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How to Use Webinars in your Digital Marketing Strategy

the-complete-guide-to-creating-a-high-converting-webinar

[[p]]In an increasingly noisy digital marketing landscape, webinars offer something rare: a highly targeted, interactive, and scalable channel for building meaningful relationships with your audience. Whether you&rsquo;re generating demand, nurturing leads, or asserting thought leadership, webinars can be a key player&nbsp; in your [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/5-benefits-of-having-a-digital-marketing-strategy" target="_blank"]]marketing strategy[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]][[a href="http://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars/webinar-build-a-high-converting-lead-generation-strategy-through-webinars" target="_blank"]]Hannah Scherer, VP of Marketing at BigMarker[[/a]], shared insights on this exact topic in a DMI-hosted webinar. Drawing from a decade of hands-on experience and data from BigMarker&rsquo;s top-performing webinars, she revealed practical, proven techniques that any marketing professional can apply.[[/p]]

[[p]]Webinars can be live or on-demand:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Live webinars[[/strong]] are real-time, interactive sessions that allow attendees to engage directly with presenters and attendees, creating a sense of urgency and community. They are good for real-time interaction and building engagement.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]On-demand webinars[[/strong]] are pre-recorded and available anytime, offering flexibility and convenience for audiences to consume content on their schedule. They are good for long-term lead nurturing and content accessibility.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Webinars can be be a valuable part of your digital strategy for several reasons:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Emotional connection: [[/strong]]Because they are a multi-sensory experience, webinars can nurture an emotional connection with your audience.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Engagement:[[/strong]] Webinars can lead to effective audience engagement as attendees ask questions, leave comments and answer polls.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Data capture: [[/strong]]When people sign up for webinars, you can capture their email addresses. You can also get valuable insights from&nbsp; webinar engagement.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Content repurposing:[[/strong]] You can repurpose a webinar as several content assets, including short-form video and blog posts.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

I still can't believe how well webinars are working from an ads point of view, from a top-of-funnel to bottom-of-funnel, getting someone to warm up. You're just teaching someone your process and moving them further down your funnel and getting them to trust you as the authority.

[[p]]From optimizing landing pages to using AI for content repurposing, here&rsquo;s how to embed webinars at the heart of your digital strategy:[[/p]]

[[ol]]
	[[li]]Create a high-converting webinar landing page and email experience[[/li]]
	[[li]]Leverage progressive profiling for lead qualification[[/li]]
	[[li]]Apply best practices for live webinars[[/li]]
	[[li]]Repurpose webinar content for lead capture[[/li]]
	[[li]]Optimize data collection[[/li]]
[[/ol]]

[[p]]As with all parts of your digital strategy, you need to carefully plan each of your webinars. Consider these key questions.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Who [[/strong]]is the audience? Think about what&rsquo;s important for your audience and give them a reason to attend.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]What [[/strong]]are people talking about? Pay close attention to what trends are driving engagement in the industry.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]How [[/strong]]can you stand out? You need your webinar to stand out from the digital noise. To do this, you must create effective webinar content.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]When [[/strong]]should you deliver the webinar? Research what days and time work best, both for your content and your audience. Wednesday afternoons are a popular choice, and is typically when the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars" target="_blank"]]Digital Marketing Institute holds their webinars[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Before you can convert leads or wow your audience with content, you must first get them to sign up &ndash; and that&rsquo;s where your landing page and email strategy matter most.[[/p]]

[[p]]Everything starts with your topic. BigMarker&rsquo;s benchmark data categorized winning webinar topics into five buckets:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Introductory (54%): [[/strong]]Beginner-friendly, broad content ideal for top-of-funnel awareness.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Hot topics (26%): [[/strong]]AI, data privacy, and other timely themes.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Niche hot topics (10%): [[/strong]]The standout performer, generating 60% more registrations and 320% higher engagement than the average webinar.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Advanced content (8%): [[/strong]]Specialized sessions for subject-matter experts.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Negative topics (2%): [[/strong]]Myth-busting or problem-focused content, especially powerful in on-demand replay formats.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Key insight: [[/strong]]Hot topics tailored to your audience&rsquo;s niche generate the most interest and interaction.[[/p]]

