You have chosen the topic, invited the most qualified professionals, set up the camera and the set, and shared the news on social media. The only thing that is missing from your webinar now is an audience.
One of the most frequently asked questions by those who organize these events is how to increase attendance at webinars.
In 2020, there will be a surge in webinars, live events, and other digital events. The competition for public attention is fiercer than ever.
We understand how frustrating it is to put in time and effort on something, only for it not to reach as many people.
You can still use some tricks and techniques to increase the audience for your webinar. Be prepared to receive a lot of subscriptions at your next event.
How to promote your webinars on Instagram
Instagram has over one million monthly users. If you want to use Instagram to promote your webinar, remember that it is a highly visual platform. You will need to create high-quality illustrations, photos, or videos in order to get attention.
Review your Instagram profile before you start, and make sure that it is optimized so that you appear as an expert on the webinar subject.
Select the image or video to accompany the post. It must stand out among the thousands of visuals available on the platform and attract your audience.
Edit, crop, and customize your video or image to get the best effect. Add relevant information, such as the title of the webinar, the date, time, and guest speaker.
It’s now time to write a caption or description that will instantly build rapport with your viewers. It would be best if you made it unique but also relevant to your audience. Include the details of the webinar, the benefits to the attendees, and the sign-up process.
Do not forget to use relevant hashtags. Use a hashtag that’s specific to your webinar on all platforms. Use hashtags related to your webinar topic that are popular and effective. This will allow a larger audience to learn about your webinar. Use #webinar and a specific category like #designwebinar.
Consider using Instagram Reels as a way to promote your webinar. You can create short videos that are fun and entertaining to share with your viewers. This will give them a taste of the webinar and the problems that it solves. You can also list or mention a few benefits of attending the event and what attendees will gain from it.
Promote your webinar on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a professional social network and, as such, is ideally suited to promote webinars.
To build awareness, share posts with high-quality content related to the webinar in the weeks, days, and hours before the event. Mention the webinar and include a link for more information and to sign up. However, avoid being too promotional. Be positive and give useful information quickly.
Ask the guest speakers also to promote the event on LinkedIn.
Share information on LinkedIn Groups related to your industry or that share a similar or common interest. These groups should be ones that you are already a member of and actively participate in by posting regularly and leaving comments on other members’ posts.
A paid media strategy can be used as an additional option. LinkedIn simplifies the process by allowing users to select targeting filters for their audience. You can choose from LinkedIn Sponsored content and Lead Generation ads.
LinkedIn-sponsored content is a paid service that allows you to reach a wider audience of professionals who might be interested in your product or service. These posts will appear in the feeds for LinkedIn users, even if you do not have a network.
Start by analyzing the performance of your previous posts and selecting the best ones. Start with one of them and create specific targeting for your intended audience. Include job titles, skill sets, locations, groups, etc.
Consider purchasing lead generation ads as a final step to promote your webinar on LinkedIn. These ads are displayed on the right-hand side of the page in the LinkedIn feeds sidebar. This is an ideal location to capture the attention of LinkedIn users and alert them to offers by other members on the platform.
Webinar Promotion Examples
It is helpful to look at how other people have used the method to promote their websites on social media. Below are a few examples to help you get started.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp and its products and services may be well-known to you. The company also offers webinars that cover a wide range of topics they know will be of interest to the target audience. Consider this webinar on how to run a successful campaign. The LinkedIn post includes a professionally-tailored visual listing the speakers along with headshots of two of them. The first sentence of the description asks a question to get at what their audience wants – tips for running a successful campaign.
Hotjar
One way to promote your webinar via social media, as mentioned above, is by asking the guest speaker to share information with their network. Hotjar promotes a webinar that will be hosted by a different company (Hotspot), but it also shows its CEO as a guest speaker. The post’s image includes the title, as well as the names, titles, and headshots of all of the speakers. The post text consists of a registration link that viewers can use to attend.
App Dynamics
Alan Rosser, the leader of App Dynamics, adds a blog post to his feed. This is separate from the page for his company. This LinkedIn post is a great example because it has a visual. The image is attractive without being overpowering. The image is both professional and creative.
GoToWebinar
Consider this example from GoToWebinar. The LinkedIn promotion has a unique caption and image, while the introduction is brief but attention-grabbing. The LinkedIn promotion also includes a link.
Lawfirmmechanics
Lawfirmmechanics has used hashtags to maximum effect for this Instagram webinar promotion. A search for #legalwebinar, for example, will bring them to an audience who may not have been aware of their existence until now. This highly visual platform requires that the image in the post stands out. The first sentence in the accompanying text — ATTENTION, ATTORNEYS — creates a sense of urgency. FEW HOURS LEFT!
Define your audience
The key word is “niche”. People choose the sources of information they want to pay careful attention to.
To make something compelling, you need to define a public. Avoid using broad definitions, such as “women aged 29-45”.
This doesn’t tell you much about the people to whom you want to speak.
Go for a detailed profile that focuses on lifestyle.
You may, for example, choose to address “mothers with children younger than five who live in smaller towns.”
Select a relevant topic.
It would be best if you now discovered what’s relevant to them. Create an empathy map to find out the pains that your target audience has and how you can solve them.
Here’s a video explaining how to use an empathy map:
Be specific, too. You can find millions of articles, videos, and tutorials on any topic you wish.
Your webinar will only be interesting to a person if you answer a question that they have not yet found an adequate answer to.
Benefit from the wider scenario
Moments of transformation can be a great ally for those who wish to establish themselves as an authority in a particular field.
Most people are uncertain about how to act and what to say in the face of change.
Take the role of leader and show the people the way, and they will follow.
Promote a Webinar that explains the current situation, future scenarios and what people, and companies, should do.
You can share the latest news in your field with your audience if you work in a disruptive sector, like healthcare, life science, or technology.