor educate your audience? Maybe all of the above?

But this is only half the formula. You will also have to define your ideal audience – who are you trying to reach, at what level are they and what can you offer them.

Remember, a webinar shouldn’t be the end result of a funnel. It’s a way to introduce yourself and encourage potential clients to choose you.

Once you’ve determined your goals and audience, it’s time to move on to the next step.

2. Develop your content with your audience in mind

As marketers, it’s easy (and tempting) to treat a webinar as an information dump, sharing everything we know in one hour because we know what people need, right?

Not really.

It’s important to strike a fine line between sharing your expertise and reaching the audience you want to reach.

Too high level and technical? You can alienate the SEO novice.

Too broad and simplistic? Well, a marketing expert will check almost immediately.

Simply put, if you want to cast a wide net, go general. If you want highly specialized leads, turn your webinar into a technical presentation.

But don’t buy into a “one size fits all” mentality when it comes to your pitch, and make sure you’re clear on who you want to attract before creating your content.

3. Choose the right webinar format

So, you have the content (or at least the idea) solidified, but how to present it?

Webinars are available in all forms these days, and it’s up to you to decide which format best delivers the content within them.

Some of these formats may include:

Slide presentations

Do you want to position yourself as a leader in your field?

Assemble the slide deck full graphicsvideos and anything else visual to create a compelling show for your audience – all accompanied by your story.

Panel discussion

Do you have a professional team with certain specialties that you want to highlight? Collaborate in an open forum environment and share insights as a group in a more relaxed way, fostering a sense of community among participants.

This format is good for high-level discussions or exploratory deep dives into a topic, and it allows presenters to actively engage with attendees throughout the session.

Case studies

Would you like to learn more about your service and its effectiveness? Conduct a detailed case study review, using your brand as an example, to demonstrate how your service or product impacts marketers.

Guided presentations

Want to position yourself as a thought leader, but do it in a more interactive format? Consider having another expert moderate your webinar.

It should be someone who can reliably engage you in a conversation about your topic (think interview format podcast!).

Each format serves different purposes, so tailor the experience to your desired results.

4. Promote, promote, promote

Now that you’ve identified the format, your ideal audience, and the topic you’re going to cover, it’s time to get it out to the people.

After all, even the best webinars need strategic promotion to attract attendees. Use a mixture of:

• Posts on social networks.
• Email campaigns with targeted messages, setting the message as an exclusive invitation (be sure to include the date and time).
• Website banners and pop-ups.

This is also a great opportunity to collaborate with fellow leaders, friendly partners or powerful influential persons to increase the reach of your webinar and ensure that your webinar is packed with attendees on the day.

5. Take advantage of interactive features

No matter which webinar platform you choose, it will likely have interactive features for attendees. We highly recommend using them as much as possible.

Engagement is key to a successful webinar. The audience has the feeling that they are gaining a valuable experience.

These features may include:

Live chats and Q&As

An audience member feels seen when they can communicate with the presenter and other participants, when they can share their thoughts and ask questions.

This is why we recommend not only having a live chat the entire time, but also a question and answer time at the end.

Participants will have questions – that’s only natural. By answering them at the end, you further position yourself as a thought leader and engage with your potential audience on a more personal level.

Live polls

Want to check the participant’s pulse? Polls are a quick way to see how your audience feels about your topic in real time and give you the opportunity to reach potential leads in the process.

Plus, everyone likes a little more interactivity while watching a webinar, and this is a great way to keep them engaged.

Exclusive webinar offers

Want to really get your audience excited to show up live? Consider a special offer or exclusive resource available to those attending the session.

These interactive elements can enhance the experience for your attendees, keeping them glued to the screen while creating a way to reach your prospects in real time.

6. Refine your nurturing strategy after the webinar

You organized your webinar and it was a hit! Some attendees want to know more, and you want to stay connected with those who showed up. So what’s next?

As I mentioned earlier, the webinar is a big step in the process – but it’s only the beginning of something bigger.

Consider using elements such as:

• Personalized thank you emails with additional resources, materials or offers.
• Directing participants to product trials or other exclusive offers specifically for participation.
• Survey your participants for feedback to find out what worked for them.

Your audience will enjoy even more relevant content related to the webinar as a way to move prospects further down the funnel.

7. Consider on-demand content

After all the effort you put into a webinar, why should its impact stop after the initial broadcast?

Consider using recorded video as evergreen content for your own promotions, hosting it on your website behind the lead gate to continue reaching your target audience.

It’s also a great idea to chop the video into bite-sized pieces for easy social sharing.

Short video content is incredibly popular on social media these days, and easily accessible and digestible insights can enable even greater reach.

Final thoughts

Webinars are a great way to generate leads and build brand awareness if backed by a clear strategy. Define your objective, promote the event effectively and deliver engaging, valuable content to your audience. With the right approach, webinars can lead to significant results for your brand.

Hopefully the webinar seems a little less intimidating so far and has proven to be a key tool for thought leadership and lead generation.

With these strategies, your webinars will not only attract more attendees, but also provide lasting value that translates into meaningful leads and stronger brand loyalty.

If you want to check how we do it, explore our extensive webinar library here and find some inspiration in yourself.

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Featured Image: DC Studio/Shutterstock