Webinar Indoctrination Communication. How much is too much?
As marketers, it is our prerogative to pontificate unceasingly on the absolute necessity of implementing a proper pre-webinar email sequence into your Event planning strategy, or risk a No-Show webinar. We lovingly refer to this as INDOCTRINATION and we swear on our mothers that it works. Even better, our mothers don’t mind even a little because they know it works, too. While both Pontification and Indoctrination are beyond important, there is such a thing as too much (only in regards to emails, of course. We NEVER over-pontificate, no :)).
I say this to you knowing I have lectured pointedly, ad infinitum, bellowing from the mountaintop that it is YOUR job to make sure your registrants know they will be missing out on life changing content if they miss your webinar. However, and this is a giant, pulsating HOWEVER… pre-webinar Indoctrination email communication should be limited to 1 per day, for 2-3 days before the event goes live.
Ima say this again… So, please hear these words that are coming from my mouth:
For two to three days prior to the event, send one Indoctrination email per day.
That means you need to relay just how profoundly important it is to attend your webinar using that time frame.
I feel it’s necessary to also point out what they shouldn’t be, you know, for the sake of getting my pontificate on….
Your Indoctrination emails should NOT be:
- In competition with any dead Russian authors for longest written collection of words.
- Received with a frequency similar to spam emails from Saudi Arabian princes that wish to make you a bazillionaire in exchange for $10,000 U.S. wired by the end of the day today.
- Initiated more than a few days before the webinar broadcast date/time.
Any rhetoric on the trappings or downfalls of modern society or wasteful generational judgements aside, we live in a world where more is better, faster is better, bulk and big box are better. Whether or not you live by those standards, it’s not unreasonable to assume that you’re doing better by starting your indoctrination process 2-3 weeks before your webinar instead of 2-3 days. It might feel like more emails, started sooner will guarantee more attendees, thus bigger sales. Wrongo, my friend. Dead wrong.
My own webinars are proof of that. And, as you get into your own groove, get more comfortable in your own skin, and more confident and engaged with your audience, you’ll see firsthand evidence of this, too. Because so many cliches are born from moments of truth, I’m going to throw this one right out there… when you craft your indoctrination emails, think Quality over Quantity.
So, let’s talk real-world example. I’d like to reference one of my beloved customers, we’ll call him Nobert McSwordy. Nob is a really nice guy. He has great energy and enthusiasm, and is super amped to make his business explode with webinars. And, the best thing is that he absolutely can. He has a legit service for a highly specialized community that doesn’t have any current resources. He’s sitting on a honey pot.
Unfortunately, with Nob’s enthusiasm comes a habitual need to expound. I mean, my man McSwordy can preach. His emails come both in the morning and evening, and sometimes even at lunch, start weeks before the webinar date, and are exhaustive. Pages and pages of text, with nothing else. No images, no video, the rare line of colorful or fancy font, but that’s about it. To be affectionately frank, they suck. They do the opposite of indoctrinate… As sad as it is, they are, quite literally, repulsive.
Nobody, not even Nobbie’s mama, has the time or desire to read two epic length emails every day for a month before the webinar is due to begin. Nobody. That’s up there with reading the fine print on a student loan. Not. Happening.
The point of your Indoctrination is to get the reader out of the email, if possible, and into your blog or website. Get them away from the words and point them towards a video, instead. Emails should include links to bonus content, like Freemiums, Case Studies, webinar Cheat Sheets, recordings of previous webinars, anything you choose to offer as part of your Indoctrination to SHOW them how important it is to be on your webinar. If you SHOW them the way, you won’t need to talk AT them. The text should enhance the links to the content, not be the only content.
The goal is to make them aware of you, your brand, your product, your service, and how it eases their pain. If you follow the Nobert McSwordy Method of overkill, by the time the webinar comes around, your registrants will be so sick of you, they’re not going to want to watch the webinar. Even worse, they may click Unsubscribe (shutters as chills go up the spine). Why is this worse? Because Follow-Up is so important. Having someone NOT show up to your webinar is really NOT a huge deal. You can still follow-up, offer the replay, and get amazing, money producing conversions there. If they Unsubscribe, you’ve lost them.
What’s the gist? Don’t be a Nob.
Instead, follow this super simple guideline for your Indoctrination plan and they’ll be BEGGING for more.
Day One: The “How to Be”, “How to Stop”, or How Technique X” communication.
Day Two: The “Reasons Why” communication.
Day Three: The “Surprise” communication.
Boom (drops mic).
Want to know the deets on the Indoctrination Days mentioned above? Check out If You Broadcast It, They Will Come: 3 No fail tips and tricks to AVOID the dreaded no-show webinar and Episode 16 of Genesis Labs, The 5 Laws of a No Fail Webinar.