Top 10 Webinar Statistics to Help You Get Started
Although webinars have been around for quite some time, their use has become much more frequent given the pandemic. What’s more, their popularity has risen in the ranks of digital marketing. With this in mind, we want to present you with ten webinar statistics to help you navigate this ever-increasingly popular branch of webinar marketing.
First, however, let’s outline a clear definition of a webinar.
What is a webinar?
“Webinar” is a term that refers to web seminars. They are usually in the form of presentations, lectures, or workshops delivered online in video format.
Webinars are a great way to deliver content or information. Moreover, depending on the platform you use, they can be highly interactive.
They are also a way for a brand to assert their authority within their field, and, importantly, to market their services or products. In fact, 58% of content marketers saw virtual events/webinars/online courses as producing some of the best content marketing results. It is therefore hardly surprising that webinars are a critical element in 99% of small business and worldwide enterprises’ marketing plans.
Webinars are also particularly helpful for a business looking to establish or strengthen the bond with its target audience and existing customer base. It is worth noting that 88% of manufacturing marketers used content marketing (involving tools such as webinars) successfully to create brand awareness, while 67% used it to build credibility/trust, and 63% to educate their audience.
Now that we know why webinars are a great tool to have in your arsenal, let’s look at some statistics that will help you get started with them.
Top 10 Webinar Statistics to Help You Get Started
1. Virtual events/webinars/online courses are used by 70% of manufacturing marketers, making them one of the most used content types.
(Source: contentmarketinginstitute)
This shows how powerful webinars can be when used to market your brand. It is clear from the 70% that content marketers have cottoned on to their usefulness. They’re not just for educating your audience on your service or product, but are brilliant marketing tools if you know how to use them correctly.
For instance, you might choose to deliver a lecture about the best ecommerce platforms available on the market right now. While this can be educational for your target audience, it can present a marketing opportunity for you if you are in the ecommerce platform business.
Likewise, people wanting to learn about the best webinar software will likely be in search of one and want to watch your content. This means that it is likely that they will end up being a quality lead that you can later pursue.
2. Hosts need to spend a minimum of $100 to conduct a webinar.
(Source: webinarcare)
Though costs do vary, conducting webinars can be a costly affair, especially if you’re looking to use webinar software and other elements, such as recording equipment.
Also, don’t forget that a webinar is not only about the content presented, but also the host. Some businesses like to hire consultants and keynote speakers, and this can be another expense to think about.
There’s also the business of promoting your webinar. There’s no point in putting together a comprehensive and informative webinar featuring great speakers if nobody knows about it.
Therefore, some of your efforts have to be directed toward the promotion of your content. This can incur further costs, as manpower is needed to develop a promotion strategy. A marketing team is essential here; ideas, such as promoting your webinar on your website’s pillar pages, need to be carefully brainstormed and evaluated before they can be applied to successfully promote your content.
3. Wednesday is the best day to run a webinar
(Source: Livewebinar)
This point ties in with the promotion aspect of successfully launching a webinar—you want to do so at the most opportune moment. Conducting your webinar at the right time, when your audience is most likely to see it, is key. This will maximize your webinar’s visibility as well as increase the likelihood of your target audience members being able to attend (if it is a live event).
4. The best time to run webinars is at 11 a.m. Pacific (2 p.m. Eastern).
(Source: On24)
Continuing on from statistic #3, the best time to run a webinar is 11 a.m. (Pacific time). Combining this with the above statistic will give you the best chance to be seen by the highest number of people. It should be noted, however, that this is a general observation, and you should look to tailor your upload time or event time to your audience.
5. Email is the most effective and powerful tool for marketing webinars.
(Source: webinarcare)
As we have seen above, promotion is a big aspect of successfully launching video content such as webinars. That is why thought must be given as to the best way in which to promote it.
Email marketing is nothing new and has been shown to be greatly effective in certain cases, especially when it makes the consumer feel that they are receiving a personalized service. The power of email marketing can be harnessed to promote all kinds of things, whether it be products, services, or in our case, content. Spend some time looking into the most impactful ways to use email to promote your webinars.
