Webinars have become one of the most popular marketing channels for solution providers. Hosting thought leadership and professional learning webinars is a great way for a company at any stage, particularly in these challenging times, to engage with educators for brand recognition, lead generation, content marketing, market insights, and nurturing relationships with education experts and leaders.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, and Jerri Kemble, National Academic Advisor and Evangelist for ClassLink, presented a recent edWebinar on best practices and tips for successful webinars. edWeb.net has been hosting “edWebinars” for professional learning and thought leadership for over 15 years.

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Or Read On! You’ll walk away with 10 insider tips for a great webinar.

The Many Benefits of Webinar Marketing

Webinars are the best content marketing, and they’re a great way to build relationships with leading educators. They help create brand recognition, generate leads, and deepen connections with colleagues and leaders you might never meet in person. Explore the many benefits of webinar marketing:

• Virtual conferences anyone can attend at a much lower cost than a live conference.
• Professional learning for educators in all roles and all levels.
• A great source of leads for sales and marketing.
• A great way to build relationships with presenters—experts, ed leaders, and customers.
• An online focus group with live chats that provide valuable market insights.
• Great resources for sales and marketing—video, podcast, and print content!

Webinars bring educators and solution providers together in a convenient, collaborative, learning experience that is engaging and enjoyed by all.

10 Insider Tips for a Great Webinar

Here are Lisa and Jerri’s tips for a great webinar experience and result!

Tip #1: Present timely topics for your target audience

Both Lisa and Jerri agreed: Your topic is the most important draw for any webinar. “We get as many as 3,000 registrations” for webinars on popular issues like mental health, the science of reading, and managing student behavior,” said Lisa. If you want to reach school and district leaders, be sure the topic is focused on their top concerns.

Tip #2: Presenters should reflect your target audience

Educators love learning from fellow educators and experts in the field. Lisa recommends recruiting presenters who reflect the audience you are trying to attract. Jerri mentioned it’s incredibly important to think intergenerationally and include voices of all ages. “It’s great to have students come and add their perspective, too,” Lisa said. Feature your speakers and presenters clearly with their headshots and credentials. Educators will be attracted to your topic and who will be presenting.

Tip #3: Create a compelling webinar promotion

How you craft your title and description for the webinar has a big impact on your registrations and attendance.

• Keep your webinar title clear and short.
• Clearly describe the purpose and goals of the program and the target audience for the program.
• Discuss how the content can benefit different roles: teachers, administrators, etc.
• It’s important that your description accurately describes the presentation.
• Provide a CE certificate.
• Offer additional resources or special offers for attending.
• Have a strong call-to-action (CTA) as you close.

Tip #4: A good marketing plan is key for success

Create a pre- and post-marketing plan to get the maximum value from the webinar.

• Allow six weeks to promote your webinar.
• Post your webinar on your website, promote via email and social media, and add it to your newsletters.
• Send announcements to your team, customers, and prospects.
• Have a strong call-to-action and offer for the closing of your webinar that you carry through your post-webinar promotion.
• Nurture leads with follow-up promotions. The education sales cycle can be long.
• Create a series of webinars for ongoing engagement!

Tip #5: Make the presentation fun and engaging

Webinars are fun! Turn on the presenter webcams, have an open live chat, use a variety of tools (but not too many), and have a good time.

• Use webcams and an open chat.
• Open the webinar room early to welcome attendees in the chat.
• Use polls, waterfalls, word clouds, and questions in the chat to get attendees engaged.
• Show video clips and play music.
• Give free resources and prizes!

It’s surprising how many people get nervous presenting a webinar. Have a team provide support, post helpful info, and added resources to make it easier for everyone.

Tip #6: Prepare ahead for a successful webinar

Advanced preparation makes all the difference. Make a checklist. Organizing a webinar can be like herding cats to get everyone ready.

• Have a program manager in charge of all aspects of planning, production, tech, and support.
• Have a program “host” for your webinars who represents your organization, introduces the presenter(s), monitors the chat, and moderates the Q&A session.
• Give clear instructions and deadlines to presenters and provide tips on personal presentation and setting.
• Set up a tech check and practice session one to two weeks beforehand to be sure everyone’s good to go with their tech, the platform, and the run-of-show.
• Log in 30 minutes early, review the run-of-show, and make sure everything is working.

Tip #7: Follow up immediately after your webinar

What you do after the webinar is as important as all the prep and promotion beforehand. Draft your emails and follow-up campaigns ahead of time so they are ready to go!

• Send a thank you to your presenters and provide the recording and chat log.
• Send a thank you and certificate to attendees.
• Send the recording to registrants who didn’t attend.
• Provide a free resource and call-to-action.
• Follow up personally with attendees.
• Send the hot prospects to your sales team.
• Add leads to your CRM for nurturing campaigns.
• Review the chat log for market insights, product ideas, and messaging.
• Invite your leads to your next webinar!

Tip #8: Webinars create great marketing content

Webinars make great content that can then be sliced and diced in all kinds of ways to share across websites, social media, and within your organization.

• A video recording, podcast, and summary article of your webinar are great content.
• Make highlight reels and shorts of important takeaways for pre- and post-promotion.
• Create images, infographics, and other visual content.
• Use it for your website, blog, emails, newsletters, and social media promotions.
• Send it to your sales team, customers, and prospects.
• Build your knowledge on the subject and issues for your brand leadership.

Tip #9: Use AI to help!

AI is reshaping the planning, promotion, and creation of webinars. “We’re just at the beginning,” of a remarkable evolution, said Lisa.

• AI can help with topic ideas, titles, descriptions, and image creation.
• Use AI to summarize chat logs and live chat transcripts.
• AI can write a blog post or article about your webinar.
• Use AI to analyze and prioritize your leads.
• Use AI to create clip reels and marketing content.

The possibilities are endless.

Tip #10: Try hosting an edWebinar with edWeb!

Over 500 education organizations have presented webinars on edWeb.

Check out testimonials from our sponsors.

Reach out to us here to request more information on our edWebinar and edLeader Panel sponsorship options.