How to combat webinar fatigue: 3 do’s and don'ts

As many of us continue to work from home, we are more dependent than ever on technological solutions. This means virtual meetings instead of in-person meetings, walks to our designated home office instead of commuting to the workplace, and of course, more webinars instead of live events. 

A survey by Statista reports that 83% of marketers find webinars effective but only 41% of them actually attend webinars right now: people are experiencing webinar fatigue. It is a phenomenon that has emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where there is an increased use of webinars and online meetings.   

If you've ever organized a webinar, you will know that it requires a lot of preparation. It would be a waste of time and money if no one attends.

Let's take a look at 3 webinar do's and don'ts to combat webinar fatigue.  

Webinar do's

1.     Create value for your audience

Before you start organizing your webinar, you'll have to choose your webinar topic. Pick a topic that answers questions your audience frequently ask and try to be specific. For example, during a webinar on Artificial Intelligence, you can focus on how businesses can successfully use AI.   

In general, your webinar should add value to your audience. Think about questions you answer a lot. Is there something that you find yourself repeatedly explaining to different customers or clients? What topics are you an expert on? Consider choosing an educational subject, as some of the best webinars are those that solve a problem. 

2.     Find a speaker who’s an expert on the webinar topic

Your speakers can either make or break the webinar. They can turn it into an interactive, exciting, and informative presentation, or bore the audience. A skilled speaker will typically come across as more confident, less scripted, and more comfortable, keeping the audience more engaged during the webinar.   

Selecting a field expert will add credibility and draw more people to register and attend the event. You can either select speakers from within your organization, industry experts, or influencers. External speakers can also leverage their network to give your webinar more visibility. But keep in mind that they can be quite expensive.

3.     Promote your webinar

Treat your webinar like a product or service launch. Build an integrated marketing plan to generate enthusiasm, boost registrations, and convert registrants into engaged participants. 

1. Start with creating a landing page

You'll need to add the following information:

• The headline topic (+ catchy title!)

• A description of the schedule including what will be discussed

• A registration form that collects the contact details you need 

• The date and time of your webinar (On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, at 11 am, 2 pm or 4 pm, attendance is highest) 

• Information about the speaker(s)

2. Set up a thank you page that visitors land on once they register through your form

With a thank you page, you will be able to further engage with your registrants. Ask them, for example, to share what they would like to learn during the webinar with a quick poll.

Sending out "Friendly reminder" emails are also helpful. Send them out as the day of the webinar gets closer. 

3.  Start promoting your webinar on social media

Sharing posts on social media is free, and your company's followers are already interested in your products or services. If you've got a dedicated following, they may share your post and promote your webinar for you.  

Your colleagues can also share the webinar via their network on LinkedIn. Interacting with posts from companies helps to increase impressions.

4. Email marketing will go a long way in helping you increase your webinar sign-ups

To get the best out of your email marketing, split your email list into segments, and send personalized emails accordingly.  

Determine how frequently you want to remind your registrants about your webinar in the days leading up to the event. You can also place a banner with a link to your landingpage in your email signature.

5. Following up after the event is just as important as promoting it beforehand

Send an email thanking your registrants for attending your webinar with a link to the recording or slides. Your audience chose to spend time with you. Let them know how much you appreciate it, by giving them a free consultation or discount code for a next purchase.

Webinar don'ts

1.     Turn your webinar into a monologue

No one likes an endless monologue from one speaker. Presenters must try to establish a consistent, engaging dialogue with the audience. 

Think about it – having to listen to someone speak for an hour without any interaction? Not exactly the dream. Having an exciting back and forth exchange of ideas on a topic you’re eager about? A completely different experience. You’ve got to get your audience to engage to truly care about your message and retain the value.

Take time throughout your presentation to ask your participants questions. The average webinar has less than 50 attendees. With a smaller group, you can focus on engaging with each person individually and have a meaningful conversation. A dialogue is always more effective than a monologue. 

2.     Memorize your text by heart

Although you should know your talking points, memorizing the presentation word for word can be dangerous. Live events mean that anything can happen: be flexible and prepared to improvise when necessary. 

If you like to have a little more something to hold on too, you can create a webinar script. As the word script gives away, it includes a short intro, a schedule and timing details.

 3. Announce your webinar a few days in advance

As we wrote before, you should treat your webinar as any other product launch. Take time beforehand to plan everything out carefully and in time.

If you announce your webinar a few days before it starts, you will not be able to convince many people to participate. We recommend to do this at least 4-8 weeks before the actual event - this way, people can easily fit it into their busy work schedules.

Webinars are a powerful way to communicate in-depth information in an engaging setup. Organizing a webinar takes a lot of preparation, coordination, and follow-through.

Get in touch with us if you have some questions or can use our help. We are happy to advise you.