How to link influence and webinars?

Webinars have been around since the early 2000s, but really exploded during the Covid pandemic. Forced to stay at home, this format has become increasingly popular. You'll also find them under the name of masterclasses. They're a powerful marketing tool for imparting knowledge, engaging an audience and generating qualified leads. But how do you amplify their reach? By combining them with influence, you can transform a classic event into a genuine strategic communications operation.

Today, influencers are no longer limited to sponsored posts or Instagram stories. They embody authority figures, trusted relays, capable of attracting a qualified audience and adding a human dimension to your event. The combination of webinars and influencers adds a new dimension to your marketing strategies.

In this article, follow the advice of 18h08, France's #1 influencer marketing agency, to discover how to strategically link webinars and influence. Whether you're a marketer or a CEO, you'll learn how to leverage this combination to boost brand awareness, build customer loyalty and generate new business opportunities.

1. Why combine influence and webinars?

The association between webinars and influence is more than just a trend. It reflects a strategic logic, combining the power of social networking with the educational potential of the webinar format.

The advantages of such an alliance :

1. Increase visibility Influencers, thanks to their engaged community, significantly increase the reach of your event. An influencer's post on LinkedIn or Instagram can easily double or triple the number of registrations.
2. Reinforce credibility A recognized influencer in your field provides external validation, reassuring your audience of the value of your webinar. This is particularly useful for emerging brands seeking to establish their legitimacy.
3. Attract a qualified audience By targeting the right influencers, you reach participants who are genuinely interested in your topic. This targeted audience is more likely to actively engage during the webinar and convert afterwards.

Case in point:

A SaaS startup organizes a webinar on project management in collaboration with a LinkedIn influencer and productivity expert. The result: the number of registrations doubled compared to their previous webinars. What's more, participants were better qualified and asked highly relevant questions, enriching the event. 

In terms of support, we can recommend platforms such as WebinarJamZoom (free but limited offer), LiveStorm or even GoToWebinar.

2. Identify the right influencers for your webinar

Not all influencers are suitable for a webinar. You need to target those whose expertise and community align with your objectives to maximize the impact of the combination of webinar and influencer.

Criteria for choosing your partners :

1. Industry expertise The influencer must be perceived as an expert in the field covered by your webinar. For example, for a webinar on the ecological transition, prefer an influencer committed to environmental causes.
2. Authentic engagement Select influencers whose audience actively interacts with your content. As you can imagine, a silent community won't generate the desired impact.
3. Alignment with your values The influencer must share the same principles and values as your brand, to guarantee consistency. A misalignment could damage your credibility.

Tip Use tools such as Upfluence or HypeAuditor to analyze influencer statistics and identify those who match your needs. If you'd like us to guide you through this delicate stage, make an appointment. We'll discuss your project and see if we can work together.

Case in point:

A digital marketing agency organizes a webinar on SEO trends and invites a well-known YouTube influencer for his SEO tutorials. Not only does his presence attract genuinely interested participants, but he also enriches the content by sharing practical case studies drawn from his own experience. Want to find out more about influence and SEO? Visit us, right here

3. Co-create engaging content for your webinar

The success of a webinar depends on relevant, captivating content. Influencers must be more than just guests: they must play an active role in the creation and animation of the event.

How to involve the influencer:

1. Define a theme together The influencer can suggest topics of particular interest to his or her community. This ensures greater relevance and audience buy-in.
2. Prepare attractive visual aids Visuals: Incorporate dynamic presentations and interactive elements to capture attention. Use graphics, videos or animations to vary formats. Don't stay too long on the same medium.
3. Plan moments of interaction Encourage the influencer to answer live questions or share personal anecdotes. These moments reinforce the authenticity of the event.

Case in point:

A natural cosmetics brand co-hosts a webinar with a wellness influencer. Together, they discuss the benefits of natural ingredients while answering participants' questions in real time. The personalized interactions create a climate of trust that encourages purchase.

4. Promote your webinar through influence

No webinar, no matter how relevant, can succeed without good promotion. Combining webinars and influence allows you to maximize your registrations through a targeted and effective communication strategy.

Promotional stages :

1. Communicate in advance Communicate in advance: Ask the influencer to share teasers on their social networks, such as a video inviting their community to register. Plan several publications to remind people of the dates.
2. Create a dedicated hashtag This makes your event more visible and encourages online conversation. Invite participants to use this hashtag during and after the webinar.
3. Distribute exclusive content Offer previews or excerpts to pique your audience's interest. For example, a behind-the-scenes video showing the preparations for the webinar.

Case in point:

A software company organizes a webinar and collaborates with a LinkedIn influencer to share regular posts, including a video explaining why the event is a must-attend. The posts generate lively discussion in the comments, attracting even more attendees.

5. Maximize interactivity during the webinar

Interactivity is essential to keep participants' attention. Influencers can play a key role in stimulating exchanges and humanizing the experience at your event.

Ideas for making the webinar interactive :

• Live polls Ask your audience questions and analyze their responses in real time. Results can be integrated directly into the discussion.
• Question-and-answer sessions Let participants interact directly with the influencer and your speakers. Set aside a specific time for these exchanges.
• Participatory activities Suggest games or challenges related to the webinar theme, and ask participants to share their ideas in chat.

Case in point:

A sports nutrition brand organizes a webinar with an influencer who invites participants to share their fitness goals in chat. The interaction reinforces engagement and proximity. Some participants even share their experiences on their social networks, increasing the visibility of the event.

6. Measure the impact of your collaboration

To evaluate the success of your webinar, it's essential to track key performance indicators. This enables you to adjust your strategy to maximize the impact of future initiatives combining webinars and influence.

KPIs to monitor :

1. Number of registrations How many participants registered thanks to the influencer's promotion?
2. Participation rates What percentage of registrants actually attended the webinar?
3. Live engagement How many questions, reactions or interactions took place during the event?
4. Post-webinar conversions How many qualified leads or sales were generated thanks to the event?

Keep these elements in mind so you can reuse what worked well next time, and adjust what didn't work so well. 

7. Use replay to prolong impact

Combining webinars and influence doesn't stop after the live broadcast. The content can be reused to continue generating impact. For example, you can offer it as an evergreen. In this case, your audience has access to the webinar all year round, the content remains consistent and relevant, and participants have access to it as if it were live. On the other hand, if your webinar was linked to a current event, you won't be able to offer it in this way. In this case, after the live event, offer a replay to those who missed it or want to see the webinar again.

How to make the most of replay:

1. Publish it on your platforms Make the replay accessible on your website or social networks. Add a landing page to capture the emails of those who were absent from the live broadcast.
2. Share relevant excerpts : Share highlights on LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube to reach a wider audience. These excerpts can also be recycled in advertising campaigns.
3. Use it as a marketing resource Offer it as exclusive content in exchange for a subscription to your newsletter. This feeds your lead base.

Conclusion

Combining webinars and influence means combining the power of digital authority with the educational potential of an interactive format. This alliance enables you to reach a qualified audience, reinforce your credibility and generate business opportunities.

At 18h08, we help you design and promote your webinars using influence. Want to implement a new influencer strategy? Contact us. We're the number 1 influencer marketing strategy agency in France. We'll work with you to identify your needs and create a tailor-made strategy.