There is a lot to love about hosting webinars. Internally, they facilitate team building since they usually involve a collective contribution. Externally, they are powerhouse marketing and sales tools, not to mention practical vehicles for educating prospects and current customers.
Of the webinars that we facilitate for our clients, the Q&A format has proven the most successful. It keeps things lively and informal, with the experts simply answering questions with breadth and depth. The insight that’s gained from Q&A webinars is invaluable.
Here's why:
As the experts solve a single customer's challenge, the chances are high that this customer represents several (maybe hundreds) more. Therefore, sharing the information gleaned from the webinar is just as important as hosting one. The content can benefit prospects and customers and is a boon for the all-important marketing initiative. And let's not forget R&D. The in-the-field feedback, when incorporated, can also be helpful to make great products even better.
5 Elements of a Successful Q&A Webinar
1) The questions
Authenticity is key to the success of just about everything — and preparedness is just as crucial when it comes to Q&A webinars. We recommend assembling a selection of questions in advance to get the conversation started during a live webinar. To get the most compelling questions, we like to poll key partners (distributors, resellers, CSRs, and sales staff) for inquiries they’ve been fielding recently or would like addressed in a recording to later use as a targeted sales tool. Rallying key partners increases their investment in the event — another contributor to its success.
2) The invitations
Use the prepared questions as part of an HTML email invitation, and share this all-important file with the vested parties to distribute to their respective networks. This can double or even triple the reach for an event.
We opt for a two-pronged approach for webinar invitations: first, the initial invitation is distributed to the targeted lists, then a reminder is sent a week later — the follow-up always draws a good percentage more registrations. Remember to time the invitations with partners' distributions.
Before the invitations can go out, the upcoming event's registration page must be posted on the company’s website where it’s easy to find. The link should also be posted on social media, drawing visitors back to your website to register and driving lead generation. Again, the social media and email campaigns should be timed sequentially.
3) Getting the word out
Share the event’s website link with staff so they can post it on their LinkedIn pages or share the company's event post on their own social media feeds. As you know, each new post, like, and share exponentially increases the company's brand awareness while its experts are placed on center stage.
The importance of PR can't be underestimated for the success of any initiative. For webinars, especially if there's a series planned, we issue a press release or media alert on behalf of our clients so journalists can share the news on their platforms (publications, websites, newsletters, and social media) and attend the event.
4) Preparedness
It's always a good idea to do a complete pre-webinar run-through with all the parties involved: the emcee, experts, partners, etc. In addition to fine-tuning the presentation, all participants are better prepared for the big day, especially if they are planning to add commentary during the webinar or in the chat section.
As the webinar date approaches, be sure to share the webinar registrations with your network so they know who is planning to attend the event, and can process these hot leads accordingly!
On the day of the webinar, it’s time for the experts to impart their wisdom. We appreciate when the emcee and the experts have good synergy as they navigate the formal structure of the webinar while addressing the impromptu questions that arise from the attendees. The authenticity shines and everyone is engrossed in the conversation.
Can you imagine that? Being captivated by a technology bits and bytes presentation? That's the impact of these Q&A webinars!
Once the webinar is completed, be ready to share the recording either with attendees exclusively or on the company's website, accessible by entering an email address. Either way, the content from the webinar should be mined and shared. For example, each topic and timestamp could be a new social media post.
5) Share the success
It’s important to communicate the success of the event via a press release on the company’s website, which is then shared on social media and via email. Oftentimes, this creates more interest, especially from those who couldn’t attend the webinar or would like more information.
As you can gather, we are advocates for sharing expertise and collaborating with partners. Webinars are a lead-generating, sales-boosting, brand-building tool that just checks off too many boxes not to use! And whether one person or one hundred attend a webinar, it’s still a worthwhile initiative.
For questions or more information about hosting a webinar, email our team at info@acepublicrelations.com.