ON24 Expands Webinar Benchmarks Report Revealing Webinars As Marketers’ Top Channel for ROI
With 76% of marketers saying webinars are their most effective source of pipeline, report shows webinars are now at the core of successful marketing strategies
SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — With more than 66% of buyers saying they prefer webinars to other content formats, there’s no better time to invest in this channel. That’s why today, ON24, the technology leader helping companies drive human engagement and deliver actionable insights through digital experiences, released its Webinar Benchmarks Report 2019 to provide marketers with key learnings and best practices. The announcement was made at the company’s flagship Webinar World 2019 user conference taking place this week.
The only industry study, which is informed by the breadth of ON24’s network and more than 1 billion minutes watched annually on the platform, provides the most comprehensive look at how webinars are transforming digital marketing and how they have evolved into an essential channel for businesses to engage prospects and convert them to lifetime customers. The study is also informed by the Webinar Assessment Tool, a survey that helps marketers understand the strengths and weaknesses of their webinar programs.
“Great marketing is about creating digital experiences that are both engaging and actionable,” says Joe Hyland, CMO, ON24. “The ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report 2019 illustrates that webinars are providing marketers with the data they need and consumers with the content they want – creating a rare win-win in today’s noisy, spam-ridden landscape.”
The extensive user survey, meanwhile, notably found that:
- Engagement is a two-way street: 69% of webinars in 2018 offered resources for attendees to download or engage with.
- Data is key: 53% of respondents say it’s “extremely important” to have access to engagement insights.
- Webinars amplify marketing campaigns: 69% of respondents say that webinars enable them to scale their marketing efforts.
- Webinars impact the funnel: 76% of respondents say that webinars enable them to drive more leads.
The report illustrates that:
- Webinars reach unprecedented heights: Webinars continue to see an upward trend in viewing time, with the report finding the average viewing time to be at 58 minutes. This is the highest in the 7 years ON24 has conducted the report, and two minutes higher than 2018.
- Video is becoming a must-have: 38% of webinars featured some type of video, a 72% increase year-over-year.
- Always-on viewing times increase: The average on-demand viewing time increased to 47 minutes in 2019, the highest ON24 has ever found, and 3 minutes higher than 2018.
- Midweek webinars are ideal: Webinars that take place on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday are best for driving engagement and registration. The report found that that the majority of attendees watch webinars on either Thursdays (28%), Wednesdays (27%) or Tuesdays (24%). The best time to run a webinar is 11 am PST (2 pm EST) as it avoids most conflicts on both coasts; this time slot accounted for 18% of all webinar minutes watched.
- Longer promotional campaigns build greater audiences: The best way to drive registrants to webinars is by engaging with them early and often — 54% of registrants signed up more than 8 days before a webinar.
The report measured nearly 23,000 webinars that took place in 2018 and surveyed 200+ ON24 users. Of the 22,922 webinars in 2018 that ON24 analyzed, all had at least 100 attendees. The presenting companies range in size from SMB to international corporations.
ON24 now sees more than 40,000 hours of webinar content being watched every day. The company made several announcements at Webinar World 2019. The industry-leading conference featured keynotes and panel discussions from marketing leaders from Marketo, FunnyBizz, Heinz Marketing and more. It was headlined by the distinguished Peabody Award-winning correspondent and host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon.
To learn more about Webinar World 2019, go here.
About ON24, Inc.
ON24 is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences, powering interactive, data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions. Through the ON24 Engagement Platform, marketers can create Live, On Demand and Personalized Engagement, turn it into actionable intelligence and integrate it across their operations. Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes — including 12 million polls, 1.3 million surveys, 1.5 million conversations, and conversion of over 17 million resources — marketers drive more revenue from ON24 Engagement than any other marketing channel. Headquartered in San Francisco, ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions, including London, Munich, Singapore, Stockholm and Sydney. For more information, visit https://www.on24.com.
CONTACT: Keith Chapman, keith@chappublicrelations.com
SOURCE ON24