How to Host a Webinar That Promotes Your Small Business

When it comes to small businesses, “small” is mighty. Thanks to their approachable and unique brand persona, these companies can connect with their clientele and foster powerful relationships.

One way small businesses can solidify the bond with their target audience is through webinars. In these virtual sessions, business owners can share relevant knowledge, answer questions about the brand, and provide information on services and products.

And getting closer to your audience with a webinar pays off. These virtual sessions propel quality lead generation –– statistics show that around 50% of attendees take action after a webinar. 

Here’s how to host a webinar that will show off your business’ human side and convert interested clients into buyers, boosting both your customer base and sales.  

What is a webinar?

A webinar is a live virtual seminar hosts use to efficiently disseminate information to a target audience. People use webinars for training sessions, classes, and courses, and this virtual format has become a powerful content marketing tool. 

Webinars are similar to popular content marketing formats, such as social media posts and blog articles. That’s because content marketing establishes the people who create them as subject-matter authorities and provides value for readers or listeners. When businesses produce content, they highlight their industry knowledge to potential clients and create an opportunity to connect with them. 

Small businesses use webinars to educate their audiences and build credibility. For example, a coaching practice might offer a webinar on tips for staying motivated or how to improve wellness routines. 

Should you produce and host a webinar?

If you’re a small business owner, the short answer to whether you should produce a webinar is “yes.” This is your opportunity to provide the right information to your target audience and bring them closer to your business, thus generating valuable leads and establishing yourself as a credible resource. 

Let’s take a look at an example. Suppose you manage a coaching practice and offer webinars on motivation or wellness. Once you explain the topic and take questions, you can plug in your coaching services. This helps you boost awareness about your practice, and webinar guests learn about a new coaching niche. In fact, they may want to seek your services to know more about wellness and lead a fulfilling life.

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How to create a webinar in 7 steps

Run a successful first webinar by learning the tricks of the trade. Here are seven essential steps to creating a valuable session:

1. Brainstorm ideas: Generate a list of industry-relevant topics. If you need inspiration, explore blog libraries like Practice’s. For instance, a coach can see what topics trend among the coaching-curious on industry blogs, or a personal organizer could research which tips are most useful for those trying to tidy their homes. Select ideas that lead nicely into a call-to-action (CTA) for your services or products. For example, it doesn’t make much sense to talk about fitness if you offer business coaching services.
2. Select the right time: People have jobs and other responsibilities, so they may only be able to attend a webinar after working hours or during their lunch breaks. Also, you might have guests who are in a different time zone. While finding the right time may take some trial and error, you can gauge whether you’ve selected a viable day and time by viewing the number of signups. Remember to consider time zones when working with international audiences, and always send a reminder invitation a day before the webinar so people don’t forget to attend.
3. Be prepared: Establish an agenda for your talk, and create a presentation that hits all the key points but leaves time for questions. Remember to not make slides text-heavy –– instead, use bullet points and embed helpful images, videos, and graphs. Keep visuals consistent by sticking to your brand colors and fonts and delivering all written and verbal information in your company’s brand voice.  
4. Use the right tools: Many people know how to use popular video conferencing apps, such as Zoom or Teams, and likely have these installed, regardless of their interests or tech skills. So use a widely known platform for your webinar, and familiarize yourself with features like screen sharing and moderating comments. 
5. Have a backup plan: We’ve all been on a call with connectivity issues or other problems, like a participant who forgot to turn off their mic and had a dog barking in the background. Make a plan for these snags. For example, you might prepare only to wait two minutes for a connection issue to clear before sending a new link to the group, or you may plan to gently remind everyone to turn off their microphones instead of singling someone out. 
6. Promote your webinar: Leverage your social media accounts and website to advertise the upcoming webinar. Social media accounts are excellent places to market your event because the content on these apps constantly refreshes, meaning your target audience will see timely information about your event. Drop a link to the registration landing page in your social media bios, and add the URL in stories and posts when possible.  
7. Seek feedback: Send a survey to participants after the webinar to ask for opinions on content, delivery, and connectivity. Insights on what went well, could have been helpful, or technical glitches help you plan a smoother session next time. You can also gather insights by recording and watching the session afterward. Just get the audience’s permission before hitting the record button. 

3 webinar best practices 

If you’ve ever attended an online class or conference and found yourself struggling to pay attention, you understand the importance of creating an engaging webinar. It’s difficult to captivate an audience in any setting, let alone in a virtual meeting space. Here are three best practices to follow: 

1. Keep it brief: It’s better to hold several sessions than cram too much information into one. Long webinars can test the audience’s attention span, and people may not sign up in the first place because it’s too intense a time commitment. And there’s another bonus to creating concise sessions: your list of content ideas takes longer to move through, so you can offer a long lineup of webinars.
2. Don’t be shy: Be confident about products or services. Your attendees know a business is hosting the webinar, so they won’t be surprised if you pitch your offering. For example, if you offer a wedding planning tool and the webinar is about event timelines, give attendees a product demo. 
3. Pass the mic: You may be the company founder, but if your marketing director is better suited to give a particular webinar, let them. Talk up your panelists, share their credentials with the audience, and let them freely share their expertise. Rotating presenters also gives repeat registrants something new to look forward to.  

Become a smarter marketer with Practice 

Increasing a brand’s reach and engagement is challenging, so seek help and information where you can get it. 

‍Practice has created an archive of educational materials for small business owners that turn newbie marketers into advertising pros. Learn how to pitch your business on social media, build an audience, and promote your services for free.

And that’s not all. We’ve also designed a customer relationship management (CRM) tool called Client Management Software, created with small businesses and coaches in mind, which helps you store client data, receive payments, and maintain files –– all in one place. Try it today.