Planning a Successful Webinar: timelines, checklists, tools and tips
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This document provides planning tools and guidance for organizing a successful webinar. It includes a timeline that outlines tasks from 8 weeks before an event through follow up after. Key steps are selecting topics and presenters, marketing the event, preparing materials, conducting a dry run, hosting the event, and following up. Checklists are provided to track tasks. Tips include focusing marketing, keeping registration simple, sending reminders, determining audio needs, and avoiding silence during the event. The goal is to take the guesswork out of hosting webinars and improve outcomes.
Planning a Successful Webinar: timelines, checklists, tools and tips
- 1. Planning a Successful Webinar: timelines, checklists, tools and tips e-Kit 2385 Camino Vida Roble Suite 202 Carlsbad, CA 92011 www.ConferTel.net 866-930-4500 866.930.4500 ph marketing@confertel.net
- 2. e-Kit PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL WEBINAR During the past five or six years more and more companies and organizations – both large and small – have begun using web presentations, otherwise known as webinars, to gener- ate qualified sales leads, conduct education and training programs, launch new products and generate revenue. In fact, most managers receive 2-3 invitations a week to attend these events. Obviously, when they work they work well. But while the good ones appear seamless and calm, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on to produce a successful webinar. And those are the ones that work well. Chances are, you’ve either been on or heard about your share of them that didn’t. Not only does that experience create a bad impression which can cause attendees to lose confi- dence in ability of your company or organization to provide a quality product or service, but personally, you may not want to BE that company and that fear is preventing you from do- ing webinars of your own. This system is designed to help new and experienced webinar planners with checklists, tools and tips to take the guesswork out of hosting webinars. With this whitepaper, learn to: Identify who does what, when, why and how Take a webinar from first ideas to follow-up Build a simple project timeline that allows for lots of practice, editing and interruptions from the real world Generate more revenue, faster Look like a big player in the field, even if you’re a one-person shop For those already doing webinars, this will be a great way to identify what’s already working and improve what isn’t. In addition, it will help new planners avoid many of the common pitfalls and stresses that are endemic to most webinar presentations. We want to make this process as painless and profitable for you as possible. Have fun and good luck! Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 1
- 3. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TIMELINE 8 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT: PLAN THE EVENT Select webinar topic Select moderator and speakers(s) Confirm Time and Date of session(s) Choose technical vendor Delegate technical tasks 6 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT: DESIGN THE EVENT Determine the entertainment value of the event Determine need for professional moderator Determine the content and outline for the presentation Decide if session attendance should be limited Decide whether the session should be billable and then decide amount Determine methods to invite participants Develop registration procedures Develop invitation creative content Determine how materials will be made available to participants and others Select evaluation method and tools Determine the type of interaction desired with the audience Application sharing PowerPoint slides Annotations Chat functionality Polling used for follow-up, to guide the direction of the presentation, or simply to en- gage the attendees Prepare the event introduction Decide who will deliver the technical introduction Decide who will deliver the content introduction Prepare the presenter introductions including pictures and biographies Prepare Question Management Strategy Decide whether questions will be operator assisted (recommended in most situations) or an open forum with lines open (this can be dangerous and awkward) Decide whether or not to save questions for the end or address questions throughout Write canned questions in case live questions are not asked Determine the audio requirements Define technical assistance needed during webinar set-up Select audio method - audiocast or teleconference Determine if the event will be recorded 4 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT: MARKET THE EVENT Concentrate on Event Marketing Find target audience Assemble lists – targeted opt-in and in-house Determine which channels will most likely generate ideal webinar participants. Think about partners, industry newsletters, lists, print and online publications, etc. Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 2
