How To Improve Webinar Participation Rates

Today, many marketers use webinars during which a large audience, comfortably seated, attends a presentation, and interacts in complete freedom. Do you also want to embark on the webinar adventure and guarantee a good participation rate? Here are a few tips to improve webinar participation rates:

Create a Communication Plan

“Send the right message, to the right person, at the right time, on the right channel”, it says it all. 

Objective: To make people want what you offer!

Aim for the right target: 

Your audience must be qualified, segmented to be receptive to the issue addressed. A webinar on “brand marketing” will not interest HR managers, for example.

The right message: 

Choose a powerful subject inspired by a market issue where you will demonstrate your expertise. For example, “how to drive thousands of visitors to your website.”

At the right time: 

Organize your webinar on Tuesday or Wednesday. It is not ideal to host your webinar on the eve of long weekends or on public holidays.

On the right channel:

In your invitation email, include a detailed registration form by adding fields that will be relevant to your post-event actions (name of contact, company, email, position, etc.). 

Use a Social Buzz:

“Create the buzz” on social networks! Your “followers” will be your best ambassadors and you can earn up to 10% additional subscribers *. On average, 26% of registrations are made on the day of your webinar.

Promote on your website:

Display the webinar information on your website or via a banner and in the signature of your e-mails.  
Once the logistics have been established, tell yourself that optimizing participation also means keeping your guests’ attention from start to finish!

Involve your Audience

Any participating is good but keeping your audience participating until the end is better!

To engage your audience and make your presentation dynamic, follow these basic tips:

• Test the webinar platform beforehand and confirm that access is easy for your attendees. We are in the era of “user-friendly”, if your participants cannot access your page in less than 15 seconds, they will be discouraged!
• Opt for a warm, professional, and uncluttered space.
• Smile, you are on camera! Good humor is contagious!
• Design your presentation for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
• Vary the media – presentation, diagrams or videos, etc…
• Be pragmatic – give priority to social proof, statistics, examples, and case studies.

It is all about interaction with your audience. It’s easier to leave a webinar than to push through a row of ten people in an auditorium. 

• Take advantage of interactive tools. 
• Encourage your attendees to ask questions using the chat feature.
• Include a survey with simple, check-off responses. 

You will immediately take the temperature of the webinar this way.

Keep in touch after the Webinar

The absent are not always wrong! Do not perceive non-participation as a failure. Following your webinar, get back in touch with those who didn’t attend:

• Send an email with access to the webinar replay.
• If you are going to run a repeat webinar then include an invitation link.

Make your webinar accessible to everyone.

By using a combined multichannel strategy, creativity, organization, and energy, you will more easily be able to reach a participation rate of 50%.