How to create a Webinar

How to Create a Webinar

Webinars are quickly becoming a top contender in virtual events! Learn how to create an engaging webinar for your business that audiences everyone will love.
Hubilo
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November 22, 2022

Webinars: A digital avenue to engage customers on various topics

How to create a webinar is an art and science, blended with a dash of marketing savvy. As you embark on this digital venture, remember, the primary goal is to share knowledge and insights that resonate with your audience. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to craft a webinar that not only educates but also engages and expands your customer base.

How to create a webinar

If you're prepared to launch your first webinar, follow these steps to make sure everything is set up to go well.

1. Choose your webinar topic

You can host a webinar on a variety of topics! Narrow down what you think your audience will value learning about; webinars are great for sharing information on a certain product or service you have. Dive into the realm of topics that align with your business ethos and audience interest. The beauty of webinars is their ability to traverse a multitude of subjects, be it showcasing a new product or offering a deep-dive into industry trends.

2. Choose a webinar platform

There are many webinar platforms to choose from! It’s important to pick one that has ample engagement features to make sure your audience interacts with the content. Picking the right webinar software is pivotal. Look for platforms that offer a plethora of engagement features like live chats, polls, and contests, making the digital experience interactive and lively.

3. Scheduling your webinar

Use insights from your business to decide when the best time to host your webinar is. For B2B businesses, hosting it during the work day may be best, while for B2C customers having something after 5 pm or on weekends may be a better option. Make sure to give people advanced notice so they can plan accordingly and have a place to watch with the least distractions.

4. Brand integration

Your webinar is the perfect opportunity to enforce your company branding! Incorporate your brand’s colors along with logos and copy that aligns with your brand voice. Webinar hosting platforms like Hubilo allow you to add all sorts of branding, like a custom landing page and multiple banner placements.

5. Creating a hashtag for your webinar

An event hashtag is a great marketing tactic to promote your event and get your audience engaged. Your viewers can share what they’re excited for before the event and what they learned after the event through the webinar hashtag. 

webinar hashtag

6. Send out your webinar invitations

Use your different online channels to promote your webinar once you have the details figured out. Send out webinar invites to contacts through email, social media, and promote it on your website. 

Read and Learn: How to Harness Webinars for a 2X Pipeline Boost

7. Build webinar content

Figure out what kind of content you want to have for your webinar. You can choose presentations, polls, or a whiteboard to present during your event. Well-structured content is the cornerstone of effective webinars.

webinar content

8. Do a practice run

Have your team and guest speakers check out the webinar software you’ve selected ahead of time in case they have trouble with any platform parts. Have them also run through their presentation beforehand to ensure everything goes smoothly and the right information is presented. 

9. Host your webinar

The day has finally arrived! As you play the role of a webinar host, ensure the session is recorded. The recorded content is a treasure trove for future digital marketing endeavors.

10. Follow up after the webinar

Just because your event is over doesn’t mean you should not follow up with webinar viewers afterwards. 24 hours after the event, ask your webinar viewers if they had any questions or comments about the event. 

11. Make your webinar recording available

Share the recorded session on various platforms, offering those who missed it a chance to tune in at their convenience. It’s a great way to produce reusable content for your content marketing strategy.

What are the benefits of hosting a webinar? 

Makes your audience more engaged

Compared to online events like a webcast where the audience interaction is limited, a webinar gets your audience engaged with different features like live chats and breakout sessions. 

Lead generation

When you host a webinar, you can set up the event so you can create new leads out of the new viewers that attend the event. Once the event is over, you can reach out to them using the information they registered with like phone numbers and email addresses. Capture registration details to form a database of potential leads, paving the way for future sales and consulting opportunities.

Guests and speakers are easy to invite

By inviting guest speakers to speak at your webinar, you’re establishing yourself as a reputable and credible source in your industry and with your products. Co-hosts are a great addition to reach a bigger audience. 

More return to investments

Not having to pay for an in-person venue along with the additional costs of in-person events leaves you with the chance to make a bigger return on your virtual event investment. 

Engage audiences with HD video

Video content is everything these days! Your audience will remain focused and engaged if your video quality is up to date. Ensure that the cameras you use and the video hosting platform you use is up to date with great HD video quality. 

Streamline your marketing marketing processes

With a great hosting platform like Hubilo, it’s easy to streamline all areas of hosting a virtual event. Your digital marketing process is no exception - you can promote your event with a custom landing page, send personalized messages to attendees, and run targeted campaigns. You can truly do just about everything with Hubilo!

Expand reach with usable content

On most hosting platforms, you have the ability to record your entire webinar. You can use your recording to then share as content on marketing channels, like social media and email. 

Conduct cost-effective employee meetings

Webinars don’t have to be for big industry updates and product launches. They can be for internal meetings if you work remotely or if you lead a very large team. 

Build greater brand awareness

Webinars can be used to showcase new products that your company launches and spread the word about your company. It’s a great way to establish yourself and your company in any industry. 

Present to more people in less time

Webinars help you to share your message to a bigger audience in less time than an in-person event would. 

Expanding Reach

Share your insights with a broader audience in less time compared to traditional in-person events, showcasing your expertise on a digital platform.

Support tools like Google Ads can be leveraged to promote your webinar, driving traffic to your registration page. Open discussions during your webinar, center around key takeaways, and ensure the experience is enriching for all attendees. This step-by-step guide should serve as a robust foundation as you venture into the world of creating webinars, aiding in building meaningful connections with your audience.

