7 Webinars Mistakes That Can Make You Look Foolish

Little mistakes can cost you money, goodwill and your reputation. So let’s review a few common bloopers to avoid.

TV dramas have to be faced-paced and flawless — slick, as some might say. Not so with webinars. The Web is an informal environment.

And yet, if you slip up on certain fundamentals . . . well, there’s just no excuse. So keep this list of common goofs handy.

Mistake #1: Not enough teasing

Let me guess: you love what you do, but you hate to market, right? Welcome to the human race. In this respect, we’re all the same.

The main reason people attend your webinar is because of curiosity. So use a variety of channels to tell people about your webinar — your blog, email marketing, social media, even word of mouth.

But don’t tell everything, tell just enough to stimulate their curiosity.

Tip: Marketing your webinar is just as important as creating your webinar content. So outline your marketing plan the same way you outline your content. Then keep fleshing out the plan until you’re excited about it.

Mistake #2: Failure to nag

Famed advertising pioneer David Ogilvy said that people need to hear about a movie 7 times before they consider seeing it. Today on the Web, it’s probably a lot more.

So once is not enough.

Tip: Plan a series of marketing communications, updates and reminders — right up to the time of your webinar.

Mistake #3: Too much material

A watchmaker likes watches. But if someone asks him what time it is, it’s not because they need to know how to build a watch. He should just tell the time.

Do you make the same mistake? I know you love your subject matter. But do you have to tell everything you know in one session?

Tip: Pick out the 3 most interesting items your audience wants to know about. If your audience likes your webinar content, they’ll be more inclined to attend your next webinar and find out the next 3.

Mistake #4: Presentation without pizazz

Think of everything that competes for audience attention: TV, radio, email, social media updates, text messages, phone calls — the list goes on and on.

Without a great presentation, your audience will think of something better to do. So set your standards high.

Tip: Work to improve your personal presentation skills and the quality of your visual materials. The best way to grow your audience is to inspire your participants to brag about you to their friends.

Mistake #5: Lack of engagement strategy

When you picture your audience, are they leaning back or leaning forward?

Today’s audiences are restless and impatient. So don’t expect them to sit passively and absorb your information. Instead, design content that inspires them to lean forward and get involved with your content.

Tip: Design slides with little or no text. Then encourage the audience to take notes. Use interactive chat to get audience reactions. Design one or more instant polls to keep them engaged.

Mistake #6: Broken promises

If your webinar lives up to audience expectations, they may tell a few people about their good experience. If it doesn’t, they may tell everyone they know just how bad it was.

So take the time to design an experience, not just a stream of content.

Tip: Analyze the benefits of your webinar — the what’s in it for me factor, also known as WII-FM. Design your webinar as an opportunity to learn something useful. Then make sure you deliver.

Mistake #7: Failure to leverage

Sometimes you can get so caught up planning your webinar that you forget a very important question: “What’s next?”

So after the webinar, how will you follow up with attendees? A thank-you email is a bare minimum. Think of your webinar as the beginning of a new relationship, not the end of a process.

Tip: Just as you designed a marketing plan to promote your webinar, design a way to continue building the relationship with your audience. This is your golden opportunity to deliver follow-up content and special offers.