Ecommerce businesses constantly seek innovative ways to promote their products and attract more customers. One such method that is often overlooked is the use of webinars. Ecommerce Webinars can be a powerful tool for ecommerce stores, offering a unique way to engage with potential and existing customers.
What is an ecommerce webinar?
An ecommerce webinar is a virtual seminar conducted over the Internet, primarily used by ecommerce businesses to engage with their target audience. They are interactive, allowing participants to communicate with the host and each other, making it a highly effective tool for businesses.
The power of ecommerce webinar
Webinars allow ecommerce businesses to showcase their products, promote new launches, and engage personally with their customers. This personal touch can increase customer loyalty and, ultimately, more sales.
Studies show that 63% of viewers are willing to share their contact information to access webinars, making it an effective lead-generation tool. But why should ecommerce stores use webinars in their marketing strategies? Here's why:
Personal engagement with customers
Webinars offer ecommerce businesses a unique opportunity to engage personally with their potential and existing customers. Unlike other forms of digital marketing, webinars allow for real-time interaction between the brand and its audience. This personal touch makes customers feel valued and appreciated, strengthening their loyalty to the brand.
Lead generation
Another significant advantage of webinars is the potential for lead generation. By offering valuable content in a webinar, ecommerce stores can attract a wide audience of interested individuals. These individuals could be potential customers who, after attending the webinar, may be more inclined to purchase from the store.
Effective product promotion
Ecommerce stores often launch new products. Webinars provide an effective platform for showcasing these new launches. The live format allows for real-time demonstrations and Q&As, giving potential customers a thorough understanding of the product.
Now that we have established the why, let's explore some creative ideas on how ecommerce stores can use webinars effectively.
5 Creative webinar ideas for ecommerce stores
Here are five innovative ideas for ecommerce stores to kickstart their webinar journey:
Idea #1: Interview series about brand values
An interview series about your brand's values can help communicate your brand's story, values, and offerings. For example, a recycled clothing brand like Doodlage could discuss its eco-friendly creation process or interview influencers who promote sustainable clothing.
Idea #2: Product showcase and education
Start a series that showcases how to use your product for different occasions. For example, if you sell kids' clothes, you can have a webinar about fashion and the latest trends. Share tips about your product or industry and demonstrate various styles on live stream.
Idea #3: Live product reviews with influencers or experts
Invite an expert or influencer from your product niche to a live webinar to review your product. For instance, a mobile brand can invite influencers or experts to review the features and aesthetics of their mobile devices, providing feedback by comparing them with other brands.
Idea #4: Humans of your store
Invite loyal customers to share their stories with your product. This creates relatable content that other customers can connect with. For example, if you sell sports gear, you could interview customers with interesting sporting and adventure stories.
Idea #5: Webinars on related topics
If webinars about your product don't make sense, find a related topic that connects with it. For instance, a paint company like Asian Paints sponsors a video series called "Where the Heart is," in which they visit celebrity homes and discuss their home décor.
Bonus Idea: Seasonal shopping tips and gift guides
Create a webinar for seasonal shopping tips and gift guides for upcoming holidays or special occasions. Include tips on gift wrapping, personalized messages, and last-minute shopping strategies. For instance, a wristwatch store can talk about exclusive gift options available.
So, there you have it. Webinars offer ecommerce stores a dynamic and interactive platform to engage with their customers, generate leads, and promote their products. By embracing webinars in your marketing strategy, you can take your ecommerce business to new heights.
Once the webinar content and promotion strategies are in place, the next step is to get people to register for the webinar. This can be achieved through various channels such as social media, email marketing, and website banners.
Boosting ecommerce webinar attendance
However, it's more than just getting people to register for the webinar. The real success of a webinar lies in the actual attendance rate. Many registrants miss the live session for various reasons. Hence, businesses need an effective mechanism to remind registrants about the webinar.
This is where email automation comes into play. With email automation, businesses can send reminder emails to registrants, ensuring they get all the webinars. This increases the attendance rate and enhances the overall webinar experience for the audience.
The role of reminder emails
Reminder emails are a timely reminder for the registrants about the upcoming webinar. They help keep the webinar at the top of their minds, increasing their chances of attendance.
- Integrating the add-to-calendar widget
To further boost the effectiveness of reminder emails, businesses can integrate an 'Add to Calendar' widget in the email. This allows registrants to directly add the webinar to their calendar, blocking out the time for the event.
- Event notifications
When the webinar is added to the registrant's calendar, event notifications will appear on their desktop or mobile device at the event's start time. This ensures that even if the webinar is out of sight, it's not out of mind.
- Webinar registration email sequence
To maximize the benefits of email automation, businesses should implement a well-planned webinar registration email sequence. This sequence should send reminders to registrants and get the maximum number of attendees.
Setting up the email sequence is relatively straightforward. Businesses can use their Email Service Provider (ESP), such as Mailmodo, Klaviyo, Omnisend, etc., to build and set up this flow. If a business is a Mailmodo customer, it can even build this sequence in minutes, thanks to pre-built automation customized with its brand assets and the ability to add SMS nodes in the same email flow.
Interactive emails are powerful tools for driving higher engagement and sales. They allow businesses to provide an immersive experience right within the email, enhancing customer interaction and engagement.
Conclusion
Ecommerce webinars are an underutilized marketing channel that can help ecommerce stores grow their business. By implementing the ideas listed above and utilizing email automation, you can engage with your customers personally, showcase your products, and, ultimately, increase your sales.
Remember, the key to a successful webinar is preparation and promotion. So, get started today and see the difference it can make to your ecommerce store!
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