Creating high converting registration pages can be challenging. We have the tools to make it so much easier, and we’re giving them to you so you never have to struggle again.
I’ve lost count of the specific number of webinars we’ve done. But, to say it’s “a lot” wouldn’t be out of line. How do we create registration frenzies?
With…
The Checklist
We LOVE checklists.
We don’t just “like” or “enjoy” them. We don’t merely find checklists a handy tool for life and business.
We are, quite literally, in LOVE.
If that sounds over-the-top, it’s only because you haven’t yet realized the chocolate covered, satin draped, bubble bath in a champagne glass shaped tub of awesomeness that is The Checklist.
Maybe it’s because it feels good to take a bright red pen and strike a line right through a task.
Maybe it’s because a checklist helps ease the anxiety that comes from trying to mentally juggle the gazillion balls that must be properly managed to successfully complete a project.
But most likely it’s because checklists make us money.
So… yeah… we love ‘em. They allow us access to our true desire: Profit! Cha-ching!
Any time you do something repeatedly, you quickly realize that systemization is essential.
Because we’ve produced so many webinars over the years, we’re fully aware that if we’re inconsistent in the way we put a campaign together, we have no chance of creating a reliable ROI.
Systems – and checklists to ensure the systems are followed – are how we score win after win after win.
Today we’re going to share our “webinar registration page” checklist with you. We’ve tested and re-tested. Analyzed and adjusted. This is the end product that will force your conversions in the right direction.
*Just one addendum – nothing is set in stone. Sometimes adjustments are necessary depending on the overall goal of the webinar and the market you’re in. Checklists are not a guarantee of success; they’re a protection against accidentally leaving out important ingredients. So, feel free to adjust this one to suit.
Webinar Registration Page Essential MUST DOs
The Headline
The Freemium
The Day, Date, Time
Solve a problem
Make a Big Promise
What and for How Long?
Show Urgency and Immediacy
Presenter Bios
Let’s discuss…
The Headline
This is, arguably, the most important element on your registration page. It needs to grab the attention of your visitor with such dazzling urgency that they feel compelled to read the rest of the page. You can see some exhaustive instruction and examples here: 80% is the Headline.
I know this seems like an obvious inclusion, but it’s one of the reasons why we have checklists – so, we don’t forget something simple. Make sure you include the name of the day of the week the webinar is scheduled (Monday, Tuesday, etc.), otherwise a handful of people will indefinitely show up a day early (or late). It happens to the best of us.
Solve a problem
Identify a core problem your product or service solves and refer to this explicitly in either the headline or webinar description (or both). You can’t attract people to your event simply by promising something interesting or useful. You need to pledge to fix something meaningful in their life. How will you ease their pain?
Problem-solving is the function of most products but, depending on your business, you may prefer to focus instead on how your offering provides pleasure.
Big promise
Your webinar should always open with a bold statement of intent. Tell your viewers that by the end of the event they will know how to accomplish… <INSERT SOMETHING AMAZING>. You don’t need to save it for your webinar opener. Put your big promise on your registration page and commit yourself to delivering something really special.
As with the previous item on this list, your big promise can feature in the headline or in the webinar description.
What, and for how long?
You don’t have to give away ALL of your secrets on your registration page, however there are certain things that should be stated clearly and unequivocally.
Here’s the sub-checklist:
The event is going to be a webinar.
The webinar is going to be about <INSERT SUBJECT MATTER>
The webinar is free to attend.
The webinar will last for approximately X minutes.
Be sure to review your registration page before it goes live and check that each of these elements are included somewhere.
The last item on this mini-checklist – the length of time the webinar is going to last – is tempting to leave out. There’s a natural fear that if you say the webinar is expected to run for about two hours, some might be put off. But the reverse is actually true. Providing an approximate length allows people to plan their attendance.
If you DON’T say how long the webinar is expected to last, people are more likely to assume that the event is going to run even LONGER than it actually is.
It’s always best to allow your audience to make an informed decision.
And, to be perfectly frank, if people are put off by the duration of the webinar, it’s because they’re not sufficiently interested in the content. In other words, it’s a marketing challenge to overcome with the delivery of an excellent presentation, not something to be solved by cloaking the length.
It’s the difference between Have To and Get To.
Try and develop a frame of mind where you think of your webinar NOT as something people have to sit through and endure for two hours, but as something exciting where, for a full two hours, your viewers get to learn amazing skills and secrets.
Urgency and immediacy
Highlight the limited time remaining before the event begins and that it’s imperative for your visitor to register if they don’t want to miss out. Countdown timers are always a good tool to emphasize urgency.
It’s also good practice to have something planned for your live webinar that won’t be included in any “encore” presentations or in the replay, thus allowing you to ramp up the scarcity factor and reinforce the notion that they could be missing out on something awesome.
Presenter Bio(s)
Depending on your level of celebrity or notoriety, or if you only offered the registration to an existing mailing list, most of your visitors will know who you are. But, for the sake of everyone else, include a short bio with your photo and a line or three of relevant information.
Do not write War and Peace.
Briefly communicate your experience and your qualifications so people know why you’re someone worth listening to. That is all.
Webinar Registration Page MUST DON’T
There’s only one webinar registration page DON’T (assuming we exclude obvious things, such as comic sans, selfies of you in a car or bathroom, and affirmations of your loyalty to the Pastafarians… Sadly, none of that can go without saying. However, the Must DON’T that may surprise you?
Testimonials
Yup. In fact, you should avoid social proof in general on the Registration Page.
Once the webinar is underway and you’re deep into your sales pitch, use all the testimonials, case studies, and gushing Facebook comments you wish, but keep them away from your registration page.
This may feel counter-intuitive, because social proof is almost universally beneficial in all marketing strategies. But, for some reason, it hurts webinar registration conversion. We’ve tested it ourselves and this is just the way it is.
*It could be that testimonials make the webinar appear too sales pitch-y, even though people generally know that a free webinar that offers valuable training is almost always accompanied by a pitch. Perhaps testimonials are just too obvious a step in that direction and it dissuades those that are on the fence about whether or not they want to register.
A bio allows you to establish greater perception of authority.
Testimonials should be avoided at all costs.
If you’re doubtful, try running a split-test of your own and let us know your results!
Checklists help to ensure uniformity and, in turn, allow for proper measurement of your success. This is especially true with webinar registration pages, the first and primary contact with the people you hope to show up to your event.
You don’t have to love checklists to use them and appreciate their value.
But use them where you can. Especially when you’re repeating a marketing strategy and you’re trying to establish baselines and split-tests to create process improvements.
Plus, plus, plus! Did you know that WebinarJam and EverWebinar have over 30 registration page templates? Let us do the work for you! No webmaster required.
