How to Successfully Plan, Promote, and Prepare Your Next Webinar

Written By

Public Communications Inc. (PCI), Chicago

While the world practices social distancing, the need to connect with existing clients and prospects has become more important than ever. One of the best ways to provide value is through educational webinar series. But to stand out amongst the growing crowd of virtual educators, your brand needs to put in thoughtful planning.

From planning and prepping to promoting and presenting, Public Communications Inc. offers tips to make your next webinar a success:

Phase One: Planning

• Determine Your Differentiator: Is your webinar meeting a unique need, or tailored to a niche audience? Highlight what is different and valuable about attending your webinar to stand out from the crowd.
• Identify Target Attendees: Successful webinars go narrow and deep – they focus on a specific topic and offer in-depth learning. Because of this, it is better to target specific audiences rather than opening to any and all of your audiences.
• Set Up a System for RSVPs: Software systems such as Eventbrite will help you gather information about registrants and get a preview of the number of attendees. Plus, these systems often have tools to send automatic reminders and calendar invites.

Phase Two: Promoting

• Tap into Social Media: Promote the event on your brand’s relevant social channels and encourage your audiences and employees to share on their own pages. In posts, be sure to highlight the differentiating value of attending the webinar.
• Go to Groups: Groups on LinkedIn and Facebook feature communities that are constantly looking for content that gives them information on specific topics. Invite members of relevant communities to attend.
• Email Relevant Audiences: Send out an invitation to your email lists, and consider sending personalized direct emails to those that might be particularly interested.

Phase Three: Preparing

• Check your bandwidth to ensure it is enough to prevent video lags.
• Test the conference software so that you are familiar with how it works and can troubleshoot any issues that may occur.
• Do a run-through and makes sure that everyone understands their role in the presentation.
• Notify IT of the presentation in case of any unexpected technology issues.
• Outline Q&A guidelines and the amount of time for audience questions.
• Practice recording to ensure you can create and save the presentation accurately.

Once the presentation concludes, you’ll need to follow up with attendees. Get best practices for crafting your follow-up messaging and developing a post-webinar strategy. You can also find other Worldcom Webinars on a variety of topics in our Insights section.

Public Communications Inc. is a national communications and marketing agency with purpose — to make a positive difference for their clients and community. They offer strategic support and counsel to their clients, bringing an outside perspective that allows them to ask the tough question and become a partner that identifies the right opportunities.