Updated: August 21, 2022
A ServerWise FOUR part Series
Webinar Timeline: A Proven Outline for Evergreen Success And The Most Important Live Event Statistics You Need To Know
The average seasoned webinar marketer begins preparing three months before the event. The script is written, imagery is prepared and video snippets including product demonstrations are edited. An experienced webinar creator and host can successfully produce an hour-long live event with only a few hours of work, but to get to that point required many less-than-stellar webinars.
The average webinar is 45 minutes to one hour. The idea of creating and filling that much time by yourself is daunting. Follow my outline and take it step-by-step, and before you know it, you’ll have your entire webinar scripted.
The First 5 Minutes Of Your Live Event
Think of these first five minutes as the lead paragraph of an article. You’ll introduce the subject, give your audience a quick run down of what they’re going to learn and what they can expect. You’re going to build excitement and momentum. Demonstrate why they want to stick around for the next 45 to 60 minutes.
Here’s where you hook them and get them excited.
Your Bio: 5 to 10 Minutes
The next part is all about you. People are tuning in and giving you their valuable time because they want to learn about you. Tell them who you are and how you became an expert in your niche and subject. Explain in no uncertain terms exactly why you’re the one teaching today.
Get a bit personal. Keep it reasonable and appropriate of course, but share some family photos, mention your most recent vacation, a problem at your house you couldn’t fix yourself. Include anything that will help you connect with your webinar viewers and make them feel at ease.
This time is all about talking yourself up while showing your humanity. Be relatable because, after all, everyone watching you logged on to relate to you. They want this, so give it to them.
The goal of any webinar is to sell either yourself as a coach or your product or service. It’s much easier to sell to people who trust you and like you. After 10 minutes, your audience should feel they know you much better as a person.
The Core Live Event: 30 Minutes
You’re going to devote a solid half-hour to training, teaching and all around educating.
That may seem like a lot of time to fill, but imagine if you’re giving a lecture to a group of college students. 30 minutes goes by quickly when you’re passionate about your subject. The more complex the subject is, the longer you may need. Take the time that is required. If you need to spend a solid 45 minutes on this to have the greatest impact, that’s what you must do.
Think of your core training as a textbook. You’ll want to break it up into easy-to-digest chapters of no more than five major points or focus of study. If you try and expand beyond that, and you’ll run too long, and you’ll risk losing your audience. Remember, it’s important to keep your webinar as entertaining as possible.
To try and maintain the focus of your audience, you should have one relevant slide per minute. If you’re using video snippets, that’s even better, but keep them short and poignant.
Please remember that you’re not giving a presentation at a 1990s accounting firm. Your slides must not repeat what you’re already saying. That’s redundant and boring. Your slides are a visual extension – a tool, and nothing more. One single relevant word that grabs attention per slide is all you’ll typically need. Include photos and licensed graphics or simple eye-catching charts when possible, but don’t overdo it. There is a such thing as information overload.
The Big Pitch: 10 Minutes
And now we’ve come to the entire purpose of the webinar. This is where your hard work pays off. You’ll want to spend a solid ten minutes or so on this portion. Go over the benefits of your product or service, include any bonuses that you’re currently offering, and mention any discounts or payment plans.
Make sure to include a few sentences that will induce FOMO, or fear of missing out. Spend time discussing what they’ll be losing by not completing the purchase today rather than what they’ll be receiving.
This is frequently the most awkward portion of any webinar for even the most experienced host. It’s important that your audience never see or feel that you’re uncomfortable. Practice your sales pitch in the mirror, to the dog, your best friend, or your spouse (he or she doesn’t have to be awake). You may consider recording yourself and watching it to hone your selling skills.
Sell with confidence. Know your worth or the value of your product or service. And smile when you mention the cost – always smile when you’re talking about money to your potential clients or customers.
Webinar Questions & Answers: Time Will Vary
Make sure to mention several times in your live event that the Q&A session will be at the end of the webinar. People love Q&As, and many will wait for it.
A proper question and answer session can last five to 15 minutes. The most important thing is never let anyone feel you’re rushing to be done. If the audience that just watched your hour-long webinar feel you’re impatient or aren’t interested in answering their questions honestly, and transparently, you’ll lose all the trust and confidence you spent the last 50 minutes building.
A Q&A session is the perfect time to showcase your expertise and personality and honesty to your audience. You’ll be surprised how many of them will become paying clients after hearing you answer a question thoroughly and openly. It shows character.
Important Webinar Facts To Know
- Webinars held on a Tuesday are 97% more successful.
- A Webinar can cost as little as $100 to make with the average webinar production cost at $500.
- 70% of webinar hosts offer some kind of resources to download and engage for attendees.
- 28% of people prefer to watch the recorded versions of webinars as they find it more convenient.
- 58% of webinar hosts said they use live and video-on-demand.
- Marketing webinars have a general attendance rate of 42%.
- 83% of people stated they would only attend one webinar per week.
- 25% of webinar registrants will just watch the replay.
- The average webinar registration page conversion rate is 30% for cold traffic.
- 73% of marketers consider webinars to be a great source of quality leads.
- 67% of marketers have increased their investment in webinars since the coronavirus outbreak.
- 91% of B2B pros list webinars as their favorite type of content.
- 49% of B2B buyers engage with video content before making a buying decision.
The fact above were sourced from the following; GoToMeeting, RingCentral, On24, LiveStorm.co and MegaMeeting.
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