Webinars have become an established part of a marketing strategy, especially in a B2B context. These online conferences, that aim to discuss a specific theme, make possible to demonstrate the advantages of a product, to present the values of a company and, above all, to show your expertise. This is part of a content strategy, which is a sensible item of lead generation in BtoB. While image and reputation are impacted by these events, the goal is also to generate leads. So how can you transform participants into real qualified leads?
What is a webinar: definition
A webinar is an online conference. Most of the time, it is performed by one or two speakers, delivering a video presentation to the participants. Presenters often share a document on the screen to illustrate what they are saying. Webinars are becoming increasingly common, especially since the pandemic. Generating leads through webinars has become a common practice.
The webinar tool’s figures
According to a study developed by Ready Talkv:
- Between 30 and 40% of people who arrive at a webinar registration landing page actually register for the webinar;
- On average, 40-50% of registrants actually attend to the conference;
- 20-40% of participants become qualified leads
- 75% of companies that invest in webinars use marketing automation.
How to find participants for your webinars
To begin with, let’s take a look at the pathway: the visitor sees the information about your webinar. They may spot it on your website, via a pop-in or a banner, on social networks, or via some influencers. Then they must have the urge to click on your CTA. For this, the title must be catchy, the important information visible, the speaker should be highlighted… For example, the Webikeo webinar platform offers to communicate about your webinar and lets you benefit from its audience and database.
The visitor is now on your landing page, where he can register. Here he should find all the information about your webinar: who is presenting it, how the conference is taking place (support), the topic and the agenda. Then they should be able to register easily. If the form is too long, you risk losing some potential subscribers.
Now that you have people registered, you need to get them to participate. The day before, don’t hesitate to send a reminder email. In the same way, one hour before and at the last moment, alert them about the start of your conference! By taking care of each step, you will optimize the participation rate!
Generating leads through webinars for the long run: the replay
Why you should prepare a replay
Once your webinar is over, you can still use the recording to generate leads. While live participation allows greater engagement and a sense of urgency and ownership, a replay represents more freedom to the interested people. In the same way, you can ask for information from your contacts in exchange for the opportunity to watch this video.
How to set it up
First, when publishing a replay, you need to think about the hosting of your video. A quality video player will provide a better experience, better statistics for you and a better integration with your website. Secondly, the placement of the form on the video is essential. There are several options available to you:
– a form that sends the link to a “private” video
– a form on the video that launches the viewing after a certain amount of time
Marketing automation, the perfect combination for pre and post webinar
Marketing automation will allow you to set up this form, but also to make better use of the data collected.
After more advanced forms, you will be able to segment your database and then include them in personalized marketing campaigns. Then you can also follow up with registrants in a more flexible way to ensure their participation. After the webinar, thanks to lead scoring and segmentation, you can adapt your communication to each person. For example, a registrant who has attended the conference will not receive the same email as someone who has not attended it. Some synchronizations also allow you to identify the attention rate of participants and then create segments using this data. Finally, setting up replays and sending emails to promote them will be facilitated by this precious tool that is marketing automation.
You now have all the keys to a good webinar strategy that will generate many leads. The webinar will now have a place in your content strategy.
