June is here at last, and the first week just flew by in a heatwave. Stay hydrated, friends.

This week we're taking a deep dive into a topic that many businesses struggle with - how to promote a Webinar and execute successfully to increase conversion rates.

New technologies can be difficult to adapt to, and the current global situation has pushed businesses of all kinds into the digital frontier - many for the first time.

Webinars are complex, with a seemingly endless checklist for preparation. We're here to help walk you through the process.

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What's New?
Webinars have really blown up in the past few years, and even more so in the past few months. What exactly is a webinar, you might be asking? Think seminars and workshops brought into the digital age - interactive, collaborative, and conducted over the internet rather than a physical location.

Webinars typically last about an hour, including a Q&A session at the end. The host presents educational information to a virtual audience through slides, documents, and screen sharing; with interactive elements such as polls, live chats, and document sharing that allow the attendees to engage with the presenter.

So, is a webinar the same as a webcast or virtual event? No, not really.

A webcast is typically a one-to-many presentation with very little to no interaction, much like a television broadcast.

A virtual event is essentially the same as a physical live event, only hosted online without the physical restrictions. They can contain webinars within their schedule, but are much more than just a single stand-alone session and can last several hours to several days.

Attendees can join live webinars, real-time networking rooms, engage in live chat, visit exhibitor booths, and meet with representatives from anywhere in the world.

For example, trade shows, exhibitions, career fairs, product launches, and multi-dimensional conferences delivered online are not webinars, but they are all virtual events.

Here is a good article that explains webinars vs webcasts in further detail, outlining the pros and cons of both methods:

* Webcast Vs. Webinar: What's the Difference, and Which Should You Use?

What's Working?
So, you've put together a sweet webinar. What's next? How do you get the word out? Email? Social media? Lead magnet? Write a blog? The short answer is yes - all of it. It's not a simple 1 step solution that will get you the conversions you want.

The goal is to segment your leads, based on behaviour, and to nurture those leads as you guide them through the funnel leading up to the webinar and the follow-ups after.

What does that look like, exactly? Well, since email is generally the most effective strategy for nurturing leads, let's take a look at an effective email campaign funnel to maximize lead conversions through segmentation and targeted messaging:

Email 1: This will be your intro offer that gets sent out to your mailing list - the initial invitation email to your webinar.

* Send this first email out 3-4 weeks before the event.
* Highlight a few pain points that resonate with your cold leads.
* Include a unique solution that only your webinar can provide.
* Offer something immediately for signing up,