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 Have you ever spent days creating a webinar campaign that had
- terrific line-up of speakers
- finely tuned list of contacts in a very specific audience
- multiple emails deployed strategically over time
- a good amount of registrations
….but only 2 people actually listened in?
How do you increase actual webinar attendance vs. registrations?
Reminders
Outlook Calendar Appointment
In the webinar registration confirmation email or webpage, include a link to an Outlook appointment that registrants can quickly add to their calendars. Make sure you designate a reminder within the appointment so registrants will get an Outlook pop-up reminder 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes or other time you decide prior to the start of the webinar.
It’s very helpful for registrants if you include the link to the webinar, any login/password information, and telephone dial-in instructions directly within the Outlook appointment so they don’t have to find the registration email buried in their inbox. Including a phone number or link to live chat for assistance with any problems registrants may have accessing the webinar is also a good idea.
Many people also use Google calendar, so including a link for a Google appointment may also be useful for registrants.
Some online event management software includes a feature to do this (something to look for when deciding which software solution to use), but if yours doesn’t, Chad Horenfeldt over at the Anything Goes Marketing blog created a document with step-by-step instructions on how to create an iCalendar appointment and include the link in your confirmation email or webpage.
Reinforce Webinar Value in Email 30 Minutes Before Start
Ever registered for a webinar, but when the event time came you’re buried in work and say to yourself “I don’t have time for this” and skip it?
Remember that your prospective customers have many things demanding their time and attention. In order to tear them away from those things, they need to know that the time spent with you will be worthwhile.
Reinforcing the value of the webinar - answering the all important “what’s in it for me?” - by sending a reminder email shortly before the start of the webinar can persuade more registrants to stop what they’re doing and attend. My suggestion is 30 minutes prior, as that gives registrants enough time to wrap up what they’re doing, go to the bathroom, get a drink, or whatever they need to do, but not so far ahead of time that they forget about it.
Again, include a link to the webinar and dial-in instructions in the email.
Create Pre-Webinar Excitement with Survey
Send registrants a brief email survey prior to the webinar asking what they feel is important in regards to the webinar topic, and what they most want information on. Listening to your audience’s needs not only makes the webinar content better, but helps them feel more engaged with the event and more willing to spend the time attending.
Give Compelling Reasons to Attend Live Event Instead of Viewing It Later
Most companies record their webinars and make them available on their websites for viewing after the event, or send registrants the presentation slides. It’s a very good idea to do this, but it can dissuade registrants from attending the live event. Why bother attending at the time of the event when they can just get the slides later and view it whenever they want?
Offer something only live attendees can take advantage of, such as
- live Q&A session with attendees submitting questions via chat feature or special phone number to call
- ask attendees questions about the topic during the webinar, and give prizes to first person to answer each question correctly via chat or other means
B2B marketing research firm Marketing Experiments uses a great tactic in their webinars on landing page optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and other marketing avenues. On the webinar registration confirmation page, they offer the opportunity to submit your materials for live review by several experts during the webinar and receive feedback that you can immediately employ afterwards.
It’s great information for all attendees, but if someone has submitted materials then you can bet they’ll be more likely to attend the live event and find out if their materials will be reviewed.
What techniques are you using to increase attendance?
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November 17th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Thanks for the mention. I agree with you regarding Marketing Experiments. I attended one of their live events and learned a great deal from their team as well as the other marketers in the room.
A few of my customers are experimenting with some additional methods to drive attendance which includes using a recorded voice mail and/or SMS for reminders. For example, you can record the voice of the presenters and have a message that comes directly from them thanking the registrant for registering and reminding them to attend. You can use these channels in conjunction with email reminders to really drive home the importance of attending the event.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Hi Chad, thanks for commenting! Your document with iCalendar appointment instructions is really helpful, thanks for creating it.
The recorded voice mail and SMS from the presenters is a terrific tactic, thanks for sharing that tip. Is that something that Eloqua offers directly or are your customers using a 3rd party service? I can definitely see it being effective, especially in conjunction with email.
I love Marketing Experiments, their practical approach to quantifying marketing results is so needed. I’ve attended 2-3 of their webinars, and I hardly ever attend webinars. Am planning to attend a live event of theirs when I can fit it in my budget (one of the disadvantages of being a sole proprietor, travel costs make in-person conferences, events very difficult to afford).
November 18th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Hi Kim,
Thanks very much for the mention and kind comments. I’m glad to hear you’re finding our clinics valuable. I hope you can attend one of our live workshops (we’re in Santa Monica right now, and are slated for Miami in March).
Another idea to improve attendance is making an effort to follow up with all comments/questions submitted. This works more for repeat attendance, but that’s a vital part of the audience. As our clinics have grown, we also try to close the loop by including results from past participants who have gotten results from our clinics or workshops.
We make interaction a priority during and between clinics, and we’ll be trying to do much more with that in the weeks and months ahead. So I hope you’ll keep participating and letting us know how we’re doing.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:26 am
Eloqua has those baked in.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:38 am
Hunter, Thanks so much for your comment and tips. Following up on comments and questions is a great idea and a terrific way to begin to build a trusted relationship. I’ll definitely keep tuning in to your webinars and am making it a goal to attend a Landing Page Optimization in-person event this year to get certified.
Chad, thanks for answering my question. That’s great Eloqua has that function built in. BTW, Eloqua got great endorsement by Matt Goddard of R2i during social media marketing event I attended Tuesday with 80+ attendees. He was speaker on panel discussing social media strategies and measurement for B2B technology marketing.