How to Build a Webinar? A Step-by-Step Guide to Generating More Leads and Sales

Webinars are getting more love and popularity than ever. 95% of the marketers surveyed admitted that webinars are a crucial part of their marketing strategies.

Webinars are online events such as a class, seminar, or lesson to educate people on a specific topic in your industry. This educational format increases brand visibility and credibility, allowing people to understand your business in-depth.

But how to build a webinar that successfully converts attendees into customers?

The process requires careful planning and execution, which we’ll review in this comprehensive guide. We’ll walk you through the entire process of choosing the perfect topic, crafting compelling content, and promoting webinars on the right platforms.

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The Power of Webinars in Modern Email Marketing

Webinars and email marketing create a powerful synergy to increase lead generation, customer engagement, and, ultimately, sales.

Integrating webinars into your email marketing strategy can create a powerful marketing funnel to increase conversions.

It doesn’t end there — below, we’ll discuss more use cases and benefits of using webinars.

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Importance of Lead Generation and Sales Through Webinars

Webinars can help you increase customer engagement when implemented properly. For example, you can utilize videos to ask questions or encourage participants to take a survey or a poll.

This is especially helpful for lead-generation efforts. By providing insider tips and industry insights, you’re typically helping potential clients see your brand’s worth. In addition, webinars help you identify qualified leads based on their interests and level of engagement.

A webinar is the right approach whether you want to improve lead-generation efforts or promote offers and product benefits to existing customers.

Here are webinar-related statistics to back up our research.

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Webinar Statistics to Guide Your Strategy

Hubspot analyzed heaps of data and consolidated the following webinar statistics.

Type of Statistic	Description
General webinar statistic	‣ Webinars help lower the cost per lead ‣ 38% of marketers consider webinars critical to their digital communication efforts ‣ 85% of professionals prefer webinars to be in the video format
Webinar conversion statistics	‣ 49% of marketers say webinars help them reach targeted accounts ‣ 91% of professionals who watch a webinar take the next step ‣ Communication webinars have the highest conversion
Webinar content statistics	‣ 81% of marketers use Q&A tools to engage users ‣ 60-minute webinars perform better than 30-minute ones ‣ Marketers prefer live webinars and on demand

Webinars are cost-effective marketing channels, and with a few simple steps, you can implement powerful webinar email marketing and fine-tune key messages to stand out.

But before we get into the details, let’s understand the basic costs involved in hosting webinars.

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How Much Does it Cost to Create a Webinar?

The cost of hosting a webinar can vary depending on several factors outlined in the table below.

Aspect	Type	Typical Costs	Examples
Webinar platform	Basic	Free	Zoom and Google Meet
	Professional	Ranges from $50 to $500 per month	Demio, GoToWebinar, WebinarJam
Equipment	Basic setup	Minimal additional costs	Computer and video-recording gadgets
	Upgraded setup	It can range from $200 to $1,500+	High-quality cameras, lighting, and other equipment
Webinar content creation	Do it yourself	Free	It involves creating a simple webinar
	Hire an expert	It can range from $500 to $5000+ depending on the professional	It includes high-value content with sophisticated videography and images
Marketing	Basic marketing	Expect to spend around $500	It involves spending on email marketing, social media, and other promotions
	Advanced marketing	It can cost around $1000 to $10,000+	It includes creating a full-scale email marketing campaign with paid ads, influencer promotions, and PR

Apart from the costs mentioned above, you might need to spend on post-production and technical support. The final costs depend on the scope, scale, and type of webinar.

Let’s examine the different types of webinars to give you an idea of overall costs and setup.

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The Different Types of Webinars in Email Marketing

Although email marketing does not directly focus on the webinar content itself, it helps drive attendance for different types of webinars, as shown below.

