I already discussed in an earlier blog the advantages of online conferences, but recently I participated in a webinar given by TechSoup titled, “Tips and Templates for a Successful Web Event.” Web events can only enhance the participation and enthusiasm for your next live event. If you want to increase participation at your next conference, you have to effectively market your event, and since everyone is online these days, you have to use online tools to reach your audience. Sales and Marketing departments account for 79% of the groups that are using web events. Do you think that are on to something?
The Basics
Web Event vs. Web Conference– Yes, there is a difference:
Web Conference – goal sharing discussion, usually among 3-10 people
Web Event – Get ideas transferred, unlimited number of people, involves interaction
TechSoup’s webinar discussed the changing business culture and increase of virtual offices, and in the growth of technology knowledge and use among the workforce.
How Are You Going to Market Your Next Annual Conference?
• Email
• Link on your Website’s Homepage
• FaceBook,
• Twitter
• Web Event???
Plan your Conference Marketing Web Event
• 6- 8 weeks out, start planning your strategy with a timeline
• Develop Content
• What are your takeaways?
• How are you going to promote your pre-conference web event?
• Arrange a Guest Speaker or Expert – build a buzz around your Keynote speaker, have him or her give a teaser of things to come at your conference, leave your audience wanting more. It’s also a good way for your speaker to tailor their presentation to your group. Use audio clips and of their web event discussion on your website to engage your audience, which equals more marketing for your conference.
• Decide on how you will promote your web event – email, social networking
• The title of your web event should be short and descriptive
• Set Registration Date
• Draft slide presentation – 2 weeks prior
• Plan on a Q & A Session
• Select a Date and Time – Tuesdays, Wed and Thurs are the best days. Consider the time zone of most of your audience
• Schedule a rehearsal time and date
• Slides
• When will reminder emails be sent?
• Plan Follow up email with slides and recording
• Call to Action – Register for your annual conference – include registration information and benefits in your web event
How to Keep you Audience Engaged – courtesy of TechSoup, ReadyTalk and AMA
• Present something that is memorable and that sticks
• Beginning with a clear outline of what they will gain from attending
• Address housekeeping items (copies of slide, recording, Q&A, Twitter hash tag) early
• Include a picture of the speaker on the introduction slide
• Set up a Twitter hash tag for your event
• Design a theme so attendees’ logical next step is your call to action
• Realize that your listeners will be multi-tasking while sitting at their computer, so here’s a few tips to pull them back to listening to your webinar:
- Change the quality of your voice, measured tones
- Specifically say, “Look at this in the middle of the screen.”
- Engage their intellectual process and ask questions, such as, “What do you think?” “Can you come up with…?”
- Have a conversation – think about radio morning shows and their style – it works.
PowerPoint Slide Tips and Techniques
• While your audience is waiting for your presentation to begin you can engage your listeners by providing a Word find puzzle that includes words that are industry specific or words that will be used in your presentation.
• Have your slides only contain titles and use jpg images on the rest of the slides – your audience will have to listen and they are not able to read along
• Use images and quotes to evoke emotion and creativity
PowerPoint Resources:
• Dave Paradi’s PowerPoint Blog and think outside the slide
- Dave’s Survey: Top Five Most Annoying Presenter Habits:
- The speaker read the slide to us
- Text so small I couldn’t read it
- Full sentences instead of bullet points
- Slides hard to see because of color choice
- Overly complex diagrams or charts
• Presentation Zen for slide design
• Beyond Bullet Points
Follow –Up
Follow up the same day by emailing slides or takeaways, and be sure to contact the no-shows. Tell them that you’re sorry that they couldn’t attend your event, and be sure to provide them with a link to additional resources.
Recently I signed up for a web event for one of my favorite vacation spots, but I missed the event because it was in the evening during December, (Hint: Mid/Late-December is not a good time to hold a web event, even when it’s for fun or entertainment purposes, because people have a lot on their to-do lists in December.) The next day I received a phone call from their customer service representative, where he told me he was sorry that I missed the event and he gave me the dates and times of two more presentations. He also reminded me that I would receive a custom print if I attended their event, but he did not tell me what picture would be on the print, (a nice takeaway for attending a web event) so they left their vague takeaway description as a way to entice me into viewing their web event. The reminder phone call and free take away are good examples on how to promote and how to follow up on your event.
Two days later I received an email from them, and they asked me to take a survey on why I missed their web event. It was a quick, three question survey. They wanted to know if I missed it because, I forgot, if I decided not to participate, or if something better came up. They also asked if I would sign up for any of their future webcasts. Making follow up phone calls may not be possible for your organization, but a free and quick survey created on is a practical way to obtain feedback.
Record Content
Let your audience know that they will be receiving a copy of the recorded content via email, so that they can sit back and enjoy your presentation. They’re also more likely to become a participant in your discussion by submitting questions, because they don’t have to worry about taking notes.
• Build an online library with your recorded content, so that your audience has a place to go to find valuable information.
• Use Social Media to promote your archived content – use Twitter to promote your list of archived content on your website, and keep it available for one year.
• Track who views your online archives
• Re-purpose – Use snippets and cut out brief segments of your web event to promote new events on your website’s homepage or for marketing your annual conference.
Metrics – How do you determine a successful event?
• Rule of Thumb – Quality over Quantity: measure against Registration Numbers vs. Actual Attendees: 55-60% is a good return.
• Questions to ask:
- Has this shortened your sales cycle, or have conference registrations increased?
- Will your listens become customers/association members 6 months down the road?
- See who stays with you over time
Final Tips:
• Practice, Practice, Practice – including technology and content
The webinar ending with a simple, but important recommendation: “When you are in doubt about planning your next web event, Google: web conference techniques.” There is a lot of information out there on this subject matter.
