EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Web seminars, or webinars, are widely regarded as a go-to medium for b2b marketers regardless of industry, company size or revenue. According to Wainhouse Research (Web Conferencing Report, 2005), an independent market research firm, lead generation continues to be the primary use of web seminars among web conferencing users. Web seminars deliver an unparalleled opportunity to increase reach by targeting a geographically-dispersed audience simultaneously at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing seminars or tradeshows. Further studies by Wainhouse Research (August, 2006) revealed users of web conferencing tools expected to see 27% growth in their use of web seminars through 2007, despite a maturing marketplace for prospect seminars.

Savvy marketers not only incorporate web seminars into their regular marketing mix, but are now using them for reasons beyond lead generation, including product launches, focus groups and more. Companies are offering the events as a component to a “toolkit” or repurposing their web seminars as podcasts. But an ever-increasing number of web seminars are launched everyday in this maturing marketplace, leading some to claim that web seminars have reached a saturation point. As diminished effectiveness becomes a concern, delivering a respectable return on your investment becomes more critical and marketers must looks for ways to add value and extend their investment. One of the most effective tools for deriving the maximum value from these campaigns is a quality registration and reporting system. A dedicated web seminar registration solution helps marketers drive registration and attendance, streamline event processes and increase overall success.

Designed first and foremost to capture information from registrants and attendees of web seminars, a registration solution should work hand-in-hand with your web conferencing platform and gather not only demographic data, but also polling, survey, connectivity and other mission-critical information.

Online marketers have come to rely on the reports generated by their events, closely watching statistics like registration and attendance. As your web seminars become an even more commonplace component of the marketing mix, an advanced registration and reporting solution can be implemented to streamline event communications, improve data collection, automate processes and increase efficiency. A dedicated registration solution acts as the preeminent resource for accurately measuring the success of web seminar marketing campaigns.

This guide provides an overview of how a registration solution can improve web seminar performance. It identifies common registration and reporting dilemmas and is designed to help producers of web seminars make an informed decision regarding how data is collected from online events. The guide also lists the top five reasons for implementing a dedicated web seminar registration solution, gives a detailed features and benefits summary, and shares a couple of key research points regarding the needs of online event marketers.