11 Tips to Make Your Next Webinar Run Smoothly
Webinars are more accessible than ever, for both hosts and attendees. However, this means your next webinar has to be flawless — no pressure. Have no fear though, because we’ve got some best practices you can follow to make sure you’re doing all of the right things for your webinar.
- Take time to plan
Never underestimate the power of a plan! If you take time to plan out all of the components of your webinar — the landing page, email marketing, the script, and the presentation — your actual webinar is going to run much smoother and your audience will notice. The more you plan, you lower your chances of running into difficulties while the webinar is live.
- Send a reminder email (or two)
Give your registered attendees some branded reminders via email starting two weeks out from the webinar. You can choose to send a second email reminder if you’d like, perhaps a few days out from the event.
- Dial-in and test the waters
About 15 minutes before the webinar is scheduled to begin, go ahead and dial in to make sure everything is working properly. Use this time to test out all of the functions you’ll be using on your webinar platform.
- Use pre-webinar slides
Have some “pre-webinar” slides created to show in the five or ten minutes leading up to the webinar. These slides will give attendees something to look at while they wait. You can put something such as, “The webinar will begin in 10 minutes” on the slide, or even add information about your company and/or additional upcoming events.
- Start two minutes past the start time
If the webinar is scheduled to begin at 1 pm, get things going at 1:02 pm. This gives people enough time to arrive at the webinar and get settled, but isn’t so late that the prompt attendees get aggravated.
- Keep things exciting and relevant
During the webinar, be sure to keep the mood upbeat. Remember, your attendees are on the other side sitting in front of a computer, so whatever energy you’re giving off, they are receiving. Stay focused on the topic; you don’t want to lose your audience!
- Give attendees what they were promised
This part will likely be a part of your planning process, but make sure your presentation and the entire webinar delivers what you promised when people registered. If it isn’t, people will leave disappointed and they won’t be future customers.
- Make it an interactive event
You never want to just be talking at your audience. Ask them questions and get the conversation going. This will ensure they’re paying attention and they’re actively engaged in what you’re saying.
- Give your attendees a clear call-to-action
When the webinar winds down, be sure to provide a clear call-to-action. This is likely the main reason you created the webinar in the first place, so don’t let it fall to the wayside. When your attendees leave the webinar screen, they should have clear directions on what to do next.
- Leave time for questions
During the planning process, be sure to leave plenty of time for the attendees to ask questions without feeling rushed.
- Don’t forget about post-webinar follow-up
Following up after the webinar is crucial! This allows you to remind them of your call-to-action, and gives them the opportunity to interact with your brand in additional ways.
