A well-articulated webinar can bring immense benefits to your online course.
In a world where e-learning is gaining rapid popularity, the chances of gaining a high enrollment figure are pretty bleak. The competition is immense. Many course creators assume that most of the audience will purchase their course without a marketing push. They fail to understand the importance of bringing prospective students into a sales funnel, educating them about the value offered by the course, and providing them a chance to convert.
These days, we have several marketing tools, such as Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Google Ads, Facebook ads, etc. But these channels don’t allow for direct interactions.
On the other hand, webinars allow course creators to directly interact with prospecting students. Webinars are a great way to promote your online courses. They provide an opportunity to connect with potential students, build interest in your course, and answer any questions they may have.
A webinar aims to provide valuable content to your target audience. It is a path to build relations and create awareness about your brand.
If you’re like most online instructors, you’re always looking for new and innovative ways to promote your courses. In this post, we’ll show you how to use webinars to promote online courses.
How Can Webinar Help You Increase Sales and Enrollment Figures for Your Online Course?
Are you looking for ways to increase sales for your online course? If so, webinars may be the answer. Webinars are a powerful marketing and sales tool that can help you reach a larger audience, generate leads, and close sales.
- Webinars can be an effective way to:
- Increase visibility for your course
- Generate leads
- Close sales
Webinars are a great way to increase visibility for your course. By hosting a webinar, you can reach a larger audience than you would through other marketing channels. In addition, webinars are a great way to generate leads. Through a webinar, you can provide valuable information that will help potential students decide whether or not your course is right for them.
A wide range of webinar technology is available, and there is an extensive range of platforms to choose from. The recent lockdown has made it possible for people to use platforms like Zoom and Teams to host webinars.
Learning how to convert prospects using webinars can increase your enrolment figures significantly. According to stats, the average conversion rate of webinars is 55%.
The secret to generating enrollments for your webinar is to present the right pitch. Inform the potential learners about the fun parts of your course and how it will be valuable for them.
When 100 people get connected to the event with their webcams and microphones on, it will be tough to work in such a format. Everyone will be willing to do something, and even if you force mute everyone, the visual noise will remain. Thus, it is better when the moderator invites attendees to speak one by one, and only when it is essential. – Galina Yavorska
A webinar should contribute to the student’s understanding of the course content. Highlight what this course will teach and how it stands different than the others.
Determining whether to pursue a program requires much thought and consideration, particularly for those willing to enroll in online programs. When students attend a webinar, they get an opportunity to ask questions about the program. By the end of the webinar, they get answers to all their queries, helping them make the final decision.
How Does a Webinar Funnel Look Like?
A primary webinar funnel works in the following order:
You get traffic from a source (social media or email marketing). Once the people have signed up, they can attend the virtual event. You lead them toward a registration page where they confirm their enrollment in your course.
One loophole in this funnel is that the prospects may drop out at several points. For instance, they may not attend the event or finish watching the webinar.
However, following the funnel strategy helps you to qualify your leads. Students who are genuinely interested in your teachings will reach the final stage of the webinar funnel.
If you want to learn, check out our separate guide on how to create a sales funnel for an online course.
Here are the steps you should take to create a webinar funnel:
Step 1: Plan a Webinar Promotion Strategy
Now that you have a webinar to promote, it’s time to plan your strategy. The first step is to decide who your target audience is. Once you know who you’re trying to reach, you can start planning how to reach them.
There are several ways to promote a webinar. You can use email, social media, or even traditional advertising methods like print or radio. The important thing is to be creative and think outside the box.
Finally, you’ll need to set a budget for your promotion. This will help you determine how much you can afford to spend on each method of promotion.
You can promote your webinar and reach your target audience with a bit of planning and creativity. Remember to be strategic and set a budget, so you don’t overspend.
Step 2: Promote the Webinar
The first step of creating the funnel is to drive traffic to the webinar registration page. If you fail to attract traffic, you won’t get a high attendance. So, put all your efforts into driving quality traffic on the webinar registration page.
It would help if you hosted a free webinar, as this will increase the traffic to your landing page. There may be a few prospects interested in a paid promotional webinar.
There are a few ways to drive traffic. Some of which are:
Social Media
You can create social media posts with links to the webinar registration pages or opt for paid promotions on these portals. Given the massive reach of these platforms, you can drive massive traffic to your webinar registration page and eventually increase course enrollment with a webinar. Creating engaging social media content isn’t easy.
Check out this guide if you want to learn how to promote an online course through social media.
Email Marketing
This method comes in handy if you have a list of email subscribers. This method is quite effective as the subscribers are the people already interested in your brand. They will be more likely to check out your webinar landing page. Make sure you craft a compelling email about the upcoming webinar and use a catchy subject line over it. We have a dedicated guide on how to use email marketing to promote online courses. We highly suggest checking that out.
Leverage your Website
If you succeed in getting good traffic on your website, you can use it to get more traffic on your webinar registration page. Those visitors who are interested in the webinar will click on the CTAs and register for the webinar. It would be best if you also considered adding visuals with a compelling landing page copy. Take inspiration from high-converting landing pages to create copy that resonates with your audience.
Step 3: Thank People for Signing Up
One essential step marketers often skip is thanking people for signing up. Keep in mind that people took the time out to register – thanking them can create a personal bond. You’ll need this bond to further nurture prospects into converting customers.
