We put a lot of pressure on the content of our webinars. And getting a world-class guest speaker. And making sure our slides are beautifully done and will captivate throughout. And using a microphone that picks up our sound clearly and . . . the list can go on and on.
While all of that is undoubtedly important, none of it matters if you don’t get people to register for your webinar event.
That’s where your registration page comes into play, and fortunately, optimizing your webinar registration page is a piece of cake with WebinarJam and EverWebinar (we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you). If you want to further boost conversions or build out your registration page on an outside platform, here are some tips to follow to have the perfect registration page every time.
1) KISS (Keep it simple stupid)
Yes, I know you want as much information about your attendees as humanly possible, but this is not the place or time. Right now, you want to minimize the barrier to entry, and asking people for their name, email, state, city, phone number, annual income (and SSN if you’re feeling real identity-thiefy) will only scare them off.
Stick to the basics and ask for a name and email ONLY.
But, you might be thinking, what if I want their phone number to text them reminders? That’s a very valid question, especially since SMS is such a powerful marketing tool.
You have two options. You can ask for their phone number up front, but make it optional. Making it mandatory will drastically reduce your opt-in rate. Or, you can wait until after they’ve registered and ask for their phone number on your thank-you page. This is a great option because you can position it as a favor to them: if you give me your phone number, I will kindly remind you via SMS 15 minutes before we go live so you don’t miss a thing.
Remember, you can always send your registrants a survey after-the-fact asking for more information.
2) Have a strong Unique Selling Point (USP) front and center
A unique selling point for your business is what makes you (or your business) different. A unique selling point for your webinar is what the ultimate benefit is to your consumer, and why they should watch your webinar as opposed to the millions of others out there.
If your webinar is about building a business, a headline that says “How to build your business FAST” likely won’t stand out because it doesn’t say anything unique about you. Whereas a headline that says “Discover how to grow your list from 0 to 10,000 in 3 months WITHOUT paying for ads” is likely to garner some attention because it separates you from the crowd, and brings a concrete benefit forward.
Get more ideas for writing killer headlines that convert here.
3) List Clear Benefits
People don’t want to attend your webinar to hear a product pitch or listen to how you became rich. They want to learn how to become rich themselves, or learn how your product can transform a part of their lives.
That’s why it’s so important to list the clear benefits of attending on your registration page. Many webinar hosts do have bulleted lists, but they cover what you’ll be hearing.
Rather than telling potential attendees that you cover how to budget in your first year and the basics of marketing, tell them this: they will discover how to budget like a pro and keep their business afloat. Plus, they’ll come out knowing how to write stellar sales copy in order to gain more prospects without spending so much money. Sounds like a win, right?
4) Add a video
Did you know that videos on a landing page can boost conversions up to 80%?
Your registration page is no exception to the rule. Going back to our first point of keeping it simple, you don’t want a registration page cluttered with text. YAWN.
Instead, provide a compelling video that tells prospects what to expect. You can use sounds and visuals to elicit an emotional response, much in the same way Sarah McLachlan did in her infamous commercials. For a more realistic example of how to use sound and visuals, just take a look a the video on our homepage. The sound becomes more aspirational as Andy talks about what you can do. And he uses visuals to back everything up.
Plus, on video you can dazzle your visitors with your sparkling personality and abnormally white smile.
Not sure how to make a successful squeeze page video? Don’t fret, just follow this simple guide. And if you’re short on time, you can opt for a strong and compelling image instead.
5) Create a sense of urgency
If you run a live webinar, scarcity works in your favor. There’s only one live webinar and if they miss it, they’re out of luck. You can further amp that urgency up with a countdown timer that ticks down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until you go live.
However, there are also other ways to add urgency to your webinar registration page. One is your call-to-action (CTA) button. Try using phrases like “register now,” “sign up before it’s too late,” or “Quick! Reserve your spot.”
For an exclusive feel, you can even limit attendee seats. Often times this will boost registrations even higher.
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When creating your registration page, it can become easy to get caught up in trying to add something in for everyone. Don’t.
It will only clutter the page and make your topic feel “meh.” For example, a webinar about nutrition that tries to appeal to Vegans, Paleo people and the Keto crazed, will probably fall short for all of them. Whereas a registration page just geared towards Keto fans will draw that audience in like moths to a flame.
Yes, being more specific in your copy may create a bigger abandonment rate, but you’re more likely to get real people in your niche that will actually want your services or product. Some people may not like what you’re dishing out, but those that do, will keep coming back for more.
And don’t be afraid to test out different designs and headlines to see what works best. Once you have a winner in place, you can stick with what works and just swap in the webinar-specific details.
