{"id":8031,"date":"2020-07-06T15:09:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T19:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=8031"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:40:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T15:40:15","slug":"increase-your-webinar-attendance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get People to Come to Your Webinars"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">6<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>With a great topic in mind and a perfect plan in place, you\u2019re ready to host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/webinars-creative-engaging\/\">the webinar of your life<\/a>. But there\u2019s one problem: Nobody knows it\u2019s happening. While there\u2019s definitely something to be said for creating something great for the sake of creation, the whole reason we go through this process is to have other people see it and engage with it. Everyone on the Internet is vying for attention, so how are you supposed to get your target audience to notice you? We\u2019ll cover some essential best practices to follow to help you increase attendance (and attract a high-quality audience) for your webinars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Decide what success looks like<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you start making plans for marketing this new webinar, set some goals and figure out the metrics that matter to you. Why exactly are you hosting this webinar, and what are you hoping to get out of it? Do you want to establish your company as a thought leader in a certain industry? Are you trying to generate new leads or increase your conversion rate? Are you simply hoping to demo a new product? If you have a clear priority in mind, it will be much easier to determine what metrics of success you should be tracking. Here are a few possibilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Registrations: <\/strong>Are you happy with the number of people registered, and does that number align with the amount of money you\u2019re spending to promote (if applicable)? The average webinar hovers around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.readytalk.com\/resources\/webinar-marketing\/infographics\/in-webinar-best-practices#.Xs7h6hNKgcj\">260 registrations<\/a>, with many touting as many as 500. These numbers may seem quite large\u2014that\u2019s because the number of webinar registrations doesn\u2019t correlate with the number of people who actually attend.<\/li><li><strong>Attendance: <\/strong>Pick a more modest number for attendance. Only about <a href=\"https:\/\/outgrow.co\/blog\/statistics-on-webinars\">40-50% of all registrants<\/a> actually attend the webinar\u2014the <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@BigMarker\/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe\">average live attendance is 148 people<\/a>. If you\u2019re recording, expect viewers to continue to rise after the webinar has occurred\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.bigmarker.com\/12-important-webinar-statistics\/\">28%<\/a> of webinar attendees said they signed up to do so after registration for that live webinar closed.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Click Through Rate:<\/strong> How many people visit your webinar landing page and then decide not to register? Tracking your CTR helps you to figure out how to optimize your marketing materials, including your landing page, your email campaign, and your social media efforts.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Pick the right time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While there\u2019s no universal \u201cright\u201d time to host a webinar, there are definitely times that should be avoided. Here are some statistics to keep in mind as you pick the best date and time for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Avoid Mondays and Fridays:<\/strong> Both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gotomeeting.com\/webinar\/resources\/how-to-create-and-host-a-webinar\">GoToWebinar<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/blog\/tabid\/6307\/bid\/33540\/18-ways-to-guarantee-nobody-misses-your-next-webinar.aspx\">Hubspot<\/a> agree that Thursday is the best day of the week for a webinar, with Wednesdays and Tuesdays following close behind. Whatever day you pick, just be sure to avoid the busy catchup (or the gentle glide into the weekend) that takes place on Monday and Friday.<\/li><li><strong>Mornings are great, but consider time zones:<\/strong> Surveys show that <a href=\"https:\/\/outgrow.co\/blog\/statistics-on-webinars\">10am-11am is a great hour<\/a> for webinars\u2014but that, of course, depends on your company\u2019s time zone. If you\u2019re based on the east coast, consider starting your webinars around noon or 1pm, so that the greatest majority of your audience can attend.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Nail the landing page&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A beautiful, informative landing page is your greatest tool to draw visitors to sign up. Balance informative, alluring copy with a bold, clear design that fortifies your message. Here are a few aspects of your page\u2019s copy, functionality, and design that can increase your registrations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>On the copy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Pick a winning title: <\/strong>Stick to one of the tried and true title styles\u2014a list, how-to, or 101\u2014and bring some immediacy to it with the use of \u201cnew\u201d or \u201ctrends.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Make it informative but light: <\/strong>Be sure to answer all the questions that your audience might have up front. The who, what, where, when, and why should all be addressed as succinctly as possible.<\/li><li><strong>Create urgency and value: <\/strong>You want to leave visitors with the sense that this is an important opportunity. Consider limiting your capacity to make people want to jump on the seats available. You\u2019ll also get the added benefit of a more intimate, engaged audience.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Consider leaving some information out: <\/strong>You don\u2019t have to announce everything about your webinar all at once. Consider rolling out your speaker announcements over time to incentivize sign-ups closer to the date\u2014additionally, that gives you another reason to send out an email update. And avoid mentioning that you\u2019re planning to record it, as that might actually discourage people from signing up, knowing that they can catch up to it at a later date.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>On the design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Make the form stand out: <\/strong>The most important part of the registration page is, of course, the actual registration form. Use complementary colors to create enough contrast that the sign-up form and CTA button stand out. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortstack.com\/blog\/how-colors-affect-your-landing-page-conversion-rate-infographic\/\">Blue and green<\/a> tend to be popular choices on landing pages for a reason\u2014people like them.<\/li><li><strong>Keep the form simple: <\/strong>It\u2019s tempting to ask a lot of questions of your registrants. But all you really need on a sign-up form is a name and an email address. The fewer fields there are on a form, the more likely people will be to sign up. You\u2019ll have other opportunities to get more specific information later.<\/li><li><strong>Embed a teaser video: <\/strong>Images are important on a landing page, but including a video on your registration page can <a href=\"https:\/\/unbounce.com\/landing-page-articles\/the-benefits-of-using-video-on-landing-pages\/\">increase your conversions by 80%<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Heatmap your page:<\/strong> It\u2019s always useful to see how visitors are actually engaging with the assets on your page. Heatmapping, or analyzing user behavior, can help you determine how to improve your page\u2019s efficacy\u2014by moving the CTA button, or changing its color, for example.