You can create a custom thank you page to not only thank the people who registered for your webinar but also use this opportunity to inform them about what this webinar holds for them. Keep the thanking page simple. Let people register and share with their friends.
Step 4: Send Reminders
The chaotic world we live in today has made most of us forgetful. People who signed up for your webinar may also forget the date or time of the webinar.
That is why it is essential to set reminders about the upcoming webinar.
You can use various communication channels to do this. For example, emails, Facebook notifications, or text messages. Sending the reminder through 2 or more channels will keep the information updated in the minds of those who registered.
Step 5: Host the Webinar for Your Online Course
The next step, hosting the webinar, is one of the essential aspects of constructing a webinar funnel.
Provide value to your webinar attendees and solve their concerns to keep them engaged throughout the presentation. Your webinar should never be boring. Always strive to keep it interesting.
Include numerous examples and case studies, and don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences. Make sure you have plenty of graphics on your slides to keep your audience’s attention.
You should also include specifics of additional items or services that your audience can use and helpful resources that they can refer to.
Finally, try to interact as much as possible with the attendees. Respond to their queries and make the webinar lively. This might assist you in developing ties with them.
Step 6: Set up the Webinar Replay
Some prospects may not be able to attend the webinar even though they want to. If that happens, you should send them a link to the webinar replay where they can watch and understand all that your course offers.
You can also design an advanced webinar replay, including 2 – 3 reminder emails. This raises their chance of watching the webinar and all that they offer.
Step 7: Request Feedback
Acknowledge all people who attended the webinar and share valuable resources with them. You should also include a feedback form in the later conversations. This is to let them know how you value their opinions.
During this communication, you should also remind them about your CTA and how your course can help them enhance their skills.
The steps we just looked at cover how an ideal funnel works. If you succeed at creating a proper funnel, you will see your enrollment figures skyrocket. Even though the process is complex and time-consuming, the outcomes outweigh all the cons.
Also read about the metrics to measure success of webinar
Benefits of Using Webinars for Online Course Promotions
Webinars are an excellent way to promote your online courses. Here are five reasons why:
- You can build up your email list
A webinar generates quality leads. So, you don’t have to go around asking people for their email IDs. The webinar gives you a chance to compile an email list for your future interaction with the prospects.
- It expands your reach
The massive reach of a webinar is the best thing about it. All your leads are live and present. It is an excellent opportunity to interact and educate them about your course.
- It gets easier to collect feedback
Even though the general audience is there to attend a webinar, sometimes it may grab the attention of an expert. If you get their feedback, you have an opportunity to find shortcomings in your course and improve them.
- You get quality leads
Webinars are real-time commitment opportunities. People don’t just attend a webinar for fun. Hence, all the effort you put into planning a webinar doesn’t drain at the end.
In fact, you can find quality student leads who are highly likely to enroll in the course.
- It is a cost-effective marketing strategy
Apart from emails, webinars are another pocket-friendly marketing tool. You don’t have to rent a massive venue. You need to prepare a presentation, design a landing page, and conduct an online program on the webinar day.
These perks prove that webinars are one of the most effective lead generation channels in the eLearning space. It is essential to learn how you can design a webinar that rolls in quality student leads and increased enrollments.
7 Tips for Selling Your Online Course Through Webinar
A webinar that follows a monotonous discussion will not attract prospects. It is vital to develop a plan to use a webinar to sell online courses effectively:
- Host a Live Webinar and Teach a Skill
The more down-to-earth and practical your webinar is, the more prospects can relate to it. Tell them the problems you faced and how you overcame them. Next, illustrate the new things they will learn during this online course.
- Pick a Topic that Spikes Interest
The topic of a webinar should be attractive. Use powerful words that trigger emotions and make students eager about what it offers.
- Keep Audience Engaged
Making your webinar engaging and exciting is an uphill battle. It would be best to have incredible speakers and highly illustrative presentations to keep the students hooked throughout the webinar.
- Integrate urgency and social proof to make the webinar attractive
Tell the prospects about the importance of this course for their career. If the first webinar is engaging, they will sign up for more in the future. This requires customizing the offer, adding powerful imagery, and providing compelling CTAs.
- Follow-up the prospects
As discussed above, some people may feel doubtful. It is essential to send them follow-up messages to check on their views. Encourage them to buy your course by adding previous students’ feedback and the importance of this course for professional growth.
- Try to sideline your competition
Regardless of the course, you offer, there must be other players in the same field. It would be best if you integrate an effective SEO strategy for your online courses into your game plan. Learn how to position yourself as unique. This will help you find students who genuinely believe that you have something valuable to bring to their tables.
- Use sales page and retargeting strategies
The end goal is to pull in piping hot leads to your sales page, where they purchase your online course. You should develop a powerful copywriting formula.
Next, you must set up a retargeting campaign for people who participated in the webinar but didn’t convert to the sales page.
Recap
This wraps up our guide on how to use webinars to promote online courses.
A successful webinar begins with a well-articulated plan. If you have the best ideas but fail to devise the webinar the right way, you may find your competitor pulling all your leads.
Keep in mind that the digital world is highly dynamic. It would help if you stayed in the learning loop to know the best strategies for conducting a webinar.
ThinkOrion as an online promotion agency helps courses creators increase their student’s enrollments and website traffic
