This playbook provides a framework to develop an effective webinar program aligned with corporate goals. It outlines five stages: 1) identifying objectives and buy-in, 2) pre-webinar planning, 3) webinar execution, 4) post-webinar marketing, and 5) program measurement. Each stage contains steps, action items, and templates to help plan audience, content, speakers, technology, and promotions as well as follow-up, lead nurturing, and content leveraging after each webinar. The playbook's tools and templates aim to help measure success and foster continuous improvement of the webinar program.

1. Follow this simple step-by-step playbook to develop
a webinar program that supports your company’s goals & objectives.
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Playbook & Toolkit

2. Table of Contents WEBINAR PROGRAM
Introduction 04
Conclusion 25
Framework 03
About This Playbook 26
Objectives & Buy-In 07
11Pre-Webinar Planning
16Webinar Execution
19Post Webinar Marketing
22Program Measurement
stage
stage
stage
stage
stage
1
2
3
4
5

3. Webinar Manager
Job Description
ROI Calculator
Budget Template
Customer Profile
Template
Webinar Plan
Template
Business Case
Template
Product Marketing Plan
Message Mapping
Tool
Webinar Topic
Mapping Tool
Webinar Presenter
Evaluation Tool
Webinar Promotions
Calendar
Webinar Project
Management Tool
Webinar Program
Maturity Assessment
Marketing
Communications Plan
Marketing Strategy
Plan
Content Marketing Plan
Competitive Webinar
Tracking Tool
Webinar Risk
Assessment Tool
Webinar Program
Strategy Workbook
Web Conferencing
Vendor Evaluation Tool
Webinar Consulting
Services RFP
Webinar Speakers
Database
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Framework
Leverage the framework below to quickly empower
your organization’s webinar program strategy.
Click the buttons below to access all related
training, tools, templates, and other resources.
Webinar Evaluation
Template
Webinar Checklist
Template
Webinar Metrics
Dashboard
Lead Generation Plan
PLAN2 MARKET4 5 MEASUREEXECUTE31 OBJECTIVES

4. 4WEBINAR PROGRAM
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction
What Is the Purpose of This Playbook?
To help you develop a Webinar Program that:
Is aligned with corporate values and vision
Provides a valuable form of content for your marketing mix
Supports Corporate Marketing Strategy, Product Marketing
Plans, and Marketing Communications Plan.
How to Use This Playbook
This playbook consists of five stages, each with a description, steps,
and action items. Action items include using our premium tools and
templates. Our intention with this playbook is to help you:
Measure the results of your program and foster an
environment of continuous improvement
Plan your webinar program by identifying goals,
objectives and building a business case
Manage your webinar program by providing you with
time-saving tools & templates

5. 5WEBINAR PROGRAM
What Is Web Conferencing? Scope of the Webinar Plan
Web conferencing refers to a service that allows
conferencing events to be shared with remote
locations. These are sometimes referred to as webinars
or, for interactive conferences, online workshops.
In general the service is made possible by internet
technologies, particularly on TCP/IP connections. The
service allows real-time point-to-point communications
as well as multicast communications from one sender
to many receivers. It offers information of text-
based messages, voice and video chat to be shared
simultaneously, across geographically dispersed
locations. Applications for web conferencing
include meetings, training events, lectures, or short
presentation from any computer.
A webinar program should be considered part of a larger, integrated
Marketing plan. This playbook will help you develop a webinar plan
that is aligned with corporate strategy, marketing communications
and product marketing. It should also be considered part of a larger
content marketing initiative.
If you haven’t already discovered our other methodologies, be sure
to review them before moving forward:
V I E W R E S O U R C E
V I E W R E S O U R C E
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Product Marketing Plan
Marketing Communications Plan
Content Marketing Plan
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction

