MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange : Best Practices In Webinar Strategy & Execution.

Webinars are brilliant, they are over the internet so noone has to physical travel to them, you can go back over them time and time again, they can be cost effective to produce and they are often easier for everyone to contribute.

Now lets answer some of those questions:

Is the offer for a free webinar "good enough" to generate a response?

I am very interested in taking another step after the Webinar in order to try and build a stronger relationship with the participants. How can I do this?

Is there a best day of the week to conduct a Webinar?
- I would assume Wednesday onwards, whenever I try to arrange presentations, workshops etc, you normally find that the attendance is better towards the end of the week (people come back on a monday and need to get things done, they generally need a rest from REAL work towards the end of the week)

Who is the best Webinar Hosting Vendor?
- I have never used one before (attended plenty), do a google search, and work through them unless anyone here has any clues ?

What kind of response rate will I get? Of those that register for the Webinar, how many will actually attend?
- Like I said the later you leave it in teh week the better the response rate, and you should always give at least 6 weeks notice so they can diary it in.

How long should it be?
- Sections of between 30-45 minutes, just like any other presentation.

How long in advance of the Webinar should I start the email registration blitz?
- Whoops, I shoudl read ahead next time :-) 6 weeks at least.

I have tried to find sources for this information, but I have been unsuccessful. We are a BtoB company primarily Marketing to Engineers and Scientists.

Good Luck

Is the offer good enough to generate a response? It depends on your webinar topic - how well it is promoted and how is it tied to a pain in your target market. For example, with the latest Can-Spam legislation, it has become a hot topic for marketers, so a number of companies are leveraging that fact to offer free webinars and white papers on the subject.

The best way to connect after the webinar in my opinion is to use a poll or a survey - which you can use to qualify, identify what is hot for a prospect and ask for permission to continue the conversation. Also offer a next step, like downloading a white paper or similar - After they complete the survey

Probably the best vendors are placeware, mwhow, webex and iMeet- at least they are two of the most successful. The best vendor for you depends on the multimedia requirements, budget and number of seminars/attenees you plan to run.

I recommend you send out a remainder a few days before the webinar, you should expect 50-70% attendance from those who confirm.

Keep it to 30 minutes to allow 15minutes for Q&A.

I am guessing teh conferencing vendors (placeware, etc) have a few free resources on their website with more best practices and additional info.

Regards,

GD

I would have to say that the best way to get people to attend your session is to make the session something they really want to know about. I know that sounds sort of obvious, but we've really found that timing and length of program don't have so much impact--it's making a program that sounds like it is information they want and marketing it in a way that doesn't sound like total bs.

RE day of the week: Monday and Friday are probably best to avoid. We often schedule our web trainings for 1pm eastern--that way people in eastern through mountain time zones can attend and eat lunch at their desks. Whatever day you pick, best to send a reminder the day before--especially if people registered weeks before the session.

RE best Webinar Hosting Vendor? We've used the HP Webinar people once--they were great but I think it is very pricey. We currently have an account with webex. We looked at Netspoke but didn't feel like their transmission was fast enough to keep up with a live, full color software demo. If you are doing static slides they may be your best bet pricewise.

RE how many will show up: This is the hard thing about a free session--you could have anywhere from 5% to 50% noshow. When people pay they try harder to show up.

Another note: as you are evaluating vendors, pay close attention to how easy it is to register and log in to a sample presentation with their sales person. If it's screwy in their pitch, it will be when you're trying to use the tool too.

--ALJ

Here's a good site to not only answer some questions, but provide Webinar hosting.

http://www.infopac.net/

If you feel their hosting prices are too high, I'll beat them and host it on my server for you!

I hope that helps!

I recommend Catwalk Consulting
(http://www.catwalkconsulting.com) which has a separate division for webinars called Catwalk Conferencing. They do a great job for BIG and small companies but particularly I find them attractive because they offer the same bells and whistles as WebEx but at a fraction of the cost. You might check them out.

Like any other conference, workshop or seminar program, start marketing like crazy at least 90-120 days in advance to ensure you have hit your audience over the head enough times for them to mark it on their calendar!

First, in the spirit of full disclosure, I provide a variety of corporate webinar/webcasting services – but I am delighted to share some of that experience with you. I've been doing it for a long time for large and small clients and success is a largely matter of planning, using the right technology for the type of webinar - and asking questions of your vendor.