[[p]]Once you&rsquo;ve nailed your topic, the landing page must do the rest by including the following:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Compelling webinar title:[[/strong]] Do you research and align the webinar with industry-specific pain points.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Minimalist forms: [[/strong]]Stick to no more than four registration fields &ndash; name, email, and two others like job title or industry. Read more below on registration tips.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Branded design: [[/strong]]Mirror your website&rsquo;s design to build trust and continuity.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Speaker and session info: [[/strong]]Include bios, session outcomes, and visual details.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Incentives: [[/strong]]Add giveaways or special offers to encourage attendance (for example, free coaching sessions or tech giveaways).[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

Gone are the days of the stark white landing page with barely any information… we really want to pull in a brand experience that mirrors your website to convert even higher.

[[p]]Email is still the highest-converting channel for driving webinar registrations. Here&rsquo;s how to optimize emails inviting your audience to sign up for a webinar:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Subject line: [[/strong]]Use urgency, value, and the word &lsquo;webinar&rsquo; to boost open rates.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Visuals: [[/strong]]Add logos, CTA buttons, speaker headshots, and website branding.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]White-labeled domains: [[/strong]]Improve trust and deliverability by sending from your own domain.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Personalization:[[/strong]] Use tokens like first name and time zone to make emails more relevant.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Dual CTAs: [[/strong]]Allow recipients to either register live or for on-demand access.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Key stat: [[/strong]]According to BigMarker, webinar emails achieve a 9% clickthrough rate &ndash; three times higher than the industry average.[[/p]]

[[p]]You don&rsquo;t need to ask everything at once when someone registers for your webinar. In fact, you shouldn&rsquo;t. You should just ask for the information you need at that point &ndash; and don&rsquo;t ask for information that people have already provided!&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Progressive profiling is the practice of collecting lead information incrementally &ndash; over time and across multiple interactions &ndash; rather than in a single form.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Personalize forms: [[/strong]]The registration form can be designed based on what you know about the person.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Auto-fill known data: I[[/strong]]f you already have a name and email, don&rsquo;t ask again.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Dynamic fields: [[/strong]]Progressively ask for what you don&rsquo;t know (for example, company size or location).[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Shorter forms = more conversions: [[/strong]]People are more likely to register when there&rsquo;s less effort involved.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

Progressive profiling with forms customized to different recipients

[[p]]Why it works[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Improves form completion rates.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Reduces redundancy and friction.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Builds richer CRM profiles over time.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Enables smarter segmentation and lead scoring.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Pro tip: [[/strong]]Sync your webinar platform with your CRM or MAP (Marketing Automation Platform) to track and adapt forms automatically.[[/p]]

We are essentially trading content for customer data… and we have to be humble about what people are willing to give in exchange for our thought leadership.

[[p]]Whether your webinar is live or pre-recorded (simulive), the key to success lies in engagement, timing, and delivery format.[[/p]]

[[p]]Some best practices include:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Be energetic: [[/strong]]Keep your presentation tight and focused, and deliver with energy. Focus on your camera lens, not your face.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Provide shareable content: [[/strong]]Prepare handouts that your audience can use after the webinar.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Gamify the experience: [[/strong]]You can include quizzes in the webinar or run raffles or challenges to drive further engagement.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Still the most common format, live webinars offer real-time engagement and immediate feedback. To optimize the experience, here are some tips on how to manage the webinar in real-time:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Engage every 10 minutes: [[/strong]]Use polls, chat, or quick Q&amp;As to maintain attention.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Time it right: [[/strong]]45 minutes is the engagement sweet spot. Schedule sessions midweek, midday (for example, Tuesday&ndash;Thursday around lunchtime).[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Vary content: [[/strong]]Use slides, video, webcams, and screen shares to add texture.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Add speakers or moderators: [[/strong]]A mix of voices keeps energy high and boosts trust.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Simulive (simulated live) webinars are pre-recorded but designed to feel live. They&rsquo;re perfect for global audiences and evergreen strategies.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Add interactions: [[/strong]]Polls, chats, and CTAs mimic the live experience.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Use a moderator: [[/strong]]Keep the webinar chat active. Respond in real-time, even if the presentation is recorded.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Limit scheduling options:&nbsp;[[/strong]]Keep sessions around 30&ndash;45 minutes and test different time slots for reach. Stick to three time slots to avoid decision fatigue.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automate notifications: [[/strong]]Use Slack or email alerts to answer questions asynchronously without having to join every session.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Pro tip: [[/strong]]Simulive is a smarter, scalable alternative to always going live.[[/p]]