- 4. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TIMELINE 4 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EVENT: MARKET THE EVENT (continued) Develop and Prepare Communication Plan Write customer contact content and schedule (email, newsletters, journals, newspa- pers, magazines, direct mail, press releases, telemarketing, etc.) Decide which registration content information to collect (name, and email address required) Write registration confirmation notice content Create reminders – send out multiple reminders, including an email 1 hour before the event Create registrant and attendee follow-up materials Develop Landing Registration Pages Complete title, subtitle and brief description of session Include: Logo Time and Date Complete and test landing page and registration sign up process, edit as needed Assign unique URLs for marketing tracking Create and Send Email Invitations Test both HTML and Text versions Create link to registration page Send invitations ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE EVENT: PREPARE THE EVENT Complete a prep session and dry run of the event with the presenters Schedule speaker training times Upload presentations and position polling slides and supporting materials Choose delivery strategy—practice transitions and handoffs Practice virtual body language with annotation tools, polling questions and voice fluc- tuation Send out additional email and login reminders One week before A day before An hour before the event DAY OF THE EVENT: HOST THE EVENT Distribute joining instructions to appropriate support staff Presenters dial in to teleconference 15 minutes prior to call Presenters log into web conference 15 minutes prior to presentation Conduct pre-conference review Manage speaker rights Test Q&A chats Test audio for clarity and volume Review script and call flow Discuss order of presentations with multiple speakers Discuss how Q&A will be conducted (chat w/ audio or chat only) Watch the roster as people sign in – start when ready – if late make announcement Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 3
- 5. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TIMELINE DAY OF THE EVENT: HOST THE EVENT (continued) Manage Helpdesk for attendees with last minute questions Make sure attendees are muted and presenters are not—do not rely on attendees to mute their own phones Introduce event and basic housekeeping issues including FAQs, asking questions, handling technical difficulties, etc… Conduct Event Intro, including presenter biographies and pictures Begin presentation Conduct Q&A Post survey, questionnaire or polls at end of conference—ask attendees what could be done better, possible topics for future webinars Close the call ONE HOUR TO ONE WEEK AFTER THE EVENT: FOLLOWING-UP ON THE EVENT Perform post event analysis Review event polls and questions Review attendance and compare to registrants Review reports - assign follow-up responsibility Email follow up to attendees Email follow up to non-attendees Post and distribute recordings of the event (consider fees per viewing) – send partici- pants access to the recording and presentation and market the Archives Library to generate more interest and further revenue from the viewings. Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 4
- 6. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TASKS The following checklist will help you track the completion of tasks necessary for planning a successful webinar. Some tasks may be completed concurrently. Task Due Date Date Complete Owner Select webinar topic Select moderator and speakers(s) Confirm Time and Date of session(s) Choose technical vendor Delegate technical tasks Designate professional moderator Determine the content and outline for the presentation Decide if session attendance should be imited Decide whether the session should be billable and then decide amount Determine methods to invite participants Develop registration procedures Develop invitation creative content Determine how materials will be made available to participants and others Select evaluation method and tools Determine the type of interaction desired with the audience Decide who will deliver the technical introduction Decide who will deliver the content introduction Prepare the presenter introductions including pictures and biographies Decide whether questions will be operator assisted or an open forum Decide whether or not to save questions for the end or address questions throughout Write canned questions in case live questions are not asked Define technical assistance needed during webinar set-up Determine if the event will be recorded Assemble contact lists Write customer contact content and schedule Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 5
- 7. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TASKS Task Due Date Date Complete Owner Decide which registration content information to collect Write registration confirmation notice content Create reminders Create registrant and attendee follow-up materials Develop Landing Registration Pages Complete and test landing page and registration sign up process, edit as needed Assign unique URLs for marketing tracking Create Email Invitations Test both HTML and Text versions Create link to registration page Send invitations Schedule speaker training times Upload presentations and position polling slides and supporting materials Choose delivery strategy Practice virtual body language Send out email and login reminders – one week before Send out email and login reminders – a day before Send out email and login reminders – an hour before the event Distribute joining instructions to appropriate support staff Presenters dial in to teleconference 15 minutes prior to call Presenters log into web conference 15 minutes prior to presentation Conduct pre-conference review Watch the roster as people sign in Manage Helpdesk Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 6