1) Is free “good enough?” It depends. If you are doing a product demo/sales, free is expected. If you are offering more of a strategic, how-to, or consultative webinar, charge at least a nominal fee.

Keep in mind, over 70% of technology purchases are made based on information from a webinar/webcast. See the Webcaster's Almanac - we publish it and it has interesting stats and trends (it's free) http://www.webcastersalmanac.com

2) You absolutely must continue the conversation after the webinar! Your approach depends upon your content. If you choose a good one, your vendor may offer some assistance with follow-up strategies (most do not ) Email follow-up, offer your webinar on-demand afterwards, keep an interactive Q&A form up for questions from late-comers, phone, personal desktop conference/video conference, etc. are just a few ways to continue the conversation.

3) Wednesdays or Thursdays are typically the best days to offer webinars – time of day is a factor, especially if you are going global (which a webinar easily allows you to do!). Highest traffic time is often around noon (audience time) – however almost anytime in normal work day hours have the highest attendance for your target audience.

4) The best vendor depends on what you are trying to do – and the marketplace is pretty fragmented in its offerings. You will find vendors who offer everything from web-based slides coupled with a telephone conference, to full on video presentations with synchronized slides, polls, surveys, etc. Some are very self-service and others are turn-key (and hand-holding). Just be sure to compare like-type vendors when looking at price. Unfortunately, prices are all over the map even for similar services.

Note: Most webinar vendors are technology providers and do not offer you much strategic counsel and usually no promotional expertise or tools (beyond email). We do offer that (since we are a marketing communications company), so I’m biased about that. :-)

5) Your response rate can be very good, depending upon your target audience, but promotion is key. Most who register will do so with the intention of being there live, but we find much of the use/traffic is to the “on-demand” (recorded) version. So, it is vital to use a vendor who offers you a near-instant on-demand version after the live event is over, for those who get called away or need that convenience. You will definitely up your response and your ROI if you consider your on-demand crowd as well.

6) Normally, webinars are most successful at 30-60 minutes.

7) Four to six weeks ahead for promotion is fine, but most promotion should be done 2-3 weeks before (higher response rate). Advertise it in your newsletters and on your web site and send out invitations to existing customers, asking for their feedback on the experience. Send a reminder email a few days before and the morning of (your vendor should offer an automated reminder service for you).

Also, list it at Webcast Wire (listing is free). We publish Webcast Wire exactly so businesses have a place to announce and promote webinars and all types of webcasts. http://www.webcastwire.com.

Browse the stats and trends for webcasting at Webcaster’s Almanac (also totally free) at http://www.webcastersalmanac.com and see how other companies are using webcasting in all its forms.

I'd be happy to point you in the direction of the best vendors based on the type of content/webinar you hope to hold - they are not created equal and it is important in having a good experience all the way around that you choose the best type of technology for you and for your audience.

Good luck!!!!

First, in the spirit of full disclosure, I provide a variety of corporate webinar/webcasting services – but I am delighted to share some of that experience with you. I've been doing it for a long time for large and small clients and success is a largely matter of planning, using the right technology for the type of webinar - and asking questions of your vendor.

1) Is free “good enough?” It depends. If you are doing a product demo/sales, free is expected. If you are offering more of a strategic, how-to, or consultative webinar, charge at least a nominal fee.

Keep in mind, over 70% of technology purchases are made based on information from a webinar/webcast. See the Webcaster's Almanac - we publish it and it has interesting stats and trends (it's free) http://www.webcastersalmanac.com

2) You absolutely must continue the conversation after the webinar! Your approach depends upon your content. If you choose a good one, your vendor may offer some assistance with follow-up strategies (most do not ) Email follow-up, offer your webinar on-demand afterwards, keep an interactive Q&A form up for questions from late-comers, phone, personal desktop conference/video conference, etc. are just a few ways to continue the conversation.

3) Wednesdays or Thursdays are typically the best days to offer webinars – time of day is a factor, especially if you are going global (which a webinar easily allows you to do!). Highest traffic time is often around noon (audience time) – however almost anytime in normal work day hours have the highest attendance for your target audience.

