The
Background Buzz Insider
September 16, 2014
7
tips on using email to drive webinar attendance
Webinars can
be a smart way to help people learn more about your company or
brand, and email marketing is one of the best ways to get the
message out about an event. Here are some promotion dos and don'ts,
courtesy of Janine Popick, CEO and co-founder of online marketing
provider VerticalResponse.
1)
Don't forget the basics. It might sound silly, but marketers
often forget the most salient information when sending out a promotional
email, such as date, time or program name, Popick said. Identify
the time zone, for example, and include opt-out—and opt-in—links.
In addition, make sure there's a link that recipients can click
on to preregister for the program.
2)
Do keep content simple. Webinar invitations should include
the who, what and why right upfront. Provide a bio for anyone
speaking at the event and bullet points that detail exactly what
participants should expect to take away from the program. "Really
hype the speaker and [his or her] legitimacy," Popick said.
"You want people to walk away from your message with a good
idea of why they need to attend."
3)
Don't be shy about reminders. If someone has signed up
for your program, remind them a week before and then again the
day before. It won't seem intrusive if you keep it basic, including
a link to the program, the time and day reminder, and a quick
synopsis of what the recipient should expect. "The message
can be changed up a bit, but the bullet points should probably
stay the same," Popick said.
4)
Do use email as a follow-up vehicle. Once someone takes
the time to attend a webinar, it's crucial that you reach them
in some way immediately following the event. Emails should include
a link to the recorded webinar as well as a thank you. Prospects
may also receive a special offer. "Segment your attendee
list into attendees and registrants. Then segment each into prospects
and customers," Popick suggested. "Leads who didn't
attend should get a link and a special offer."
5)
Don't overlook the power of testimonials. You probably
use case studies and customer quotes in traditional email marketing.
It can work just as well in webinar promotions. You can include
links to previous webinars in your current invitation and call
out the benefits of attending one of your events by letting a
recent attendee explain what he or she got out of the experience,
Popick said.
6)
Do cull webinar transcripts and materials for future email content.
During a successful webinar you may receive more questions
than you have time to answer. Those questions can be repurposed
as e-newsletter content or blog fodder, Popick said. "You
can include a sentence in the follow-up email that says, ‘If
you didn't get your question answered, check out our blog,' "
she said. You can excerpt one or two so registrants who didn't
attend have another reason to click through to the recorded webinar.
7)
Don't oversell yourself. Webinars work best when they
are used for thought leadership and education; you don'twant your
entire program to be too self-promotional. Don't be afraid to
tap speakers from outside your company, Popick said. "You
want your speaker to be viewed as a best practice guru within
your industry," she said.
Originally
pubished in btobonline.com
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