[[p]]Webinars take time to plan and execute &ndash; so make the most of every minute.[[/p]]

[[p]]Record your webinars and repackage them into:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Automated (Simulive) webinars: [[/strong]]Offer replays at set times.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Evergreen (on-demand) webinars: [[/strong]]Let people register and watch at any time.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Reuse chat transcripts, polls, and interactive elements from your original session to create an organic, near-live feel.[[/p]]

[[p]][[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-are-the-best-ai-and-marketing-automation-tools" target="_blank"]]AI tools[[/a]] now make it easier than ever to repurpose webinar content into high-value marketing materials.[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, you can extract short video clips for Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Blog posts and articles[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Use the transcript to produce:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]SEO-optimized blog posts[[/li]]
	[[li]]Industry thought pieces[[/li]]
	[[li]]Guest articles[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Email and social media content[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Generate a month-long campaign with:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Webinar recaps[[/li]]
	[[li]]Quote graphics[[/li]]
	[[li]]Social polls[[/li]]
	[[li]]Email nurturing sequences[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Pro tip: [[/strong]]Ask attendees what they want more of &ndash; use surveys post-event to guide your next content push.[[/p]]

[[p]]The value of a webinar doesn&rsquo;t end when the session does. Your data pipeline must be seamless for the long-term ROI to kick in.[[/p]]

[[p]]Data collection is important at all stages of your webinar:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Pre-webinar: [[/strong]]Data includes open and conversion rates, registration details, and UTM tracking.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]During webinar: [[/strong]]You can glean data from attendance figures and levels of engagement (comments and questions).[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]After webinar: [[/strong]]Data might include feedback survey responses and recording views.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

We want to instill the ‘Don’t make me think’ principle—make it easy to register, easy to engage, and easy to follow up.

[[p]]Automatically capture contextual data at registration:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Referral URLs[[/li]]
	[[li]]Lead scoring[[/li]]
	[[li]]Custom tags (for example, VIP, or Enterprise Lead)[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]This reduces friction and enriches CRM records behind the scenes.[[/p]]

[[p]]Ensure all collected data is useful and actionable:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Poll results &rarr; Interest tags[[/li]]
	[[li]]CTA clicks &rarr; Follow-up triggers[[/li]]
	[[li]]Engagement scores &rarr; Lead scoring[[/li]]
	[[li]]Attendance &rarr; Segment filters[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Normalize data input (for example, &lsquo;USA&rsquo;, &lsquo;United States&rsquo;, or &lsquo;US&rsquo;) to ensure consistency and clarity downstream.[[/p]]

[[p]]Webinars aren&rsquo;t just for product demos anymore &ndash; they&rsquo;re full-funnel powerhouses. When embedded into a broader marketing strategy, webinars can generate leads, engage audiences, drive conversions, and provide a treasure trove of insights for content and CRM strategy.[[/p]]

[[p]]With the right structure (from landing pages to[[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-write-a-marketing-email" target="_blank"]] follow-up emails[[/a]], engagement tactics to repurposing frameworks), you&rsquo;ll not only deliver value to your audience but scale your brand&rsquo;s impact.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Ready to transform your next webinar into a demand-gen machine? Now&rsquo;s the time.[[/strong]][[/p]]

How to Use Webinars in your Digital Marketing Strategy

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