How to Create a Law Firm Webinar: 10-Step Guide & Best Practices

Given the current situation of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing protocols, it’s no surprise that law firm webinars are growing increasingly popular. Webinars provide lawyers with the opportunity to speak live to a large number of current and potential clients, no matter where they are in the world. Lawyers should follow this ultimate guide on how to create compelling webinars that showcase their expertise and keep audiences engaged and coming back for more.

Step 1: Choose the right webinar platform.

There are several options for lawyers to choose from. You need to determine the one that best fits with your unique needs, content, budget, and audience. You’re probably hearing a lot about Zoom right now, which we highly recommend, but you could also try GoToWebinar or WebEx. For a list of remote tools, check out our past blog: Tools for Better Communication, Collaboration, and Organization for Law Firms.

Step 2: Determine your topic (and any presenters).

Essentially, you need to decide on the meat of your presentation. Similar to creating great content, developing a well-attended webinar means focusing on what your law firm’s audience is experiencing and what they need to hear. Stay away from sales or promotional topics. Review your list of topics and narrow down to only those that will provide helpful, valuable information. Then, choose presenters who are experts in that particular topic. They should also be comfortable on camera and speak with confidence.

Step 3: Set the time and date.

Many law firms are regional and so time zones are important. Consider the target of your event and what their typical day looks like. When is the best time for them to attend a webinar? As a general recommendation, GoToWebinar found that Thursdays at 11 am attract the most registrants and attendees. 

Step 4: Craft your webinar content. 

This is the biggest and most time-intensive step. You’ll need several different pieces, including: 

• Webinar script (even if you want to wing it, have a general outline)
• Presentation – This is what will be onscreen throughout your law firm’s webinar. We recommend using Google Slides or Microsoft Powerpoint to design a presentation.
• Registration page – A landing page that should encourage people to sign up. Most webinar providers have a built-in tool to create these.
• Emails – Create a lead nurture campaign promoting, reminding people about, and following up on the webinar.
• Social media and blog posts to discuss and promote the webinar
• Promotional graphics – These include website banners, CTAs, etc. 

Step 5: Invite people.

The same GoToWebinar report found that Tuesdays are the best day to invite attendees to encourage registration. You need to promote early enough for people to make time on their schedules, but not so early that it gets forgotten about. GoToWebinar shares that 69% of registrations happen 1 week prior to the big day, with 33% of people registering on the day of the webinar. Still, we recommend beginning your webinar promotion 3-4 weeks beforehand, if time permits.

Step 6: Make sure to practice.

No matter how confident your speakers feel, it’s important to test the technology and audio, view the presentation, etc. Make it a point to run through the full webinar about a week before the event, so you can correct any mistakes. Ask any colleagues who might have a little extra time to sit in and provide feedback. 

Step 7: Prepare your physical space.

If you’re going to be on camera at all, it’s important to consider the space your attendees will see. Particularly in today’s working landscape, you might have kids or pets in the background of your home. It’s important to clear out a dedicated space, and ensure audio and visual quality are present. Mute anything you’re not actually using for the webinar, and consider putting a “Do not disturb” sign on your door. 

Step 8: Host the webinar.

Your big day has arrived! Make sure to get into your working space early and ensure you’re comfortable, and then log into your webinar platform to test everything. If you’ve taken any safety measures to ensure security, make sure you have things properly set up. 

Step 9: Follow up promptly.

It’s important to reach out to registrants and attendees shortly after the event. Remember that one of the main reasons for lawyers to host webinars is to generate new interest and leads for your practice. To do that, you need to continue the conversation. Send thank you emails and ask about their interest in future topics. For those who didn’t attend your law firm webinar, offer the recorded webinar or a reminder of the next date. 

Step 10: Analyze the results and optimize. 

You’ll get plenty of metrics following the webinar, like how many registered vs. attended, where the attendees came from, and how they responded to polls. Use this information to improve your next event.

Speaking of improving, here are some best practices to keep in mind when you get to actually producing your webinar:

• Law firm webinars should be as long as they need to be to cover the topic properly, but not too long. We recommend between 30 and 45 minutes. 
• Always leave room for Q & A at the end. 
• Format a subject line that is attention-grabbing, but won’t get caught in spam filters. Try A/B testing everything. 
• If you want to encourage interaction, you need to prepare for that in advance. You can share survey questions that will be asked in advance. Understand who you are going to interact with ahead of time so there’s no awkward silences. You can also have your team pose questions in the event that no one asks them on the webinar. 

Takeaway

Webinars have been an effective digital marketing tool lawyers for quite some time, but in the current landscape they are a necessity. Follow our step-by-step guide to be sure you have all of your bases covered. Still have questions on producing webinars? Reach out to us!