February 2, 2011 by Dr. Sarah Eaton
Webinars, web conferences and online training sessions are online events, so you need to promote them online, too. Of course you should be doing this by tapping into your own mailing list and e-newsletter. In addition to those here are some resources to help you market and promote your virtual events through social media and other online services.
For what it is worth, I’ve been on every single one of these websites myself and checked out their services. (Let me be clear and say that I’m not employed by any of these services and haven’t been paid to promote any of them here.) I’ve listed my own webinars on a number of these services. They vary in how easy they are to use and how much, if anything you have to pay.
This resource list is provided as a place for you to start. Do your own research and find out what works for you.
Disclaimer: All the information I’ve included here was valid at the time the post was written. Any of these services can change their terms at any time. Double-check their terms for your own event.
Online webinar promotion services
These services specialize in promoting webinars, webcasts and web conferences.
NAWBAW – Need a Webinar – Be a Webinar. These folks are masters at promoting online events. They offer a very cool service where you send them the details of your event, and they post it. One of my favorites.
Peelon.com – Another free webinar promotion service. After you submit your details, they’ll be reviewed before they are posted. This can take up to 12 hours. The process is straightforward and relatively easy. Your webinar description must be a maximum of 300 characters.
Teleseminarlive.com – Promotion for teleseminars and webinars. After you post your event, you’ll need to wait for it to be approved by the moderators.
WebinarBase.com - They offer a free option, as well as several tiers of paid options. Each teacher has progressively more robust services added.
Webinarlistings.com – They have a variety of options, starting with a free one and moving up through tiers of paid options. Each teacher has progressively more robust services added. I really like their services.
Online event promotion
Eventsetter.com – This international service is for any type of event – both live and online. One thing I like about it is that they have an option just for virtual events. No complicated registration systems. Just post the details of your event. They ask for an e-mail address which they use to confirm the event. Easy to use.
Online Press Release Services
DropJa
ck – This is a free news release service. You need an account to post your announcement.
Marketwire – A paid online press release service. You’ll need to fill out a form, which will take you a page where you can indicate your payment options. You can send a press release about your webinar once you become a paid member.
PR Newswire – This is a paid press release service. You’ll need to create a account to use this service. Once you have paid your membership fee, you can send out press releases about your upcoming events.
Social Media
All social media will require you to have an account or profile in order to use their services. Accounts are usually free and it’s a super way to promote what you do. Beware though, you’re not considered to be a good social media community member if all you do is flog your own stuff. Learn how to interact and reciprocate and you’ll find others helping you when you need it, too.
LinkedIn – You need a LinkedIn account. Once you have your profile set up, you can join groups that have members in your target market. You can post your event to the group under the Promotions tab, if you group allows it.
Facebook – This service allows you to post events and then invite your friends and contacts. You’ll need an account to get started. Facebook also allows you to build a page for your business, which I would recommend, too.
Twitter – Tweet about your event. Short promos of 140 characters or less.
YouTube - A brief video about your event can do wonders to promote it. Embedding the video on your site or blog helps, too. Keep it under 2 minutes for best results.
Online Registration and Ticketing Services
As with social media, all of these services require you set up an account to use them. Accounts are free to set up.
Eventbrite – A worldwide online event registration system. Allows you to sell tickets, collect customer information, have customers pay on line. If can also choose to have your event publicly listed in their online event guide. This is both a paid and free service. If you charge for your events, you pay a small service fee, based on the number of attendees you have and the amount you charge them. If you host a free event, Eventbrite doesn’t impose a service fee.
EventWax – An online event registration system similar to Eventbrite. If your event is free, there is no service charge. If you sell tickets, you pay a small service fee.
TicketLeap – Similar to the other services. They also have an online resource room to help you plan your event, an Android app and integrations with other social media.
Online Invitation Services
E-vite – An online invitation service that can be used for personal, non-profit, educational or business events. You set up your invitation and then enter the e-mail addresses of people you’d like to invite.
Anyvite – This is mainly an invitation service (similar to E-vite). You invite guests by entering their e-mail addresses after you’ve built your invitation. They offer links to Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
Online Business Communities
These virtual networking communities are for members only. Basic membership is free and upgrades are available for more robust services. Events you post on these services will be visible to other members. It’s generally considered good practice to actively engage in the community and not just promote your events.
Biznik – This is an online business community that allows members to post free events at no charge. If there’s a fee for your webinar, you’ll need to upgrade your account to promote it here.
Xing – This is an online business community. Members can promote events and invite other members. Free to post events.
Local event services
These services were designed primarily to promote live events in your area, but you can also post your online events on them, too. Even though participants can attend a webinar from anywhere, promoting it in local online guides helps to reinforce your expertise in your own community. When you post your event, you may want to state the location as “online” + “your city” to help you gain exposure both locally and virtually.
Eventful.com – This service detects your current location when you get to their site and lists all the events in your local community. Events of all kinds are posted, from business to concerts to non-profit. Free to post events.
Upcoming – This service is run by Yahoo. Straightforward, easy to use and free.
Zvents – Similar to Eventful and Upcoming. Free to post events. Enhancements to your lists can be purchased for a nominal fee.
Other local services
These services not only promote events, but also businesses, services, and goods for sale.
Craigslist.com – This service allows you to offer products or services for sale, as well as promote events under the “Community” category. Free to post your event.
Foundlocally.com – This service is for businesses and events in Canada. All listings are free.
If you know of a service that I’ve missed, please leave a comment so others can find out about it, too. I’d also appreciate comments about your own experiences with any of these services.
__________________
Share this post: 25 Resources to Promote Your Webinars Online http://wp.me/p1iCGX-1c