Webinar Format	What they are	Role of Email Marketing
Live webinars	These are real-time events with immediate audience reaction	Email marketing helps send reminders, create anticipation, and register more people for the event
On-demand webinars	They are pre-recorded webinars available to view at the users’ convenience	Emails can re-engage past attendees, drive participation and initial registrations
Automated webinars	They are a blend of pre-recorded content and live Q&A sessions	Emails are used for initial promotions and to encourage participants to be present during the live session
Hybrid webinars	These include in-person events and virtual elements presented in a live environment	Email marketing is essential to provide information for in-person and online attendees
Lead generation webinars	They focus on capturing potential customer information	Email marketing is used to attract leads, nurture them through the sales funnel, and convert them into customers
Product demonstration webinars	They showcase product features and benefits	Emails create interest, share highlights, and drive sales
Educational webinars	They provide valuable information	Emails are used to position the company as an expert, build trust, and generate leads
Customer onboarding webinars	These webinars welcome new customers and provide guidance toward the next steps	You’ll inform new customers about the process and provide pre and post-webinar support
Customer retention webinars	They help retain customer interest through intriguing and informational webinar content	Emails help engage customers and encourage repeat business

Whatever webinar type you send, emails are typically used to create curiosity and maximize attendance. They help you follow up with customers and guide them through the email marketing funnel.

But before you can send email reminders, you must know how to build a webinar and capture customer interest.

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How to Create a Successful Webinar?

Creating a successful webinar often starts with understanding your target audience. Do they prefer educational content or need to understand your product benefits in-depth?

Using customer segmentation methods can help you divide into groups and target each group with relevant webinar content.

Then, follow the steps below to craft purposeful webinars.

1. Define Goals and Audience

In addition to identifying who you’re trying to reach, understand what you want to achieve with each webinar. Is it lead generation, brand awareness, or educational content? Answering these basic questions will help you define your webinar premises.

Also, review your audience’s pain points and requirements so that you can solve them through webinars.

2. Choose a Compelling Topic

Choose a topic that aligns with viewer preferences. This way, your recipients can forward your webinar emails to other like-minded people.

For example, you can create an educational webinar on lead generation tactics for email marketers or showcase product features for interested in new product launches.

Include the benefits for attendees — it can be a special preview of your latest product feature release or VIP access to a local event. Show recipients what they will gain by attending your webinar. Often, rewards, regardless of size, work well to encourage more participation from people.

3. Select a Webinar Platform

Based on your webinar requirements, you can choose a simple hosting platform like Google Meet or a sophisticated one like Livestorm.

Whether you use a free or a paid tool, prioritize user-friendliness for you and your attendees. If you’re budget-conscious, evaluate the costs based on the number of people attending the webinar and the features you’ll use.

4. Produce and Organize the Content

Analyze the type of webinar and the number of key speakers to determine the content length. For educational webinars, prepare slideshows and relevant data beforehand. You can host a Q&A session after the initial webinar content.

Pay special attention to the logical and consistent flow of your webinar. For example, don’t include images in a few slides and leave the others text-heavy. Keep design principles in mind and only use high-quality videos and images.

For enhanced interaction, you can incorporate polls, Q&A, and audience participation. Allow participants to ask questions when they sign up for a panel discussion or a Q&A session.

5. Promote Your Webinar

The key to a successful webinar is promoting it to the right people on the right platforms. For instance, if more of your users are active on social media, consider uploading intriguing posts about the upcoming webinars.

Email marketing and social media can be a powerful duo to boost awareness and drive sales.

Ensure that you choose the best time to send emails and a date that works well for all audience types.

6. Prepare for All Types of Situations

Sometimes, your webinars might not go the way you expect them to. There could be technical failures, missing content, or fewer attendees. In either case, ensure you have a backup plan to avoid last-minute rush.

Rehearse the presentation and print a hard copy with the notes. In addition, create and use a checklist to help remind you of the critical things to do before and after the webinar, like creating a poll or answering questions.

Once you’re ready with the content and technical setup, the next step is to host your webinar on a reliable platform.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Hosting a Webinar

Preparing and hosting a webinar are two different things. You might have a powerful presentation, but if you fail to stay warm and welcome attendees, most might leave.

The table below outlines the steps to host a proper webinar.

How to Host a Webinar	What to do
Welcome attendees	Warmly greet attendees and establish a rapport
Manage your time efficiently	Stick to your agenda and ensure you engage participants
Introduce the speaker/agenda	Inform the audience about the guest speakers, their profiles, and the overall webinar agenda, if applicable
Engage with your audience	Encourage questions from the audience and prompt them to participate in the discussion
Handle technical issues	Stay calm and address the problem

Let’s review these practices in detail below.