- 8. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TASKS Task Due Date Date Com- Owner plete Make sure attendees are muted and present- ers are not Introduce event and basic housekeeping is- sues Conduct event intro Begin presentation Conduct Q&A Post survey, questionnaire or polls at end of conference Close the call Perform post event analysis Review event polls and questions Review attendance and compare to regis- trants Review reports - assign follow-up responsibil- ity Email follow up to attendees Email follow up to non-attendees Post and distribute recordings of the event Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 7
- 9. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TOOL Webinar Name _____________________________________________________________ State Objectives ___________________________________________________________ Presenter(s) _______________________________________________________________ Introduction and Housekeeping (3 minutes total) Welcome, names of presenters Topic, expected outcomes, logistics including how long they’ll be on Introduce technology, test chatting, polling,etc. Agenda and Polling/Assement (2 minutes) Introduce exact agenda for webinar Ask a polling or assessment question Content (35 minutes) Use an inductive approach What conclusions should the audience draw? Why is the webinar important to audience? Fulfill promise to the audience for quality information Quick recap, ask for questions Q&A (10-12 minutes) Encourage questions. This provides a chance to remove objections, go deeper into detail and explain anything that could be confusing or get in the way of moving the sale forward. Start with planted questions to get the ball rolling Tie all answers to desired outcomes Wrap-Up and Call to Action Don’t try to wing it or try to close too fast and forget to specifically tell the audience what the next step is. Summarize the main points Repeat action items Thank presenters/partners as appropriate Remind the audience about the recording, tell their friends, fill out the evaluation form Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 8
- 10. e-Kit EVENT DAY CHECKLIST Time Task Owner Complete 15 minutes prior Log into meeting Producer/ Presenters 15 minutes prior Check technology Producer Functionality 10 minutes prior “Cycle Slides” uploaded Producer and running 10 minutes prior Polling questions Producer created and loaded 10 minutes prior 10 minute Producer announcement 5 minutes prior 5 minute announcement Producer Begin recording Producer Introduce webinar Producer Presentation Presenter(s) Monitor time Producer Monitor Q&A Producer Introduce live Q&A Producer Close presentation Producer Turn off recording Producer Copy Q&A log Producer Save presentation with Producer polling data 5 minutes after End the webinar Producer 10 minutes after Debrief the presentation Everyone 15 minutes after Check the recording Producer 30 minutes after Send attendee follow-up Support Staff emails, include takeaway 35 minutes after Send non-attendee Support Staff follow-up emails Next Morning Check and collate Producer survey results Next Morning Divide leads between Support Staff sales people Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 9
- 11. e-Kit WEBINAR PLANNING TIPS Concentrate on Event Marketing Base marketing decisions on the relationship with audience members and the quality of campaign lists. Generally, expect between 1/4% to 2% register, meaning 1 to 8 people will register for every 400 contacted. Of the registrants, approximately 75% of registrants show for fee-based events and 40-50% for free events, so plan for that with follow-up contact with attendees and non -attendees. Registration Process - Keep registration concise and simple. Save the giveaways for atten- dees to the webinar rather than offering whitepapers or giveaways ahead of time Send out additional email campaigns and login reminders- - We recommend calling par- ticipants of events with paying attendees to ensure they are prepared Determine the audio requirements – Be aware of entry and exit tones and name an- nouncements – shut them off by contacting the service provider. Determine type of interaction desired with audience - Always avoid silence, read ques- tions and answers, discuss polling results and move on in less than 20 seconds Presentation Preparation Determine if you would like a rotating slide set - 3-7 slides that rotate every 10-12 seconds prior to the start of the conference Slides can incorporate an overview of the company, client list, agenda, meeting ob- jectives, bios and/or headshot of presenters. Stay away from scripts Have a moderator and 1-2 speakers Consider ice breakers or light hearted material to supplement the content Much of this is determined by the demographics and the nature of the event. Prepare the event introduction - Keep the bios short—just a few bullets Prepare Question Management Strategy - Have a few prepared to jumpstart the audience Complete a prep session and dry run of the event with the presenters - Always remem- ber that your temperament determines your audience’s mood. Remember this if something goes wrong. Keep a smile on your face until you hang up. Determine if you would like the event to be recorded - Do not start the recording until just before the conference begins. Day of the Event - Use headsets and avoid speaker phones Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 10
