The ultimate webinar funnel: how to create, optimise and promote your webinar

If you’re looking for an exciting way to engage website visitors and convert them into buyers, a webinar funnel could be a great tool to use for your business

Nine out of ten B2B professionals state that webinars are their favourite content marketing format, with nearly half engaging with video content before making a buying decision.

This guide will explain how the webinar funnel works, and how you can create an enticing webinar that will encourage viewers to make that all-important purchase.

What is a webinar funnel?

A webinar funnel is a sales tool you can use to get leads for your business. In exchange for their contact details, a prospect can watch a virtual event that addresses a pain point they have.

The webinar sales funnel works like this:

1. You encourage prospective customers to visit your website registration page, either through popups on your website, social media posts or pay per click adverting
2. They land on the website registration page, which convinces them of the benefit of signing up
3. The prospective customer gives you their details, which you can then add to a mailing list
4. After signing up, they are taken to a thank you page, where they will see registration details for the webinar (if it is live), or they can watch the webinar (if it is pre-recorded)
5. The webinar contains a call to action, which encourages the prospect to make a purchase

But why webinars?

At this point you may be thinking: “There are a lot of different lead magnets out there. Why should I use a webinar as a sales funnel instead of say, an eBook or white paper?”

Good question. The benefit of a webinar over other lead magnets are:

• They help establish authority. You can showcase your team as thought leaders and experts in their field, for example, answering attendees’ questions as you go along
• About 65% of people are visual learners, making webinars an appealing way to discover new information
• As you are on screen, it is easier to relay a call to action and nudge people into a sale

Steps to building a profitable webinar funnel

The first step in creating a webinar funnel that brings value to your business is to build your funnel and encourage prospects to sign up.

1. Find your audience’s pain point. Your webinar needs to solve a problem that your target audience is experiencing. This could be anything from increasing their profit margin to recruiting the best and brightest staff for their business
2. Make it free. Your webinar should always be free. As you are using the webinar to get contact details, you should be offering something of value to do so
3. Promote the webinar. Use all the marketing channels you have at your disposal to promote your webinar. Promote it on your website, in your email marketing newsletter, and on social media channels. If you have a budget, you may even want to consider pay per click advertising
4. Create an enticing lead generation page. Your webinar registration page is what will push prospects to sign up. Sell the benefits of your webinar and what attendees will learn. Make sure that the registration form is as easy to complete as possible. Ideally, you should be looking at a 30% to 40% conversion rate.

Make sure your webinar is watched all the way through

Everyone who starts watching your webinar may not make it all the way through to the end. They may get a phone call or have to go into a meeting.

However, you can take steps to reduce the chances of people leaving because they are bored or distracted.

• Open the webinar with your credentials. Webinars help establish authority, and attendees will want to know that you are the best in your field of knowledge. Let them know why you and the business you represent are ideally placed to alleviate their pain points
• Tell your story and be relatable. People like to know they are talking to people who are just like them. Before you begin, tell them a little about you and how you have experienced similar issues relevant to them
• Reassure attendees. Let your delegates know that you can solve the issues they are experiencing if they watch all the way through. Tell them what they will be able to do once they click off at the end of the webinar
• Don’t make your webinar a sales pitch. People will know when you’re selling to them, and an overly aggressive pitch may lead to attendees switching off. Leave your selling until the end of the webinar
• Offer free bonus content. By offering valuable upgrades at the end of the webinar, for example, a discount code or a free eBook, attendees will be more likely to stay
• Don’t be boring. 48% of people say webinars are least enjoyable when the presenter(s) are dull and unengaging. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and enjoy yourself!
• Thank everyone. Thank everyone for their time after the webinar has ended, and reiterate how you hope they feel more confident in alleviating their pain points
• Close with a call to action. Most marketing content should have a call to action at the end, and your webinar should be no exception. Tell your attendees what you would like them to do next, whether that be to sign up to your mailing list or buy your product
• Offer a bonus if they buy there and then. A compelling offer that is only available if they commit during the webinar may encourage attendees to buy. For example, if you offer business coaching, offer an extra session or a copy of your latest eBook or a limited-time discount.
• Follow up with those that don’t convert. Not everyone will convert during the webinar, and that’s okay. You may find that most of your prospects buy an hour, a day… even a week after the webinar.

Post webinar email follow-up

After the webinar, it’s important to follow up with both attendees and those that missed the webinar. This will help nudge your prospects into taking action.

Send a message to everyone who did not attend the webinar, saying you’re sorry you missed them. You can then send them a replay of the webinar (if you are offering one) or alternatively, let them know when your next webinar is and what it will be about.

You can also send an email to webinar attendees, thanking them for their time and reiterating your call to action.

Should you offer webinar replays?

One question we’re often asked is if you should offer replays.

Not offering a replay is excellent for encouraging FOMO, the fear of missing out. This can entice registrants to turn up and listen to what you have to say all the way through.

Alternatively, a replay can offer additional value as people can refer to the webinar at any time. It can also be of benefit if they are in a different time zone and can’t watch live.

94% of businesses offer webinar replays, even though most viewers prefer to watch webinars live when they can.

See which option works best for your business and gives you the optimal conversion rate.

Should you offer a live webinar or an evergreen webinar?

An evergreen webinar is one that is always available. Like a live webinar, attendees enter their contact details to view it.

Tutorials and how-to guides are great examples of evergreen webinars and can help bring value to attendees.

If you do offer an evergreen webinar, make sure that it stays relevant. If you refer to recent news articles, memes, or trends, you may find it dates quickly.

Here’s one final statistic to finish on… did you know between 20% and 40% of webinar attendees become qualified leads? Even if attendees don’t convert straight away, you can nurture them and keep them interested until they are ready to buy.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can use webinars to enhance your sales funnel, we offer a free, no-obligation funnel consultation. Contact us today to find out more.