Rich Newsome
Are you thinking of hosting a CPD in webinar format?
Webinars offer a wide range of benefits that the modern construction product business can - and should - be taking advantage of.
Today we’ll be giving you a step-by-step guide on how you can effectively host your CPD webinar, as well as some key considerations to help you along the way.
Combining CPDs and Webinars
Back in the days when people could actually interact freely, you had CPDs and webinars, with the latter barely entering the radar for many building product manufacturers.
Fast forward to today and it’s a very different picture. Instead of co-exisiting as two separate entities, many manufacturers are adopting webinars as a way of delivering CPD content to a wider audience… all from the comfort of their own home.
And there’s a lot to be said for this. When done well, it can be cost-effective, time-effective and a great way to interact with your prospects in a ‘live’ environment.
However, many manufacturers may be put off at the thought of dipping their toes into the technological pool we currently find ourselves in. Fear not, however, we’re here to help.
Step 1: Decide on Your Topic
This is perhaps the most crucial element of your CPD. You want to ensure that you are delivering genuine value to your attendees, as well as establishing trusting relationships.
Struggling to think of a key topic? Check out the following blog posts:
Step 2: Who Will Lead Your Webinar?
Addressing a group of people in an architectural practice is one thing; doing it over the internet is something else entirely. Unless people enable their camera (which isn’t really the ‘done thing’ with webinars), you won’t be able to see the faces of the people taking part.
This will add a challenging element to your CPD delivery, particularly if you are the sort of person who responds well to body language and facial expressions.
The person who leads your webinar also needs to be prepared to face some challenging questions. It’s good practice to enable a Q&A at the end of your webinar, so it’s crucial that you are prepared for the technical probing of the decision-making attendees.
A couple of weeks back, I saw a webinar CPD of a manufacturer who will remain nameless. When it came to the Q&A at the end, the technical sales rep let himself down with his lack of conviction and confidence around Building Regulations.
Your most confident speaker should be the one to deliver your live webinar.
Sadly, you don’t have the option of several ‘takes’ in the same way a pre-recorded CPD will have.
Step 3: Establish Your Tech Stack
Zoom is by far the most popular tool for hosting webinars. There are other options, of course, but none with quite the amount of capabilities that Zoom has to offer.
With a small subscription charge, you are opening up a world of possibilities for both external and internal communications within your organisation.
Step 4: Set Up Your Event
Assuming you have Zoom enabled, you can take the following steps:
- Login to your Zoom account
- Select “Schedule My Webinar”
- Select registration options
- Select Q&A settings
- Choose your webinar options
- Save your webinar as a template
For the full, detailed overview, click this link. You’ll also find a useful video, too.
Step 5: Promote Your Event
You’ve set up Zoom. The date is in place. Now it’s time to tell the world.
This is where you’ll need to reach out to your existing database through email marketing.
Utilising social media is also going to be high up on the agenda when publicising your event.
The key is to get as many sign ups as possible. If you receive 60 registrants, the chances are only a fraction will actually turn up, so don’t be alarmed by a large initial uptake!
Top Tip: Don’t Forget To Hit ‘Record’
By recording your webinar, it’s available for anyone to watch, anytime, anyplace, anywhere. For those unable to attend, send them an email with the recorded webinar.
With your recorded webinar, it’ll always be there as a ‘lead magnet’ to be used within your campaign efforts, so make sure you gate it on your website behind a form and landing page. That way, you will reap its value far beyond the hour it took to record the event.
If you require any support on hosting your own event, don’t hesitate to speak to an expert today. We’d love to hear from you.
About Insynth
Insynth Marketing is a leading UK construction marketing agency based in Shifnal in the West Midlands.
They use the latest inbound marketing techniques such as construction inbound marketing, to support building product companies to grow their business by proactively driving sales lead generation activity.
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major on construction marketing, we bring together construction marketing strategy, digital strategy, website design, SEO, content marketing, email marketing, sales automation, marketing automation and HubSpot CRM implementation to produce successful campaigns and great results for our clients.