- 12. e-Kit FOLLOW-UP EMAIL SAMPLES ATTENDEE FOLLOW-UP Dear (contact name) Thank you for attending our webinar on "Planning Your First Webinar” I hope it met your expectations and that you came away with a better understanding of the webinar delivery process. As promised, here is the link to download today’s PowerPoint presentation and the link to download your copy of the "Planning a Successful Webinar" eKit. Later this month, we will also be hosting a webinar entitled, "Learn How to Generate Qual- ity Sales Leads Using Webinars". If you'd like more details - click here . As you heard, ConferTel specializes in delivering a complete turn-key professional webinar solution. Here is a short presentation which provides an overview of our services and how we can help you deliver your webinars stress free through a financially risk-free payment model. Finally, we have a host of webinar-related resources (including whitepapers and checklists) that I would be happy to share. Please let me know if you are interested. I look forward to helping you achieve your webinar goals! Regards, (Owner) NON-ATTENDEE FOLLOW-UP Dear (contact name) Thank you for registering to attend our webinar, "Planning Your First Webinar". I'm sorry you were unable to attend. However, we have emailed a link to a recording of the webinar and I hope you can take a moment to watch it. It will help you better understand each step in the webinar delivery process. Later this month, we will also be hosting a webinar entitled, "Learn How to Generate Qual- ity Sales Leads Using Webinars". If you'd like more details - click here . As you may or may not know, ConferTel specializes in delivering a complete turn-key profes- sional webinar solution. Here is a short presentation which provides an overview of our ser- vices and how we can help you deliver your webinars stress free. Finally, we have a host of webinar-related resources (including whitepapers and checklists) that I would be happy to share. Please let me know if you are interested. I look forward to helping you achieve your webinar goals! Regards, (owner) Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 11
- 13. e-Kit WEBINAR CALCULATOR This calculator can help determine a ballpark cost of a webinar program. It is intended to serve as a general guideline - exact costs may vary depending on individual circumstances and added services/features. Also, enter extra expenses and one-time costs to get a rough idea of the true total costs. Cost Per Person Number of People Vendor Cost per Event $ ‐ Per Event Extras Speaker Fees Travele Expenses for Speakers Reporting Fee Recording Fee Audio/Video Fees Copywriting Location Rental Equipment Set-up/Rental Other Extra Charges Total for Per-Event Extras $ ‐ Total Cost Per Event $ ‐ One Time Expenses Software Purchases Equipment Purchase Other One-Time Expenses Total One-Time Expenses $ ‐ Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 12
- 14. e-Kit About ConferTel ConferTel is a leading provider of fully managed webinar services, delivering educational programming, training and lead generation webinars for corporations, associations, govern- ment agencies and non-profits. In addition, ConferTel is a software developer of IVR and web-based information services and communications solutions. Providing a range of event driven communications applications, including telephone, web and video conferencing, on demand record/replay, voice/fax broadcast, teleseminars, webinars, webcasting, online train- ing, e-commerce, event management services, and other custom IVR and web-based appli- cations. ConferTel’s innovative products and application development capabilities have helped thou- sands of clients save costs, generate income and increase productivity. We offer a consulta- tive approach to assist you in developing the right solutions for your specific application and budget. Fully Managed Webinar Solution Online Registration - Bearing your company logo and accessible from your web site or email invitation, ConferTel will handle the event registration process for your e-Learning seminar, leaving you to focus on the marketing and content. Payment Processing - ConferTel securely processes credit card charges through our mer- chant account. Our per-registrant fee includes all fees associated with participant payment up to $100. Verified Admission - Attendees are verified by a ConferTel operator to protect against un- authorized participants. Registration Reminders - Each registrant receives reminder emails to enhance attendance. Branded Greeting - Attendees are greeted with a pre-recorded greeting before being placed into the e-Learning seminar. Professional Host – Each call will be handled by a courteous and professional meeting spe- cialist who understands the importance of your e-Learning seminar. Q&A and Polling - With interactive question and answer sessions and participant polling you can gain immediate feedback from your attendees. Polling can also be used as an attention monitor. Recording and Archiving - Digitally record your webinar for immediate playback —24/7. Your call is available to those who missed it live or for those who want to hear important con- tent again. Optional Integrated PowerPoint Web Presentation - A high impact browser-based presen- tation tool visually enhances your conference with PowerPoint. Control of the presentation and video window can be passed among speakers. Planning a Successful Webinar 866-930-4500 www.ConferTel.net Page 13