Market Trend Webinars and Accelerating Thought Leadership — WBPS Quick Bites
Everyone wants to be a thought leader in their respective space. But what sets the real leaders apart from the want-to-be-leaders isn’t a volume of content, but the quality of the insights they provide. Market trend webinars give companies the opportunity to establish expertise, build trust and craft an influential program that captures attention.
But why use webinars and not, say, a blog update? Well, according to Demand Generation Report, 48 percent of buyers say they prefer webinars to other content formats and are willing to spend more time and provide more information for webinar content. If you’re going to start a market trend program, webinars can help.
Starting a webinar program around marketing trends can seem intimidating, but they’re not that difficult. To show you how it’s done, we’re sending our very own Chief Webinerd, Mark Bornstein, to the studio to give you a quick bite on market trend webinar basics.
It’s the very first episode in our new series, WBPS Quick Bites, and it takes place on June 20 at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT). What can you expect to learn? Well, the fundamentals of market trend webinars — from presentation to engagement tools you should use — in fewer than 20 minutes. Here are a few tips you can use right now:
Market Trend Types: Annual, Quarterly, Monthly or Quick Response
Market trends webinars come about in a variety of ways, but marketers and their peers should establish the criteria for a webinar early. For example, should an organization publish a market trend event once a year, quarterly, monthly or as breaking news develops?
Consider the audience you’re trying to target with your webinars to determine cadence. Big ticket updates can take place every quarter. But fast-paced industries should look towards monthly — or weekly — updates to keep audiences informed.
Establish Market Trend Experts
Right. So you have a cadence down. Now what? Now you need to get your subject matter experts front and center to discuss the trends and, if appropriate, provide an opinion. SMEs are your way to put a face to your organization’s expertise.
Talk with your SMEs to figure out what format is most appropriate for them as they start their webinar journey. Practice with them they’re willing but nervous, about getting in front of a camera. Finally, walk your experts through how the webinar platform works and set up a dry run a day or two before the event — and take some time to review any slides.
Provide a Multimedia Experience
In the B2B world, a PowerPoint deck hardly registers as an engaging experience. As you design your market trend webinar series, set up some time to think through a variety of webinar types that’ll boost engagement and provide your audience with the information they need.
For example, you could intertwine polls and surveys throughout a slide presentation to measure attentiveness and audience opinion on the subject. You could also bring together a panel of experts and have them respond to audience questions. Really, it’s up to you.
Professionals use market trends for a variety of reasons. They influence business decisions, improve professional knowledge and prove thought leadership. After all, industry professionals are hungry for a variety of opinions — and your company’s perspective can prove to be invaluable for everyone involved.
If you’re unsure about how to get started with your market trend webinars, attend “Trending Up: How to Use Webinars to Share Market Trends” on June 20 at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT).
