The proliferation of online tools has made
webinars
less intimidating and has become a key lead channel for many companies.
Additionally, webinars can be easily held online. Therefore, just like with web advertising and site operations, the advantage of webinars is that you can take measures to improve effectiveness frequently in a short period of time.
As we continue to make improvements, some marketers may want to try co-hosting webinars with other companies instead of just hosting their own webinars.
This time, we will introduce the advantages and disadvantages of webinars co-hosted with other companies, as well as implementation points.
Advantages and disadvantages of webinars co-hosted with other companies
There are two advantages to co-hosting a webinar with another company. It is about attracting customers and maximizing satisfaction.
・Maximize customer attraction
In the case of co-hosted webinars, the first benefit is mutual referral of customers to the list held by the hosting company. In addition, by holding an event at multiple companies, it is easier to attract users and attract customers due to its topicality than if the event is held in-house.
・Maximize satisfaction
Compared to in-house webinars, the content is broader and deeper. Additionally, having multiple speakers present at the same time increases participant satisfaction.
On the other hand, there are two disadvantages: a lower rate of negotiations and a longer negotiation period.
・Decrease in conversion rate
<br/> Since multiple services and products are compared, the impression of your company’s services and products may become weaker, leading to a lower conversion rate.
・Prolonged business negotiations
Because co-hosted webinars share the applicant list with the co-hosted companies, the timing of approaches may overlap between companies, which may lead to protracted business negotiations.
If possible, it is necessary to carefully examine the approach to co-sponsors and lists to avoid conflicts between the companies approached.
Holding process and points
We will introduce the process of holding a co-hosted webinar. Unlike in-house webinars, communication between companies is required, so consensus building and schedule management among companies are important.
1. Selection and consultation of co-sponsor companies
First, we will consider which company to hold the webinar with. The following two points are important when selecting co-sponsor companies.
① Whether the target customers match
<br/> It is necessary that the target customers of the products and services provided by each company match. If the target customers do not match, the target of the webinar may be blurred and you may not be able to attract enough customers.
Additionally, participants will be less satisfied because they will be hearing about unrelated products and services.
②Are there synergies in the products and services provided?
Even if the target customers are the same, if the products and services provided are exactly the same, they are simply competitors. The key to judgment is whether there is synergy in the products and services provided to target customers.
Once we have selected a co-sponsor company, we will actually approach the company. If we receive a non-official response from the company, we will arrange a date for a face-to-face meeting.
2. Co-sponsor company face-to-face meeting
At the face-to-face meeting, we confirm the purpose, target, content, date and time, tasks, and schedule of the jointly hosted webinar. If there are three or more companies, it will be smoother if one company is chosen as the administrative office.
・Clarification of purpose
<br/> We will clarify the purpose of holding seminars for each company. Co-hosted seminars increase awareness and arouse interest among target customers, and are a relatively shallow consideration phase.
Additionally, companies may be hoping for secondary effects from partnering with a co-sponsor, such as increasing customer attraction and awareness if the event is held with a major company, or sharing know-how if the event is held with a company that has no prior experience with webinars. Sho.
・Target confirmation
After confirming the purpose of the event, we will confirm the target of the webinar. We will compare the common target customers of each company on a company basis (industry, company size, transaction type, etc.) and on a person-in-charge basis (department, position, job content, etc.).
The important thing to keep in mind when doing this is to share the range of potential targets for your company. For the management of major companies with over 10,000 employees, it is almost impossible to find common targets with co-sponsoring companies or attract customers. We will match the maximum range of candidates that can be targeted by your company, such as those above the head of the human resources department of medium-sized to large companies.
・Consideration of content (speakers, presentation format, theme, keywords)
After confirming the target of the webinar, it is time to consider the content. First, let’s check the speakers from each company for the webinar. Next, check the presentation format, whether it will be a panel discussion or a lecture, and come up with themes and keywords.
If the speakers are representatives of each company, you can consider a free talk project where each person makes comments on a certain theme in the form of a panel discussion.
In addition, if you are a sales manager or other person in charge of the field, you can plan a relay-style event in which each company speaks in turn, or if a product/service user company takes the stage, you can have a presentation by the user company, and a presentation by the user company and the product.・Each plan may be a combination of a panel discussion with service personnel.
The recommended length of the entire webinar is 45 to 60 minutes for two companies and 60 to 75 minutes for three companies. If the duration exceeds 60 minutes, we will take into consideration measures such as adding a 5-minute break.
As long as you decide on the approximate content of the seminar title, there is no problem as the operating company can come up with title candidates and decide on them later.
・Determining the date and time
There is a variety of information regarding the date and time of the event, but according to a survey by LogMeIn, data shows that the best time to hold a webinar is on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 10:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. . First of all, it would be a good idea to refer to this data and set an appropriate date and time for each company.
In order to attract applications from executives, we also recommend intentionally setting the event time late in the evening. A jointly sponsored seminar in which representatives from various companies took to the podium was set to start at 5 p.m., and attracted nearly 100 people, 60% of whom were section managers or above.
・Task and schedule confirmation
<br/>Finally, confirm the task and schedule. As mentioned above, communication costs can be minimized by keeping the management office under one company.
The company in charge of the management office determines tasks and schedules and makes adjustments accordingly. In addition, when dividing tasks, it is important to coordinate what each company can and cannot do with its resources.
Additionally, although each company will collect customers through webinars, we do not recommend discussing customer acquisition goals or cost sharing during jointly hosted webinars. You may request that the information be posted on your company’s website or social media, but since each company has different goals and resources, it may be smoother to leave the paid customer attraction to each company.
3. About permissions in the privacy policy
Co-hosted webinars require sharing of the applicant/participant list. Webinar applicants must obtain permission from each company’s privacy policy. It is important that each company agrees and understands this point to avoid any problems.
summary
- The advantage of co-hosting a webinar with another company is to maximize customer attraction and satisfaction. Disadvantages are lower conversion rate and longer negotiations
- When selecting and consulting with co-sponsor companies, check whether the target customers match, and whether there is synergy in the products and services provided.
- At the face-to-face meeting, we will confirm the purpose, target, content, date and time, tasks, and schedule of the jointly hosted webinar.
- Obtain permission from webinar applicants.Be aware of each company’s privacy policy and their agreements.