Don’t forget that social media is also a brilliant way to raise awareness and promote your content. A simple, visually pleasing or aesthetic post piquing your target audience’s interest can go a long way.
6. Over 30% of people prefer knowledgeable and passionate hosts.
(Source: webinarcare)
We are not unaware that appropriate and informative content is key. After all, who would want to hear about call tagging from a construction company? However, content does not make up the full picture, especially in regard to webinars. So, what’s the next thing you should focus on?
Your host.
Though we touched on this earlier in this article, it is an important enough aspect that it deserves its own section.
Your content needs to be good, but its delivery has to be effective. A great host will bring your content to life. There are several benefits to ensuring a passionate and knowledgeable individual presents your video content.
Firstly, they will be able to maintain the audience’s interest and present the information in such a way that it is easy for them to understand.
Secondly, having a host with knowledge in the relevant field is a great asset because it can help them deliver the content in a simple yet factually correct way. It also means that they are better equipped to handle the Q&A session (if you choose to have one).
Moreover, this bolsters your company’s position as a key player in the field with the relevant knowledge and experience. As a result, the audience is more likely to trust you and your expertise.
These combined can then translate into your webinars gaining increased popularity, leading to increased views, more traffic to your website, and an increase in the number of leads and eventual sales.
7. The ideal length for a webinar is between 30 and 45 minutes.
(Source: Cloudincome)
There is a fine line between providing your audience with useful information and boring them to death. To ensure you don’t make a common webinar mistake and accidentally end up doing the latter, keep your webinars under 45 minutes long. Someone can be the biggest fan of construction, but a 2-hour-long presentation on roofing contract examples is enough to keep even the biggest enthusiast at bay.
8. 52% of marketers like both live and on-demand webinars; 29% of marketers prefer watching webinar recordings on-demand.
(Source: Statista)
Another thing to consider is whether to make your webinar a live event or content that people can access on demand.
The key difference here is interaction. A live webinar allows the speaker(s) to interact with their audience in real-time. This can have great benefits; your audience can glean insights from the speaker and even obtain help regarding your service or product.
For instance, if you’re a SaaS business, this can be another way through which your customers can obtain SaaS customer support.
A good way to establish an effective line of communication with your audience is by holding a Q&A session at the end of your presentation. This is something we will be focusing on in our next point.
9. Around 80% of people prefer to have live questions and answer sessions at the end of the webinar.
(Source: webinarcare)
This is particularly important for those webinars that focus on a particular product or service the concerned business offers. A live Q&A session at the end of the presentation allows potential leads or interested parties to obtain more personalized information regarding the product or service that interests them.
It also allows you, as a brand, to position yourself as an expert in the field. For instance, say you are a business specializing in sales tax; by answering questions about reseller certificates and pointing the individual(s) towards the appropriate resources to help them with their issue, you are showing that you can be trusted as a knowledgeable source and care about assisting those interested in your field, product, or service.
10. 78% of hosts use a designated webinar platform instead of a video platform like Vimeo or YouTube
(Source: Livewebinar)
If you’re looking to get involved with serious video content production, it’s always a good idea to look around for a designated webinar platform. Such platforms can make your life easier and are usually very intuitive to use. They can even include storage for your webinar recordings, webinar URL customization, and built-in marketing tools.
Conclusion
There you have it; ten statistics on webinars to get you going. Make sure to take advantage of the rising popularity of webinars by using the information we have provided in this article to successfully launch your own!
This article was written by Jessica Day, the Senior Director for Marketing Strategy at Dialpad, a modern business communications platform that takes every kind of conversation to the next level—turning conversations into opportunities. Jessica is an expert in collaborating with multifunctional teams to execute and optimize marketing efforts, for both company and client campaigns. Jessica Day also published articles for domains such as Women Love Tech and HeyCarson. Here is her LinkedIn.
About the Author / Akeem Okunola
