Guide: Create a webinar funnel that converts - The 4 steps

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A webinar funnel is a marketing term used to describe the journey potential customers go through, from the awareness stage to the point of making a purchase decision. Unlike regular sales funnels, a webinar funnel utilizes webinars to guide the prospects through the buying journey, nurturing their interest, and promoting conversions.

Generating a webinar funnel is a strategic exercise - and is a way to qualify and generated leads. But, just as much a way to demonstrate your product's value, share the expertise of your business, and build a long-term relationship with your audience.

A good webinar funnel should transform random viewers in your ICP into brand ambassadors and your best customers.

In 2024, standing out in the noise becomes more and more difficult - as more companies pop up and attention spans are going down. Also, reaching leads become more difficult with Google and Yahoo, cutting down on bulk email limits, and ads becoming increasingly more expensive.

A webinar funnel helps you as a marketer to understand a customer's purchasing journey, identifying what stage of this journey the customer is at, but also for you to get invaluable time with target prospects in an industry.

The insights can be used to decide which marketing channels and activities you should continue running - but also to drive new qualified leads, and grow your business.

So, how does a webinar funnel work?

There are 4 critical steps to setting up a webinar funnel that impacts your business in a meaningful way. In other words - a webinar funnel that drive new leads that convert.

The AENC model involves the four steps 1. Attract, 2. Engage, 3. Nurture, and 4. Convert.

Learn more about each step is below:

This is the top of the funnel where you create awareness about your webinar to draw in potential attendees.

Example: Typically, with the help of a webinar landing page.

Webinar landing page and registration flow as the first step of the webinar funnel - with automatic reminder emails in Univid

This phase involves the actual running of the webinar where you provide valuable content to your audience to engage them effectively.

Example: Typically, engaging the audience can be done via polls, Q&A, chat, and live reactions - making sure they listen, don't tab out and stay

Engaging leads in the webinar funnel - making sure they stay focused and convert

This phase involves following up with attendees, providing supplementary content. This is often done after the webinar, but in platforms like Univid, resources can be handed out during the webinar as well.

Example: Nurturing the attendees can be done throughout the webinar, making them download slides, or more material like e-books via CTA buttons (call-to-actions). Or after in follow-up emails, were you link to the recorded on-demand version of the webinar, or other resources.

Nurturing leads in the webinar funnel - via CTA buttons and follow-up emails that drives next steps

This is the bottom of the funnel where the ultimate goal of making a sale, booking a demo, or even a subscription occurs.

Example: Converting the attendees can be done by providing a CTA button live during the webinar, in platforms like Univid, or after the webinar in the follow-up email or sales call, where you target atttendees based on engagement and lead score.

Finally, convert leads in the webinar funnel - via CTA buttons, follow-up emails, and sales calls

Now let's dive into the benefits of a webinar funnel for your SaaS business:

1. Increased engagement

The interactive nature of a webinar allows for real-time conversation and engagement with your audience. It provides an opportunity to showcase your expertise and develop trust, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

2. Cost-effective lead generation

Webinars, being online, remove geographical barriers allowing for a broader reach at lower costs. They serve as a cost-effective method of generating quality leads, given their ability to attract, engage, and convert large amounts of people at once.

3. Improved conversion rates

An effective webinar funnel methodically moves prospects from awareness to decision-making, thus leading to improved conversion rates. The involvement in a live presentation, juicy insights, and the personal touch of being live - all maximize the chances of conversion.

4. Building brand authority

Establishing authority and building trust is critical in SaaS. A webinar funnel provides the scope to demonstrate your business's expertise - thus building your brand authority and trust amongst leads.

Sales funnels work best when they are built with specific goals for a defined target audience. Also, they should be executed using marketing content that is visually appealing and relevant.

A webinar funnel is not just about selling a product; it revolves around offering value, building relationships, and nurturing webinar leads through to conversion. It is a powerful tool that every marketer and webinar host in SaaS should leverage.