To host a successful webinar or virtual event, you should start early and be mindful of your choices. This comprehensive webinar and virtual event planning timeline has a built-in checklist to make sure you don’t forget any important steps when planning your online conference.
How to start your webinar planning
Is it really hard to find a Facebook group where someone isn’t asking for webinar tool recommendations? It might seem that way because this topic seems to come up a lot in groups. But, thankfully, there are plenty of other groups out there where people are talking about other things. So, if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by the number of people asking for webinar tool recommendations, remember that there are plenty of other options out there.
A good place to start is by asking yourself a few questions.
- Will I invite a co-host or host it solo?
- Will I interview several co-hosts or panelists?
- Will I allow attendees to unmute themselves and ask questions?
- What day works best for me?
- Which time works best for my community?
- What does my community want to learn?
- Am I selling something?
- Do I want to create a place for my community to congregate and ask questions?
Pick the right topic
After choosing a survey tool, come up with three to five topics related to what the subscriber is struggling with, in order to get more specific responses.
If you want to involve your audience in your webinar creation process, survey them to find out which topics they would be interested in and then invite them to help co-create the webinar with you by sharing the survey results and asking for their input on which topic resonates with them the most.
Use the right tools
A webinar will go more smoothly if you have a webinar platform, landing page tool, email service, payment processor, slide deck and survey tool.
For that, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:
- What type(s) of tool do I need?
- Do I have a budget?
- Will I manage it directly or hire an assistant?
- Do I have the time to learn a new tool?
- What learning/training resources are available?
- What key features do I want for each tool?
Webinar platforms
Free:
- YouTube Live (formerly Google Hangouts)
- FreeConferenceCall
Paid:
When choosing a webinar platform, be sure to look for one where the replay is embeddable and shareable, of high quality, able to host enough attendees, and offers screen sharing.
Landing page providers
Free:
- Ontrapages
- Strikingly
- Launchrock
- WordPress Landing pages (WordPress plugin)
Paid:
Your landing page provider should offer customizable templates, the ability to add to your site, and simple design.
Email services
Free:
Paid:
The key features to look for when choosing an email service platform are: ease of use, the ability to create forms and tags, automated emails, personalization, and integration with other tools.
Payment processor
Free:*
Paid:
When looking for a payment processor, easy access to income and expense reports, integration with other tools, and the ability to accept credit cards and Paypal are all key features to consider.
Slide deck resources
Free:
Paid:
There are three key features to look for when choosing slide deck resources: designs that fit with your brand, designs that are easy to customize, and designs that are in the right format (e.g., Powerpoint or Keynote).
Survey tools
Setup
The ‘setup phase’ is when you need to plan your webinar and get the tech sorted. Make sure you give yourself enough time to do everything.
During this stage you’ll:
- Determine a date for the webinar
- Select a co-host (if applicable)
- Get clear on the tech
- Set up your registration page
- Add the confirmation email to your email service
- Create the event inside your webinar platform
Promotion
The main focus will be on promoting the webinar. The registration page can be shared with a list or on social media. If there is a co-host, they can be invited to share the event as well. The visual automations editor makes it easier to promote webinars to a community.
During the day of prep, get ready to:
- Send out your final invite
- Hop on social media
- Get in the right mindset
- Arrive 20-30 minutes early for your final audio and webinar platform test
Live webinar
During the live event, you can share your screen, a deck, your face, or a combination of all of them. It’s essential that you deliver on what you promised. You can also have a VA or someone on your team hop in the chat to engage your community or ask questions.
Follow up
During the follow-up phase, you will:
- Share the replay
- Send thank you emails
- Remind people to buy or ask them why they didn’t buy
8 Weeks before your event
Select your webinar topic
Promotional efforts for a webinar will be unsuccessful if the chosen topic does not capture the attention of the target audience. Choose a topic that will excite attendees.
Questions to consider:
- Are your target audience members interested in the subject?
- Can this topic be delivered in a virtual space?
- Has this topic been offered before?
- If so, how will yours be different?
Select your presenter
Choose your event host soon to ensure the tone of your content is appropriate. A host that is familiar with your industry will be able to add value to your event. Consider booking co-hosts to deliver your content more effectively.
Questions to consider:
- Does this person have experience delivering webinars, or are they willing to learn the difference between a webinar and in-person presentation delivery?
- Is this person a thought-leader in the industry?
- Will you be relying on this person to help attract a larger audience?
Determine your goals for the event
The goals for a lead generation event will be different than the goals for a continuing education event, so it is important to take the time to think about what you want the outcome to be.
Your goals can relate to gaining educational credits for a certain number of attendees, promoting your company or presenter as a thought leader, or simply teaching someone how to do something.
Keep the following in mind when planning your event: what is the purpose of the event, who is the target audience, and what is the overall feel or tone you want the event to have. These factors will help you determine the theme and design of your event.
Identify your target audience
If you try to appeal to too broad of an audience with your event, it can actually end up hurting your registration metrics. It’s better to focus on a specific segment of people and then craft your presentation with that group in mind.
It’s a good idea to think about your target audience and what they want before the conference. This will help you plan your conference better.