1. Welcome and Greet Attendees

Don’t wait until the last minute to enter the webinar room. As a host, you must be the first to arrive before the webinar starts. Getting there 10 minutes earlier will give sufficient time to technical support staff to ensure everything is ready to go.

If it’s a virtual webinar, start the setup and ensure your voice is clear before the main content goes on screen.

Greet people as they enter the room. You can also ask people to share their cities or specific details about themselves. This data can further help you geographically segment your subscribers for different types of emails.

2. Explain the Webinar’s Benefits and Features

Start by explaining what you intend to do during and after the webinar. For example, inform the audience that you’ll host a Q&A session or polls after the main content.

If you’re recording live and plan to send the webinar at a later date, let your audience know and request them to turn off their microphones.

3. Introduce the Speakers and the Agenda

This step introduces the guest speakers in your webinar. Give your audience a glimpse into what they do and what they are well known for. If you have more time, you can give a brief history about each speaker’s best work. It helps spark curiosity and allows people to understand who they are dealing with.

If you’re a single speaker, introduce yourself and the topic you’ll cover. It’s also good to mention the webinar’s timeline to avoid surprises for the audience.

4. Engage With Your Audience

If you enable the chat option, your audience can post their questions or comments as you move forward with the webinar. However, if you think it’s distracting, you can save it for after the webinar or hold an exclusive Q&A session.

While you’re presenting or explaining the topic, make room for the audience to participate in the conversation. It can be as simple as incorporating a poll or opening a feedback panel.

This can make the audience feel more connected to your brand and the webinar, improving the chances of conversions.

5. Handle Technical Difficulties

Although rare, your webinar might encounter technical difficulties in the form of disabled microphones, technical glitches while presenting, or error messages as participants try to enter the room.

Technical difficulties can occur at any point, even during the presentation. It’s important to remain calm and address issues promptly.

Often, technical errors can be minimized when you use a reliable webinar hosting platform.

Below, we’ll discuss the standard tools for hosting webinars.

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Tools for Hosting Webinars and Key Features to Consider

The type of tool you choose will depend on your business needs and webinar type. For example, you might use a free tool if the webinar is short and requires basic features such as screen recording and chat options.

However, a paid platform is the right tool if your webinar is massive and has complex requirements.

The table below outlines the paid and free webinar tools to help you make the right choice.

Paid Webinar Tools	Free Webinar Tools
Demio	Zoom
GoToWebinar	Google Meet
WebinarJam	Facebook Live
Livestorm	Zoho Webinar
Crowdcast	YouTube Live

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Best Practices to Create Compelling Webinars

Webinars can be a fun and interactive experience for you and your audience. But even the slightest of mistakes can cost your brand reputation and sales.

Need more inspiration?

Let’s go through the email marketing webinar examples below!

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Examples of Best Webinars in Email Marketing

Here are three solid webinar examples in email marketing.

1. TurboTax Webinar Example

Starting with a question is probably one of the most intriguing methods to indulge your audience. And TurboTax elegantly addresses customer pain points in the email.

2. Customer.IO – Live Q&A Session Webinar

Customer.io’s legendary move was to introduce the speakers upfront and provide users with an answer. By eradicating challenges, the brand instills trust through the speakers’ expertise.

3. Spotify Master’s Podcast Example

Spotify uses graphic elements to draw focus on the webinar instead of merely emphasizing the details.

While these examples can inspire you to create professional webinar emails, you must always ensure they land in subscribers’ inboxes to maximize their effectiveness.

Campaign Refinery is a sophisticated email marketing platform with the highest inbox placement rate on the market.

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Campaign Refinery’s Take on Webinars in Email Marketing

After helping numerous clients host webinars and make the most of their email marketing, we understand the effective attributes of a lead generation and email marketing tool.

Our sophisticated automation and segmentation tools help you build solid email webinars and focus on the right people to maximize user engagement. You can automate email sequences, integrate with 800+ marketing tools, and review advanced analytics on a single-view dashboard.

Our latest audience groups segmentation helps you send the same email campaign to different audience segments with a few simple clicks.

Above all, our prime focus is to get your emails into your audience’s primary inboxes.