4) The best vendor depends on what you are trying to do – and the marketplace is pretty fragmented in its offerings. You will find vendors who offer everything from web-based slides coupled with a telephone conference, to full on video presentations with synchronized slides, polls, surveys, etc. Some are very self-service and others are turn-key (and hand-holding). Just be sure to compare like-type vendors when looking at price. Unfortunately, prices are all over the map even for similar services.

Note: Most webinar vendors are technology providers and do not offer you much strategic counsel and usually no promotional expertise or tools (beyond email). We do offer that (since we are a marketing communications company), so I’m biased about that. :-)

5) Your response rate can be very good, depending upon your target audience, but promotion is key. Most who register will do so with the intention of being there live, but we find much of the use/traffic is to the “on-demand” (recorded) version. So, it is vital to use a vendor who offers you a near-instant on-demand version after the live event is over, for those who get called away or need that convenience. You will definitely up your response and your ROI if you consider your on-demand crowd as well.

6) Normally, webinars are most successful at 30-60 minutes.

7) Four to six weeks ahead for promotion is fine, but most promotion should be done 2-3 weeks before (higher response rate). Advertise it in your newsletters and on your web site and send out invitations to existing customers, asking for their feedback on the experience. Send a reminder email a few days before and the morning of (your vendor should offer an automated reminder service for you).

Also, list it at Webcast Wire (listing is free). We publish Webcast Wire exactly so businesses have a place to announce and promote webinars and all types of webcasts. http://www.webcastwire.com.

Browse the stats and trends for webcasting at Webcaster’s Almanac at http://www.webcastersalmanac.com and see how other companies are using webcasting in all its forms.

I'd be happy to point you in the direction of the best vendors based on the type of content/webinar you hope to hold - they are not created equal and it is important in having a good experience all the way around that you choose the best type of technology for you and for your audience.

Good luck!!!!

Wow...Znetlady, that was some great advice. And don't think it went unoticed that you didn't mention and overplug your own services too much, but put them in the context of the information needed. Good job.

And that's just what I wanted to draw a little further to the forefront here. I have not officiated at any live webinar events, but have participated in many and have done my share of live seminars, radio, etc. I do created on-demand webinars or webcasts every month. I too have found that these presentations are literally taking over the role of the written or even the PDF sales brochure, as well as redefining customer service and training.

While your question was all about the technical how-tos of putting this together, may I also caution you to plan and craft EXACTLY what can/should/will be covered in the content of your live event even more carefully than you do elsewhere. Then practice, practice, practice every line.

These presentations work only when they are not salesy, there is no jargon getting in the way of the message and they are short and concisely educational. They can and will work very much against you if you cross those lines.

Even something you may consider small, like getting the meeting started precisely on time is a much bigger irritant for an audience of one sitting in their cubicle wondering why you've just wasted a minute worrying about the mute button. Or why you need to explain the "rules" again to newcomers who are late.

But you don't want to miss the opportunities that present themselves to mention things that your company does, like Znetlady's mention of their free listing service. Those are the points and places you "sell" and you should make sure you carry a list of what you must get across into your sesssion as well.

LOL...I much prefer controlling the message a little more as you can do through an on-demand webcast, but agree that you should probably offer a recording of the event to those who weren't able to attend. (Incidentally through our partners we've heard attendance rates can be as low as 30-40% of registrants so be sure you understand whether your host's pricing is based on registrations or actual lines used.)

BUT, I would also polish that recording (removing as much if not all of the "live event talk" leaving the generic product or service info) and turn it in to a standalone webcast you could leave on your site or sell/distribute as an information product.

While this is the most natural follow-up, a "Did we answer your questions?" email would work also -- especially if you have other meetings planned or a way for them to vote on topics they'd like to see you cover. However you do, DO NOT squander these leads. You've put too much effort in to them to just turn them over to a sales person (who will rightly argue that the lead is only partially qualified).

Hope that helps too,
Liz

Thank you all for you input. It is very helpful.


I have also located a company called Infinite Conferencing www.infiniteconferencing.com. They have a white paper on best practices. They also offer Event Management Services, which I find helpful since this is my first attempt at a Webinar.

We use Communique Conferencing for our webinars (http://www.communiqueconferencing.com) . They are very supportive with helping end-to-end and have a great white paper available that answers most of your questions.