Select a vendor to deliver your event
It’s essential to determine what features you need to deliver your presentation and who on your team will ensure that every piece is taken care of. Here’s a sample of features you’ll need to consider for your virtual event:
Essential Virtual Event FeaturesÂ
Event Controls
The features allow the event organizer to manage who is speaking, monitor raised hands, and complete other tasks to keep the event running smoothly.
HelpDesk
If you or your attendees are having technical difficulties, a live HelpDesk will help get things going again without disrupting your event.
Live Webinar Hosting
It’s important to find a virtual event platform that can handle events in real-time if you’re planning on hosting a live event.
Webinar Recording
It is beneficial to use a platform that offers recording options for your event. Furthermore, a high-quality platform can provide hosting and distribution services for your recording at no additional cost.
Phone Dial-In AccessÂ
If your attendees’ internet connection is not reliable, giving them the option to dial in will allow them to still listen to your event.
7 Weeks before your event
Select a date and time for your event
When planning a webinar, always take into account when your audience will be available to attend. If the webinar is for lead generation purposes, choosing a slower day like Friday and offering the event during lunchtime may be more successful.
Choose a time for the webinar that won’t interfere with doctors’ or lawyers’ schedules so that it will be more convenient for them to attend.
Delegate tasks to the presenter, hosts and webinar team
Before beginning your conference, be sure to document every detail so that each team member knows his or her responsibility for the event.
Things to consider:
- Do you need approval from a jurisdiction or board?
- Do you need to build continuing education into the event?
- Will you be capturing the event for future viewings?
- Where will the webinar recording be hosted for on-demand viewing?
Determine a theme for your event
The next step after choosing a topic for your webinar is to pick a theme that will connect all aspects of the event. The theme you choose should be based on the goals of the webinar. For example, if the purpose of the webinar is to educate the audience, then the theme should be professional. On the other hand, if the webinar is meant to be entertaining, then the theme could be more light-hearted. The theme of the webinar will affect everything from the presentation to the marketing.
Determine if and how you want to repurpose this event
You can watch a recording of your event at another time and have the presenter available to answer questions live.
Another option is to make the recording available online so that viewers can watch it at their convenience. If you are providing a continuing education event, find out if your vendor can include a continuing education test as part of the online viewing experience.
Determine the length of the program
You should have a clear idea of what points you want to communicate before you start planning your presentation. Make an outline of your content and formulate your event around it. Make sure you have enough engaging content to keep your audience interested for the entire presentation.
Determine how you want your attendees to register for the event
It’s often easier to use your webinar provider to develop and host your registration page, rather than building it with a third party.
This ensures that attendees receive correct confirmation and reminder emails, and their login information integrates with the webinar platform. This makes it easy to track and engage with attendees.
6 Weeks before your event
Compile your lists of prospective attendees
If you want to ensure that your webinar reaches its target audience, your email marketing list is a great place to start. Make sure you only send the invitation to people who would be interested in the event.
Create a webinar promotional plan
Calendarize your content marketing efforts by including email schedules, press release launches, social posts, and blog posts. Your plan should also account for email invitations and any other marketing tactics you use to promote your event.
Ensure you’re building excitement for your webinar with this promotional checklist.
Prepare a marketing promo kit for sponsors, presenters and hosts
The marketing promo kit should include social media graphics, suggested posts with shortened URLs, and hashtags. By sending the kit out to social media influencers on platforms like LinkedIn, you can improve your reach.
2 Weeks before your event
Monitor and analyze your promotions
Now is the time to evaluate whether your marketing strategies are effective and attracting the right audience. Not all promotional plans are effective for every webinar, so you need to analyze how your promos perform.
1 Week before your event
Get familiar the webinar platform
It is important that your presenters are familiar with your webinar platform and that you have a dry run of the technology. Make sure to upload your slide deck and test different audio methods.
Prepare your post-event evaluations
Doing so will help you identify guests’ needs and objectives. It is just as important to analyze your event as it is to prepare for it. Make a list of questions for your attendees to answer and put together a short survey to collect their feedback. This will help you figure out what your guests need and what their objectives are.
Write an introduction script for your presenter
Research everything you can about the event and what you want the attendees to know. Write a script that is interesting and effective.
Prepare your follow-up messaging
Send an email to the attendees of the webinar summarizing what was presented and include a link to the event OnDemand. This will allow them to view the event at a later time and get more value from it.
On the day of your event
Send a final email invitation
The majority of people who attend a webinar will register for it within a day of the event happening. It’s not unusual for someone who is busy to forget that they registered for an online event.
Joining the web room
It is important to have the presenters join the web room at least 15 minutes before the webinar’s scheduled time in order to avoid any issues. This will provide enough time for them to do a last sound and webcam check, review the PowerPoint, and get comfortable with the event features.
Check your recording status
If you’re hoping to record your event so that it can be watched at a later time, make sure that it’s being recorded in the right format. Talk to whoever is running your virtual event platform to confirm that the person running the event will start recording at the appropriate time, to avoid any problems.
Live support
If you are working with a full-service webinar provider, you can rely on the live moderator to take care of any problems that might come up with the audience, and just focus on giving the presentation.
Analyze your webinar statistics
Most webinar platforms provide you with complete event reports. Some of the critical analytics to look at include:
- How many registrants attended the event?
- What questions were asked during the Q&A?
- Were the questions answered thoroughly?
- Who participated in the post-event evaluation?
- Who needs to complete the post-event evaluation?