6. 6WEBINAR PROGRAM
Outputs from This Playbook
Stage 3 - Webinar Execution
Promotions Plan, Execution Checklist, Webinar Evaluation
Stage 2 - Pre-Webinar Planning
Customer Profile, Vendor Evaluation, Database, Message
Mapping, Calendar
Stage 5 - Program Measurement
Dashboard, Budget and ROI Calculator
Stage 1 - Objectives & Buy-In
Maturity Assessment, Risk Assessment, Strategy
Workbook, Webinar Business Case Template
Stage 4 - Post-Webinar Marketing
Follow Up, Lead Nurturing, Content Marketing
Key Deliverable: Webinar Plan Template
What Is the Webinar Plan Template?
The purpose of the Webinar Plan Template is to help you develop
a plan to fully exploit webinars as a sales, marketing and support
channel. Webinars are a very influential type of content, capable of
meeting multiple business objectives.
Organizations have embraced webinars to accomplish a number of
important business goals, including lead generation, to establish or
strengthen their perception as an industry thought leader, and to
train employees, customers or partners.
Download the Webinar Plan Template to document the plan you
create as you go through this playbook.
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction

7. Identify Objectives
STAGE 1
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Before you start your webinar program, you will need to:
STEP 1: Establish a Benchmark
STEP 2: Review Your Company’s Marketing Strategy
STEP 3: Evaluate the Competitive Landscape
STEP 4: Conduct a Risk Assessment
STEP 5: Outline Your Webinar Program Objectives
STEP 6: Build a Business Case and Get Approval

8. 8WEBINAR PROGRAM
Introduction
Objectives &
Buy-In
1
Buy-In
Strategy
Competition
Resources
What products or initiatives will your webinar program
support?
What core values or strategic objectives should influence
the development of content for your webinars?
What core competencies can you exploit or showcase
through the use of webinars?
Promotions
Assets
Measurement
Establish a Benchmark Review Your Company’s Marketing Strategy
STEP 1 STEP 2
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Program Maturity Assessment to
evaluate and to benchmark your organization’s webinar
program maturity.
If you have not developed a Marketing Strategy, do that first
before attempting to create a webinar program. Use the
Marketing Strategy Plan to do this.
Areas of evaluation include: Regardless of how your marketing strategy was developed, refer to
it to get the context for developing your webinar program:
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
2 3 4 5

9. 9WEBINAR PROGRAM
How your competitors are using webinars to influence the
market
What topics and subjects they are addressing
How effective their efforts are
Evaluate the Competitive Landscape Conduct a Risk Assessment
STEP 3 STEP 4
Action Item Action Item
Use our Competitive Webinar Tracking Tool to keep track of
your competitors’ webinar efforts.
Use our Webinar Risk Assessment Tool to document
webinar risks, assess their impact and probability, and
develop risk mitigation plans.
The goal of your evaluation is to understand the following: For most organizations, the risks associated with a webinar
program are reputational in nature, resulting from failing to
execute well.
This assessment, therefore, is not so much to make a go/no-go
decision on a webinar program as it is to simply identify and miti-
gate in advance any risks of a poorly executed webinar program.
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Helpful Hint – Get content updates automatically by using
“Google Reader” (subscribe to RSS feeds and set up “Alerts”).
Introduction
Objectives &
Buy-In
1 Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
2 3 4 5

10. 10WEBINAR PROGRAM
Marketing Opportunities
Sales Opportunities
Customer Service Opportunities
Other
Outline Your Webinar Program Objectives Build a Business Case and Get Approval
STEP 5 STEP 6
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Program Strategy Workbook to outline,
summarizeandcommunicateyourwebinarprogramstrategy
plan and objectives.
Use the Webinar Program Business Case to help you build
a business case for an investment in a webinar program.
Use the workbook to document your program’s purpose from the
following key perspectives:
Your first instinct may be to justify a webinar program based on
cost savings, which are real enough.
Most organizations, however, find that the value of a webinar
program is the increased engagement it provides with key audi-
ences, such as customers.
Helpful Hint – Use the “Objectives Scorecard” tab to document
high level objectives, programs, KPIs and target timeframes.
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
Objectives &
Buy-In
1 Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
2 3 4 5

