Webinar marketing has come to be a favorite tool for marketing departments in all types of companies across all segments. The webinar has the perception of exclusivity and value, giving prospective clients an “inside look” that will give them the information they need to make their buying decisions.  A few best practices for webinars should be used to maximize sales and visibility.

1. Webinar Marketing – Keep it exclusive.

It would certainly be possible to simply record a presentation and deliver it on-demand over the Internet, but that defeats the purpose of the perceived exclusivity of a webinar. Some best practices for using webinar software includes using it as a tool to capture contact information by requiring the participant to register. This serves two purposes. First, the webinar registration form gives you a database of interested prospects, and second, the simple act of registration enhances the sense that the participant is getting something of value (at no cost to them).

2. Webinar Marketing – Make sure your attendees don’t forget.

The prospect may initially be excited on the subject of your webinar, but may forget between sign-up and the day of the event. Another of the best practices for conducting a webinar is to send email reminders periodically. This  includes once the day before, and once on the morning of the webinar event, to keep it fresh in their minds.

3. Webinar Marketing – Follow up your webinar with summaries and more information.

As one of the best practices for webinar marketing, you should send each participant a brief email thanking them for their participation. Include a summary of the main points covered during the event, a value-add in the form of a short e-book or conventional white paper, and a “call to action” to invite them to schedule a meeting with a sales representative.

4. Webinar Marketing – Be prepared for your webinar.

As with any presentation, live or otherwise, one of the best practices for conducting a webinar  is to show up prepared. You may rely on anything from a series of note cards to a full, professionally-written script, depending on the nature of the content and your skills as a speaker. Do a run-through of your webinar ahead of time. Besides practicing the speaking part, also take time to run through any slide shows, presentations, or demonstrations you plan to incorporate into your webinar, to make sure everything is working as it should.

5. Webinar Marketing – Use appropriate technology for your webinar.

Before purchasing your webinar software or hosted service, decide what you expect to accomplish and what webinar features will help you do so. A full-featured webinar may incorporate a video feed, a two-way audio solution (through a phone bridge or VoIP connection), and interactive utilities such as IM or a whiteboard. In addition, make sure the back-end controls are easy to understand and use, so that you can focus your energy on the delivery, and not the webinar technology.

6. Webinar Marketing – Know the objective of your webinar.

Of course, your webinar marketing is a sales tool, but your objective for the webinar may vary. You may host a webinar targeted at existing customers, with the goal of reinforcing customer loyalty; or you may host your webinar targeted at prospective customers, for generating new leads. If you’re targeting existing customers with your webinar marketing, then you should incorporate value-added information that may educate your audience about little-known features; or information about complementary products that may lead to a cross-sell opportunity.