Mini-Webinars: The Less-is-More Solution You Should Be Using

Ever heard of a "mini webinar?" This style of virtual event is a rising star in the event marketing space, and now is the perfect time to capitalize on their growing popularity. Typically 10-20 minutes long, mini webinars offer you the opportunity to deliver high-impact, focused content in a concise and engaging format to busy, short-on-time-and-attention audiences. Here's a peek into this interesting events trend, and a guide to launching your own mini webinar program!

What Are Mini Webinars? 

The official definition of mini webinars: short, focused online presentations that give your customers, prospects, or leads a snack-sized glimpse into a specific topic related to your event.

Mini webinars are great for:  

• Introducing attendees to key themes, initiatives, or products.
• Providing in-depth dives into specific event sessions.
• Showcasing your speaker's expertise.
• Answering frequently asked questions about your products and services.
• Generating interest in your larger upcoming events / conferences.

Why Are They Trending?

Good question! Several factors are contributing why mini webinars are gaining traction, including:

• The growing popularity of bite-sized content: People are seeking out and consuming information in shorter formats , such as Instagram reels and TikTok videos. 

• Attention span limitations: In today's landscape of information overload and distractions, audiences appreciate concise, focused presentations that cut right to the chase.

• The need for on-demand content: Mini webinars offer flexibility, giving attendees the power to engage with your content on their schedules. 

What's the Benefit?

• Increased engagement: The shorter format is more digestible for busy audiences, leading to higher engagement and completion rates - less attendee drop off! 

• Cost-effective: Compared to traditional, longer-format webinars, mini webinars require less time and fewer resources to produce. This translates to significant cost savings, lowering your cost-per-lead and getting more bang for your marketing budget buck. 

• Scalability: The shorter format makes it easy to create multiple mini webinars on a diverse range of topics, catering to your audience's specific interests across segments.

• Lead generation: Mini webinars give you all the attendee data and insights their bigger counterparts do, without the burden of a long presentation to prepare and keep fresh. 

• Building anticipation: They can help you generate good buzz for your upcoming longer-from conference or event. Like movie trailers, think of them as a little teaser for your bigger event efforts.

Here's your roadmap for getting up and running successfully with your new mini webinars:

1. Planning and Development:

• Identify your goals: What do you want your mini webinars to accomplish for you? Lead generation, attendee education, brand awareness?  
• Choose your topics: Choose topics that are relevant and related to your goals. Consider offering mini webinars that delve deeper into specific event sessions or cover frequently asked questions.
• Format and structure: Decide on the length, style, and platform, keeping the timing to around 10-20 minutes. 
• Speaker selection: You'll definitely want to find speakers with expertise in your chosen topics, and to make sure they're comfortable presenting in the shorter format. 

2. Production and Promotion:

• Script and visuals: Develop a clear and concise script, highlighting key points and takeaways. Stats show that the use of visually appealing slides, demos, or screencasts enhance engagement, so include a variety in your content plan.
• Practice and rehearsal: Conduct practice sessions with your speakers to ensure smooth delivery and address any technical issues.
• Promotion: The traditional marketing avenues apply, with the added feature of the shorter format. Brag about how you'll save your attendee's time with your mini webinar!

3. Repurposing and Maximizing Reach:

• Recording: Maximize the life of your mini webinars by recording them, offering a convenient option for audiences to watch on their own schedule.
• Content repurposing: Spin off the valuable content from your mini webinars for other marketing materials, such as blog posts, social media snippets, or short video clips to keep the engagement going.
• On-demand library: Build a library of past mini webinars on your event website or YouTube channel. This allows attendees to access valuable content at their convenience and potentially reach a wider audience.

Measuring Your Mini Webinar's ROI

The data you need to prove the case for a mini webinar program is all right here:

Pre-webinar:

• Registration Rate - Track sign ups throughout the registration window.
• Source Tracking - Gather insights into what marketing channels are driving more interest and registrations.
• Demographics - The who, where, industry, and other registrant information you decide is relevant to your mini webinar goals.

Engagement:

• Attendance Rate - How many people came to the live event? 
• Poll Participation - Gather the data on whether attendees answered your questions and polls.
• Q&A Activity - What, and how many, questions were asked during the live session?
• Attendee Sentiment Data - Thumbs up/thumbs down ratings are a quick way to gauge interest during the live event.

Post-webinar:

• Completion Rate - How many attendees stayed, start to finish?
• Lead Generation - How many leads were captured through registration forms/calls to action?
• Post-Event Survey Feedback - These give you a goldmine of feedback, offering you insights into how attendees felt about the content, format, and overall experience. 

Bonus tip: Check other sources of data for customer actions, e.g., website visits, asset downloads, and even purchases. This helps you tie it all together and demonstrate the impact on your goals.

Takeaway Tips:

• Maintain consistency: Schedule your mini webinars regularly to build anticipation and establish audience loyalty - make your mini the hottest quick ticket in town.
• Audience engagement: Even with a shorter format, engagement is a key element to your success. Plan for polls, Q&A sessions, or live chat features to keep the conversation alive.
• Analytics and evaluation: Track key metrics to measure the success of your mini webinar program and make adjustments as needed. Post-event surveys are an especially useful tool for gauging attendee experience.

Incorporating mini webinars into your event marketing strategy will offer you opportunities to connect with potential attendees, build excitement, and drive registrations in a novel way. We invite you to embrace the power of mini webinars!

We've Got Your Back

EventBuilder's seasoned event pros have the experience to help you build, scale, and simplify your webinar and virtual event programs, customized to your exact specifications with end-to-end event support. We're your partner in webinar program success. Contact us for a free event marketing strategy session with a real, live event expert today!