How webinars can help your marketing strategy and increase lead generation
Following the trend of switching to digital, webinars started gaining popularity in B2B fields, not only for educational purposes, but also sales and marketing.
Due to the critical events of last year, companies drastically changed most their approaches to sales and accelerated the introduction of technology into sales and marketing processes.
Live events, conferences and network meetings have been cancelled and replaced by a combination of live streaming, endless Zoom meetings and online events.
Webinars and other forms of virtual events stopped being a niche poorly designed thing of the past — many companies now are realising that a webinar is actually a powerful marketing tool that can fulfil many different purposes of the sales funnel.
So, let’s take a look at what a well-designed, well-promoted webinar can achieve for the success of your company and why you should consider implementing it into your pipeline.
What’s a good way to show potential prospects, your partners and even competitors that you are the seasoned expert in your line of work?
Unique educational content, of course.
A webinar with a unique take on the biggest issues in your industry, unusual ways of solving them and practical tips or demonstration will position you as the person who knows the details of the trade. Focusing on providing genuine value to the people in your industry can be a positive start to a long trusting relationship between you and a potential partner.
Concentrate on building a webinar that will not only be useful, but will also be supported by your experience on the field and genuine data.
An information-rich and valuable webinar on current issues and modern solutions will go a long way to establishing you as an authority player on the market.
Webinars are a great way of engaging your existing pool of prospects at any point of their buyer journey.
A great sounding webinar can help re-establish connections with lost leads while also providing genuine value to your existing customers.
If your webinar focuses on a specific aspect of your product or service, it will be a good excuse to engage with your clients and speak with them personally.
Not only will it provide valuable information, but also help you hear their feedback and concerns.
Speaking with your base directly and personally will almost certainly make them feel heard and valued, while at the same time giving you insight about possible gaps in the market and customer needs.
Interactive webinars are perfect for driving engagement and increasing customer retention and satisfaction.
Just as well as you can engage your existing audience, webinars are great for reaching new people.
A well-thought and promoted webinar has high chances of attracting people who will be interested in your product further.
It’s important however, to not turn your webinar intended for outbound outreach as a sales overview of your products. Focus on making it meaningful instead and introduce your product very subtly.
While the newcomers might not be ready to buy right away, it will start a nurturing, trusting relationship based on value and personalisation. And as we know, personalisation is the hot new trend in 2021!
Making a webinar is only half the battle. If your goal is to bring it to the people — for whatever reason, be it leads conversion or simple brand awareness — it’s the promotion of your webinar that counts.
But how do you reach the relevant people in your field?
A dedicated email campaign can do wonders for your promotion. A 4–5 email sequence is critical to planning a virtual event. The sequence could include people that you are already in contact with or even new prospects.
Approaching them from 2 channels has proven even more effective. A combination of personal messages on LinkedIn and emails is guaranteed to deliver your bookings.
Don’t forget to design a good landing page for registration which will make the purpose and speakers of your webinar clear to your attendees.
Also, remember the follow-up and reminders. For anyone on the fence, this could mean the difference between a lost opportunity and a gained opportunity. According to statistics, 29% of your attendees won’t register until the last day. Don’t just let your leads slip away!
We would also suggest creating a sense of scarcity and urgency for your webinar. Nothing like a “Seats are limited” message to encourage potential prospects to sign up right away.
Even though webinars are not made with the single purpose of attracting leads, they are surprisingly effective at that!
For example, one of our clients was able to book 53 people for their first series of webinars in just under 1 month.
Unlike cold emails and cold calling, webinars can do what no other marketing strategy does — connect and engage prospects that show at least a minimal level of intent.
All those that sign up to your webinar already know what it will be about and have a certain amount of interest.
Warm leads are a lot easier to engage and convert than those that have no prior connection to you, so it would be unwise to waste the opportunity.
Since conferences last and this year have been cancelled or moved to the digital space and networking the same way is virtually impossible, webinars present a great alternative to connecting and speaking with leaders in your industry.
It’s a good and often more convenient opportunity to not only meet, but create a space for like-minded creative people to share and exchange ideas on relevant issues in your area.
And who knows, some of those connections can lead to fruitful partnerships and new opportunities. Not to mention the great chance to learn from each other!
If you’ve never considered implementing webinars as part of your sales pipeline, 2021 is the time to try it. Free webinars are an effective way of not only exchanging valuable information, but also connecting to relevant people in your industry, building meaningful relationships that in turn will lead to sales and growth.
If after reading this you got a brand-new brilliant idea for a webinar, our team and UMG Digital Agency can help you promote it using a multi-channel drip campaign. Read about how we did it for Company Y or book a call directly with one of the experts on our team for a demonstration.
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