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Strategize your emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.gotomeeting.com\/introducing-the-big-book-of-webinar-stats-we-analyzed-250000-webinars-to-help-you-make-yours-better\/\">50% of webinar registrations come from email<\/a>, so the contacts in your robust email list should be some of the first people you target. Here are some statistics, and a simple schedule for you to follow, as you go about your email promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The best time to send them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use your intuition to find the best time to reach the majority of your audience\u2014and there might not be only one answer. Perhaps you\u2019ve found that Tuesday mornings are a great time to reach people, as <a href=\"https:\/\/99firms.com\/blog\/webinar-statistics\/#gref\">this survey confirms<\/a>. But maybe you also have a lot of luck on Friday afternoons, when most employees don\u2019t have a lot going on, so they have additional time to check their inboxes. While email marketing has become a bit of a science, there\u2019s not one fit for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Don\u2019t forget the thank-you email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This goes for anyone who signs up, regardless of how they got there: The moment someone registers for your webinar, send them an email thanking them for doing so. Not only is this just good manners, it\u2019s a smart way to establish credibility and trust with your registrants\u2014and a great way to remind them that they have a new event to put in their calendar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Two weeks out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Send the official invite:<\/strong> This email should follow the format and structure of your registration page, with a clear CTA for where they can sign up. Surveys show that 17% of webinar attendees sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@BigMarker\/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe\">more than two weeks before<\/a> the presentation\u2014so if you want to get a head start, you can begin even earlier.<\/li><li>Study these email analytics to see if there\u2019s any way you can customize your next round of email. You might want to separate your list into three categories: those who registered, those who opened your email but didn\u2019t register, and those who didn\u2019t interact with your email at all.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>One week out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Send a reminder: <\/strong>This is a good opportunity to make any announcements to incentivize sign-up. If you have another speaker who\u2019s planning to make an appearance, now would be a good time to introduce them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>The week of<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Send a reminder the day before: <\/strong>Some marketers say sending <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/blog\/tabid\/6307\/bid\/33540\/18-ways-to-guarantee-nobody-misses-your-next-webinar.aspx\">an email the day before<\/a> is a must\u2014others say <a href=\"https:\/\/www.impactbnd.com\/blog\/ways-to-promote-your-webinar\">it\u2019s overkill<\/a>. Test this out for yourself, and track your results.<\/li><li><strong>Send a reminder the day of: <\/strong>Since <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@BigMarker\/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe\">29% of your attendees won\u2019t register<\/a> for your webinar until the day of the event itself, this is a particularly important email to send.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Send a thank you: <\/strong>Just because the webinar is done, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s over. The next day, send a final email to your lists\u2014a thank you to those who attended and a reminder for those who didn\u2019t make it, letting them know they can still catch the recording.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Raise awareness on your blog and social channels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your webinar social campaign can, for the most part, follow your usual social media schedule\u2014promote it on every channel where you have a following. Come up with a dedicated hashtag, and make sure that your speakers are marketing your event on their own personal channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But to gain even more traction, consider integrating your social plan with a content strategy. In the lead up to your webinar, you should start producing content for your blog that\u2014if not totally about the topic of your webinar\u2014is at least adjacent. Be sure to include a CTA in any blog post you create that sends visitors to the landing page. The more content you create around your webinar, the more opportunities you have to lead your readers\u2014and your engaged followers on social\u2014to your registration page.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On top of your usual social strategy, consider paid media assets, as well. Paid advertising still works\u2014and can help you target audiences that would otherwise miss your webinar entirely. Neil Patel sings the praises of <a href=\"https:\/\/neilpatel.com\/blog\/increased-webinar-attendance-one-thing\/\">Facebook ads<\/a>, but LinkedIn and Twitter are also great options.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Test, and try again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you develop your webinar marketing strategy, it will become clear which of these tactics do and don\u2019t work for you. Remember: you don\u2019t have to make that decision alone. Consider sending out a survey to your audience or email list to figure out how to improve your marketing techniques. Wondering why so few people clicked on your reminder email? Ask them. The responses could help make you better at creating content that\u2019s beneficial for your audience\u2014which is really what putting on a good webinar is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 62.5%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none' id=\"experience-5ee1313c103da\" data-aspectRatio=\"1.6\"><iframe allowfullscreen src='\/\/view.ceros.com\/editorial-content\/landing-page-1-2-1-1-2-1-1' style='position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: 0 none;height: 1px;width: 1px;min-height: 100%;min-width: 100%' frameborder='0' class='ceros-experience' title='Inspire Curious Sign-up Embed' scrolling='no'><\/iframe><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/view.ceros.com\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"view.ceros.com\"><\/script>\n\n\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"myclass\">With everyone on the Internet competing for attention, how can you stand out and have your message heard without buying attention or selling your soul?<\/div>\n<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":8130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Increase Your Webinar Attendance - Ceros Inspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With everyone on the Internet competing for attention, how can you increase your webinar attendance without buying attention or selling your soul?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Increase Your Webinar Attendance - Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With everyone on the Internet competing for attention, how can you increase your webinar attendance without buying attention or selling your soul?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-06T19:09:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-21T15:40:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/06\/Lead-Blog-Promo@3x-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1485\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eliza Martin\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/\",\"name\":\"Ceros Inspire\",\"description\":\"Just another Ceros Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/06\/Lead-Blog-Promo@3x-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1485},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/increase-your-webinar-attendance\/\",\"name\":\"How to Increase Your Webinar Attendance - 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