Have you ever sat through a webinar that you had high hopes for, only to leave feeling disappointed and unfulfilled at the end of the hour? Why so many webinars are bad is mind boggling to me. It’s a pandemic. But, it doesn’t need to be this way.
What I am most interested in exploring here is how we can learn from bad webinars and apply it to other marketing efforts. Here are some lessons I’ve learned (or have been reinforced) over my many hours as a victim to ineffective webinars:
Make sure your content, webinars and beyond, keeps your audience awake and engaged.
1) Make no assumptions. You’ve heard it over and over again, but it cannot be overstated: know your audience. In the last webinar I sat through, it took 37 minutes to get to the content I had been waiting for. The first 37 minutes was spent selling me on the idea of the content. If I wasn’t sold on the idea, I wouldn’t have signed up for the webinar!
Presenters of this webinar could have avoided this, and taken the opportunity to customize their content, by asking 3 questions during registration: What is it about this webinar/topic that intrigues you? What is your level of expertise with the content? What is your most urgent question about this topic?
2) Set the right expectation with a title that matches your content. Many times I’ve seen “cute” titles for webinars or a play on words clearly intended to grab attention and compete with the myriad of other webinars vying for attention. Don’t do that. Titles can’t be just about a bait and switch designed to rack up registrations, link clicks or whatever action you’re attempting to generate. The title, and the copy to support it, is what your audience is clinging to as an expectation of what they will receive. Don’t play with your audiences’ heads. Just deliver on what you promise.
3) Be a resource. I’ve hosted webinars that have generated criticism too, but, based on feedback from viewers, it seems that I achieve one successful outcome: giving away a lot of highly valuable and useful content. Whether you’re writing a white paper or a blog post, dig deep to call up: personal stories, other smart people, case studies, stats, where you see evolution and anything that your audience can only get from you. If you need to set the stage with theory and abstractions, do so. But, if your title and description promises useful, put-it-into-play information, make sure people leave your webinar/white paper/article/etc. with things to do.
4) Be interesting and engaging. You are part of the content. People like to connect with people. Don’t forget to be human and bring out your personality and opinions. People will trust you more if you are honest and engaging. Be fearless about letting them get to know and you will be memorable, followed and shared.
5) If you won’t learn from it, do something else. When I attend a conference or webinar, I learn just as much from the people who attend as I do the presenter. My colleague Steve Machesney would say that entering into any content creation with the test and learn mindset will result in more opportunities for your business. I agree. Only good can come from unearthing your market’s pain points and successes.
6) Formats are not one size fits all. If a webinar won’t do your content justice, than write a white paper. Tell a story on Twitter and then Storify it. Use Prezi and share it via online channels. Get yourself into a conference and present it live. Critically looking at the intent of your content and what format will do it justice, increases the chances of your audience connecting with you.
7) Create for tomorrow, as well as for today. The content you create is an investment in your thought leadership. When creating the content, think about how you can leverage it in other ways now (such as for booking speaking gigs and as a prospecting tool) and in the future, like archiving it online in visible areas for future audiences to get to know you. If you approach content creation with longevity in mind, it will force you to be even more thoughtful about what you present for that specific instance.
As a format, the webinar is a tough customer. It requires the presenter to be engaging to an audience that they can’t see. And, while it might seem to allow for discussion, particularly with the Q&A format at the end of the presentation, it’s not conducive to robust group conversation. Webinars are a convenient and low-cost way to reach your audiences (you can host one in your house slippers and they’re easy to set up and promote). But, because the production is easy, maybe presenters don’t take them as seriously or as thoughtfully as they should?
Webinar or other format, I see missed opportunities when content is produced without thought and intention. Your audiences deserve better. And, your ability to generate trust and more clients for your business does too.
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Posted by:
Suzi Craig
Email the author:
suzi@fathom.net
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