Want your business to expand rapidly? Have you thought about integrating webinars into your marketing plan? Marketing webinars are essential for generating leads and sales for B2B (business-to-business) or software companies on a large scale. It’s no secret that webinars have been around for a while. Numerous companies utilize them, and have been doing so for years. However, a lot of businesses execute webinars very poorly. You’ve likely attended a terrible webinar recently.

Don’t allow that to occur with your business! Webinars have the potential to be fantastic. Here are 11 suggestions to help you maximize your webinar outcomes and produce a large number of leads and sales.

1. Dedicate More Time to Topic Selection

Choosing a dull webinar topic, or one that your intended audience simply isn’t interested in, is setting yourself up for failure. Why waste time and effort promoting and delivering content that few people actually desire? The key to webinar success lies in this: Choose topics that have a proven track record. For instance, if you’ve created an e-book that received a large volume of downloads, or if a particular subject line in one of your newsletters resulted in exceptionally high open rates, consider that a clear indication of audience interest in that topic. Examine your data. Identify your top 5% highest-performing content across all your channels. Select one of those topics.

Alternatively, utilize keyword research tools and social media platforms like Buzzsumo to uncover trending topics within your industry. Keywords aren’t just for SEO! Keyword volume reflects audience interest in a topic, making it logical to leverage popular keywords as topics for your marketing webinars.

2. Decrease the Frequency of Your Marketing Webinars

Pay close attention, as this webinar marketing tip is crucial. Some companies conduct hundreds of webinars annually. Seriously? Yes, seriously. There’s really no need to host numerous webinars per week! That’s excessive. It’s far more effective to conduct one exceptional webinar per month than four mediocre ones. Prioritize QUALITY over quantity. At nexus-security, we observed a surge in registrations to over 5,000 when we held one major event per month, compared to approximately 500 to 1,000 signups for smaller, less produced, and less promoted weekly webinars.

3. Enhance Your Webinar Slides

Are bullet points still present in your slides? Please, stop using them! Your webinar slides should be visually appealing. Visual content holds immense power – it’s significantly more memorable and engaging than text-heavy slides. Exceptional visuals will captivate your viewers.

Consider this deck as an example – 97 slides and not a single bullet point in sight! And it just so happens to be one of the top 20 SlideShares of 2015. If you’re not a visual person, consider hiring a designer to assist in creating impactful slide decks. Trust me, it’s a worthwhile investment.

4. Promote Your Webinar Extensively

Email blasts are a must. That’s a given. However, email alone isn’t sufficient for promoting your marketing webinars. You should also engage your target audience through:

• Remarketing
• Facebook Ads
• AdWords Customer Match
• Gmail Ads Utilize all these advanced targeting techniques to ensure your ideal audience is aware of your upcoming incredible, must-attend webinar. Furthermore, make sure to develop an effective webinar landing page to maximize registrations.

5. Utilize Your Webcam

The majority of webinar platforms allow you to activate your webcam. Do it! When people can’t be physically present with you, this is the closest alternative. Your presentation becomes even more compelling when attendees can see you presenting. Additionally, people tend to trust you more when they can see your face, rather than just hearing a disembodied voice.

6. Include a Poll Question with an Offer

Polls are an effective method for gaining insights from and engaging your attendees. However, since our focus is on business growth, let’s elevate this strategy. Incorporate an offer into one of your poll questions. For instance, you could ask, “Would you like us to schedule a free demo for you?” Then, after the webinar, your sales team can follow up with a message like, “Hi, I’m reaching out regarding your request for a demo…”

7. Personalize Your Webinar Reminder Emails

Ensure your reminder email originates from the presenter. For example: “Hi, this is Larry. I’m thrilled you registered for this webinar. I’m looking forward to connecting with you tomorrow.” This simple gesture can significantly boost attendance rates, potentially from 20 to 33 percent. That’s substantial!

8. Send the Webinar Recording Immediately

As any entrepreneur understands, opportunities are fleeting. If someone expresses even a slight interest in your webinar today, there’s a chance they’ll be less interested in two days – assuming they haven’t forgotten about it entirely!

People’s interest wanes rapidly, so it’s crucial to distribute your webinar recording promptly. Maintain engagement with your leads. Don’t let promising prospects lose interest!

9. Follow Up with Non-Attendees

Individuals who register for your marketing webinar but don’t end up attending still hold value as leads. In fact, they might even be considered higher-quality leads, as their absence could indicate they’re busy individuals who likely need what you’re offering! Webinar attendance versus non-attendance isn’t a reliable indicator of lead quality. Therefore, avoid the costly error of assuming that individuals who didn’t attend aren’t interested in your product or service.

10. Rehearse Your Webinar Multiple Times

Not everyone possesses natural public speaking abilities. In fact, while delivering exceptional presentations may appear effortless for some speakers, what’s often unseen are the countless hours of preparation and practice invested in crafting that presentation. If you aspire to deliver a memorable and impactful webinar, it’s essential to allocate sufficient time for practicing your presentation. Schedule time for a practice run in front of a colleague, friend, or family member. They can provide feedback on any dull or confusing sections of your webinar and help identify potential errors in your slide deck!

Another helpful tip: Record yourself delivering the presentation and listen back to identify areas that require improvement. You might uncover bad speaking habits that are easily addressed. For additional guidance on delivering outstanding marketing presentations and enhancing your speaking abilities, refer to these tips.

11. Make Your Webinar Interactive

Solo webinars can be incredibly dull. We live in an era of short attention spans. After 15-20 minutes, the mind tends to wander, regardless of the speaker’s expertise and charisma. To prevent losing your audience’s attention, incorporate an active moderator who can pose questions dynamically. Foster a conversational atmosphere – similar to a radio program, with back-and-forth exchanges and audience participation. This approach will ensure your audience remains engaged and entertained. This post originally appeared on Inc. and is republished with permission.