WEBINARS AND EVENTS AS GROWTH CHANNELS: PLAN, PROMOTE, CONVERT

The first mistake many companies make is hosting an event without a clear purpose. Before planning a single detail, define exactly what you want to achieve.

• Do you want to generate new leads?

• Educate existing customers?

• Announce a product or service?

• Strengthen brand authority?

Each goal demands a different approach. Once your objective is set, identify your target audience. A technical webinar for IT managers will look very different from a business leadership session for CEOs.

The better you understand your audience’s pain points, the more tailored your event content can be, and the higher your conversion rate will climb.

Your content is the heart of your webinar or event. It should be useful, actionable, and aligned with your audience’s priorities. Avoid the temptation to sell from the start. Instead, educate and guide your participants toward the realization that your product or service is the logical solution.

Tips for effective event content:

• Start with a relatable problem.

• Present insights and solutions.

• Include data or case studies that prove your point.

• End with a clear call to action that feels natural.

Webinars work best when they combine storytelling, visuals, and live interaction. For in-person events, design sessions that mix learning with networking to keep energy and engagement high.

A brilliant event is worthless if nobody knows about it. Your promotion strategy should start weeks in advance and use multiple channels to attract the right audience.

Use:

• Email campaigns with value-driven subject lines.

• Social media teasers and countdowns.

• Personalized invitations to top prospects.

• Retargeting ads to remind visitors who viewed your event page.

• Partnerships with influencers or industry organizations.

Tools like Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Social make this process easier by automating your outreach and helping you track engagement metrics. You can segment audiences, schedule posts, and analyze which channels drive the most registrations.

Your registration process should be quick and seamless. Long forms discourage sign-ups, while too little information leaves you with poor-quality leads. Strike a balance by collecting only what you need to qualify attendees.

Zoho Backstage is a great solution for managing both physical and virtual events. It handles everything from ticketing to agenda management, registration forms, and even event-day check-ins. For webinars, Zoho Meeting or Zoho Webinarintegrates directly with Zoho CRM, allowing you to capture leads automatically and follow up after the event.

Once the event ends, your work is far from over. The follow-up phase is where most conversions happen. Send thank-you emails, recap key takeaways, and include replay links for those who missed it. A personalized message from the host or sales representative can make a huge impact.

The value of a webinar or event lies in how you convert interest into measurable business results. Integrate your event tools with your CRM to ensure every attendee record, poll response, and question is captured for future engagement.

Using Zoho CRM, you can:

• Score leads based on attendance and engagement.

• Segment them by interest level or topic.

• Assign them to sales reps automatically.

• Create automated email journeys for nurturing.

Analyze post-event data such as attendance rates, engagement levels, and conversion outcomes to refine your future events. Over time, you’ll identify which topics and formats generate the best ROI.