Read and Learn: How to Add Energy, Impact, and Results at Every Stage of Your Webinar

14 tips for hosting a successful and engaging webinar 

1. Thank the audience

If your audience is spending their free time joining in on your webinar, you want to make sure you thank them for that time! After the event, follow up with an email thanking every guest for tuning in and ask if they have any questions.Include a link with the recorded webinar session as well for them to watch it back! 

2. Take note of the people who did not attend

Just because some people were not able to attend your event doesn’t mean they should not be acknowledged! With the average webinar attendance rate of 40%, it’s important to recognize audience members who were unable to attend. Send those guests who were not able to attend the event recording with a message detailing that they were missed. 

3. Find the perfect title for your webinar

Choosing a catchyFinding the perfect title for your webinar event will help to get the general public interested about it and will get them intrigued. If you have a good title, they’ll want to learn more and attend your event. 

4. Schedule your webinars for the right time

The date and timing for your webinar event is another important factor! If you’re targeting B2C businesses, consider hosting your event during a time when most people are free, such as weekends or after 5 o’clock pm during weekdays. For B2B companies, host your event during the day when you know they’ll be available. No matter what date or time you decide on, make sure to send out the planned date and time early in advance to guests so they have adequate time to plan for it. 

5. Co- brand your webinars

 One of the best parts about working with an experienced video hosting platform like Hubilo is that you have the ability to brand your webinar to cater to your company. You can customize different themes, colors, logos and more. 

6. Promote your webinar

The best way to get the word out about your webinar is by promoting it! Work with your marketing team to figure out a plan to promote the webinar on platforms like social media. Use content that will make people want to register and watch your webinar, like promotional videos. 

7. Broadcast your webinar with invites

Announce your webinar is happening by sending an announcement email. In your email, you can include a link that brings people directly to the registration page on your website. 

8. Perfect your story

To keep your audience engaged and talking about your webinar long after it ends, prioritize having great content! Provide content that delivers a story that best represents the messages you want to get across to viewers. 

9. Add presenter bios to the registration page

Draw people into your event by adding speaker highlights on your webinar registration page. It will reflect well on you and your event if you showcase the accomplishments of the speakers you have in your webinar. 

10. Create polls to get attendees involved

Engagement is key for a successful webinar! You can hold polls for your audience to complete about the webinar content or to get feedback on the event. 

11. Do a trial run before the main event

Don’t let any unexpected issues get in the way of hosting a great webinar! Run a trial with your team and with your hosting platform to ensure any potential hiccups before the big virtual event day comes. 

12. Broadcast your webinar

The day has finally arrived for you to showcase all the hard work you’ve been planning for your webinar! Remember to stay confident, share your screen for your viewers, and press the record button once you start. 

13. Get constructive feedback

Following up with your webinar viewers after the event is an effective way to get feedback. Send out a poll or survey via email to see if there was anything that could be improved for future events. 

14. Let your webinar recordings work for you

Webinar recordings can be used to your advantage! If there was a particular part with valuable information you think your online audiences would benefit from, post a snippet onto your social media platform.

Download Hubilo's Webinar Success Blueprint to get our Essential Planning Checklist for Winning Events

Webinar FAQs 

1. How much does it cost to host a webinar? 

The cost of hosting a webinar varies. The main cost of your webinar will be the hosting platform you choose, but there are other factors to consider such as the guest speakers you pay to speak, your promotional efforts and more. 

2. What is the best time and day to host a webinar? 

The time and date you choose to hold your webinar is entirely up to you. It’s important to note the types of schedules your intended audience has; for example, for B2B viewers it may be better to host something during the workday, whereas B2C attendees may have more availability on weekends or after 5 o'clock. 

3. Can an attendee participate with the speaker in a webinar? 

In short, you cannot directly participate with the speaker during a webinar. However, some may allow you to join them with your camera to ask a question or interact with them through live chats and polls. 

4. Can we save the webinar recording? 

Yes! You should be able to view your recording in your account on the hosting platform you use. 

5. Can we record a live webinar? 

Yes, live webinars are able to be recorded! Most video hosting platforms make it easy to record your event and will later save it once the event is over. On average, webinars receive 47% of their views up to 10 days after the initial event. Sharing a recorded webinar is a great way to maximize its reach.

6. Can we record webinar audio and video?

Yes, both audio and video are able to be recorded from your webinar event!  

7. What are the three pillars for successful webinar hosting? 

The three pillars are: 

  1. Create interesting and engaging content for your audience 
  2. Pick an ideal day and time that works for most of your audience 
  3. Practice your public speaking to improve your skills leading up to the event day

Create a Webinar with Hubilo

Creating a webinar that provides great value to your audience is great, but hosting a webinar that isn’t complicated to plan makes it even better! It’s important that you choose a platform that makes this process a breeze, which is why Hubilo is a great option when it comes to planning and hosting a webinar! Whether you need help with webinar registration, branding, or even analytics, Hubilo is your one stop shop to make your next webinar a hit! Request a demo for more details on how Hubilo can help you win your next webinar.

Author
Hubilo

Hubilo is the webinar platform built for marketers that helps you 2X your pipeline. Founded in 2015, Hubilo's powerful engagement features, dedicated client experience team, and custom branding tools have helped create over 12K virtual events & webinars, creating hundreds of millions of minutes of high-engagement experiences and counting. Headquartered in Bengaluru and San Francisco, Hubilo's 200+ employees are dedicated to enabling webinars & virtual events that convert.

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