Promotion Ideas to Ensure a Full House at Your Next Webinar

If you build it they will come.

It’s a great quote, Kevin Costner. But the reality is that people will not come to your webinar if they don’t know it exists. In addition, they’re unlikely to come if they can’t see why it benefits them.

Why it matters: Webinars can be a powerful tool for your business growth. These virtual events have one common goal: increase brand awareness and generate profit.

Unleash the benefits of webinars by using them to:

• Showcase company expertise
• Promote a product
• Generate business leads
• Train and educate

For your webinar to be successful, you need an audience. It may seem obvious but far too often companies have poor attendance because they fail to promote their webinar.

Your goal is to reach people, so the more attendees, the greater the success.

How can you promote your next webinar to attract a large and engaged audience? Check out our top promotion tips for getting a packed house at your next webinar.

Successful advertising is all about making OTHERS want what YOU have.

It’s the reason we’re suddenly thirsty after watching a Coca-Cola commercial. They make that Coke look good! Promoting your webinar is no different. Make your webinar so enticing that people just have to come.

Step 1: Define your target audience

Whatever you’re selling (a product, your expertise, training/education, etc.) identify who is going to benefit from it the most. In short, who is this webinar for?

After defining your audience, adapt your event and promotional techniques around them. Ask yourself:

•  What are my audience’s needs, challenges, and interests?
• How can I tailor this event to appeal to them?
• Through what marketing channels am I likely to reach them?

 Knowing your audience is crucial to developing a marketing approach that appeals to them specifically.

Step 2: Craft a compelling title and description

Choosing your title is the first step to drawing people in. Your webinar’s title can either make or break you. Use the title to showcase how participants will benefit from attending. Think of utilizing some of these key phrases in your webinar title:

• How To…
• The Dos and Don’ts of…
• Best Practices For…
• Ways to Increase…
• # Tips/Secrets to…

In addition to a compelling title, create a well-thought-out description to catch the attention of potential attendees. Outline key topics that will be covered, any goals or objectives that participants will reach by the end, and how it addresses the pain points of your target audience.

Pro Tip: Make your webinar title captivating and concise. If people have to guess what the event is about, it’s not likely to grab their attention. Keep it simple and specific.

Step 3: Create teaser content

Offer a sneak peek or teaser content related to your webinar to generate curiosity and anticipation. This can be in the form of short videos, infographics, blog posts, or mini-podcasts.

Create content yourself, or use a video editing service such as FlexClip that offers teaser trailer templates that you can tailor for your event. No matter what channel you use for the teaser content, be sure to include a call-to-action directing viewers to register for the full webinar.

There’s more than one way to spread the word. Don’t just stick to one avenue. Take advantage of every appropriate opportunity to promote your webinar.

You likely already have several channels in place that you can utilize to promote your webinar.

Website

Your company website is a HUGE resource. Create a dedicated landing page for the event. Think of this as the advertisement page for your webinar.

Here you’ll put the webinar title, description, and teaser content. Basically, anything that would get viewers to click “Sign Me Up.” Then make sure to include a registration link.

Email List

Send personalized email invitations to your existing subscribers and contacts. Clearly communicate the value of attending the webinar and include a prominent registration button or link.

Consider sending reminder emails as the webinar date approaches to increase attendance.

Blog

Utilize your blog page to promote your webinar. Write engaging blog posts or articles related to the webinar topic. Be sure to include a link to the landing page in each post.

Pro Tip: Use blog posts to show off your expertise on the webinar topic, even leaving a few unanswered questions that will be addressed in the webinar. This will promote you as an expert in the industry and motivate readers to want to hear more.

Take advantage of your industry’s experts by bringing them on board for your webinar.

Vary presenters by identifying influential individuals or industry experts who align with your webinar topic and invite them to present at your webinar.

Remember: Bringing in more industry leaders and experts adds value to ANY event.

Collaborate with complementary businesses to work together on a joint webinar or at the very least help in promoting each other’s events.

While this might feel like sleeping with the enemy, choosing partners with a similar target audience but not direct competitors ensures the partnership is mutually beneficial.

Pro Tip: Expressions like “Keynote Speaker” or “Guest Presenter” go a long way in arousing anticipation for an event. If you’ve lined up guest speakers, utilize that as part of your webinar promotion by putting those keywords on the description, agenda, etc.

People are on social media all day every day. Why not take advantage of that by using these platforms to promote your webinar? It’s like putting up billboards on a busy highway.

Consider using:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

…just to name a few.

Start by creating engaging posts and visuals that highlight the key takeaways of your webinar. Utilize any teaser content that you’ve created for the event.

For an even more effective approach, consider running paid social media ads to reach a wider audience and target specific demographics.

Pro Tip: Utilize hashtags, tag relevant influencers and industry accounts, and encourage your followers to share the posts with their networks. All of this broadcasts your webinar to a larger audience, resulting in more attendees.

Webinar directories are the matchmaker between your webinar and the person that’s unknowingly searching for it.

These online directories advertise events related to certain industries. Here you’ll submit your webinar details (title, description, teaser content, etc.) for potential participants to browse and hopefully sign up for. There are many webinar directories out there including GoToStage and TellOnline.

One of the best ways to promote your event is to be active in your industry’s community.

Participating in online forums and groups where your target audience is active offers a great opportunity to get your name out there.

Share valuable insights related to your webinar topic and include a link to register. At the same time, keep it classy. Be mindful of the community rules and avoid being overly promotional.

If you build it, they will come…ONLY if they know it exists.

Applying these promotional tips is sure to lead to a full house at your next webinar. But what are they going to see when they get there? How confident are you in your ability to keep the audience engaged, handle any unexpected technical challenges, and deliver on your event goals?

Here at Virtual Velocity, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with hosting webinars. We’ve dedicated decades of our lives to virtual events and have the expertise and resources needed to create a seamless and engaging experience. From choosing the right platform to analyzing data after the event, we’re here to take your webinar to the next level.

Sit down with us today and let us help you create a virtual event that captivates your audience, achieves your objectives, and sets the stage for future successes.