11. Pre-Webinar Planning
STAGE 2
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Before you start you webinar program, you will need to research and plan in each of these
areas: audience, content, talent, delivery and promotions.
STEP 1: Understand the Audience
STEP 2: Hire a Program Manager
STEP 3: Select Web Conferencing Technology
STEP 4: Build a Roster of Speakers
STEP 5: Prioritize Your Messaging
STEP 6: Identify Webinar Topics
STEP 7: Select Speakers for Upcoming Webinars
STEP 8: Plan Your Webinar Promotions

12. 12WEBINAR PROGRAM
Introduction
2
Pre-Webinar
Planning
Who they are?
What do they need to know?
Where do they tend to get their information?
What do you want them to do with the information you
provide?
Understand the Audience Hire a Program Manager
STEP 1 STEP 2
Action Item Action Item
Use the Customer Profile Template to help you identify and
understand the target audiences for each webinar.
Use the Webinar Program Manager Job Description to
outline roles & responsibilities.
In addition to using this template, answer the following questions: You many not initially need a full-time person to manage your
webinar program. What many organizations discover is that when
they execute their webinar program well, demand is created,
leading to the need to produce more content at a faster rate.
To do this without sacrificing quality, you will need to bring a
Program Manager into the picture, and this is best done early in the
program.
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Objectives & Buy-In Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 3 4 5

13. 13WEBINAR PROGRAM
STEP 3 STEP 4
Requirements
Features
Support
Contact Information
Expertise
Cost
Select Web Conferencing Technology Build a Roster of Speakers
Action Item Action Item
Use the Web Conferencing Vendor Evaluation Tool to help
you evaluate and select the right web conferencing tech-
nology solution for your business.
Use the Webinar Speakers Database to keep track of infor-
mation on webinar resources and speakers.
Areas of the evaluation include: The ideal webinar speaker is a subject matter expert and is known
to your audience. A few important Items to keep track of include:
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
HelpfulHint–UseWebinarConsultingServicesRFPTemplate
to help you design a RFP for Webinar Consulting Services.
Introduction
2
Pre-Webinar
Planning
Objectives & Buy-In Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 3 4 5
Helpful Hint – Use the Webinar Project Management Tool to
keep your webinar program on track.

14. 14WEBINAR PROGRAM
STEP 5 STEP 6
Effectiveness
Credibility
Resonance
Prioritize Your Messaging Identify Webinar Topics
Action Item Action Item
Use the Message Mapping Tool to help you prioritize the
messages you wish to convey in your webinars.
Use the Webinar Topic Mapping Tool to identify webinar
topics that address the informational needs of your target
audience.
Use what you learned in Step 1 of this Stage to develop core
messages for your webinars. Use this template to prioritize those
messages for:
Refer to the Customer Profiles you created during Step 1 of this
Stage.
Make sure the webinar topics that you identify address things your
audience wants to know.
For more information about buyer personas and buying stages,
refer to our Content Marketing Plan.
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
2
Pre-Webinar
Planning
Objectives & Buy-In Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 3 4 5

15. 15WEBINAR PROGRAM
STEP 7 STEP 8
Experience
Skill Set
Professionalism
Personality & Fit
Online
Email
Direct Mail
Social Media
Sales Team
Advertising
Partners
Webinars
Select Speakers for Upcoming Webinars Plan Your Webinar Promotions
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Presenter Evaluation Tool to help you
select the right speaker for the webinar.
Use the Webinar Promotions Calendar to visualize your
promotions plan.
The right speaker for your webinar is someone with subject matter
expertise who is an engaging presenter. Use this template to eval-
uate presenters based on the following criteria:
Webinars lend themselves to promotion through a number of
channels. Here is a list of proven, effective ways to promote your
webinars, and your promotion plan should include a blend of
several of these:
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
2
Pre-Webinar
Planning
Objectives & Buy-In Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 3 4 5

16. Webinar Execution
STAGE 3
WEBINAR PROGRAM
This Stage will cover the things you must
address to successfully execute your webinar program:
STEP 1: Handle the Logistics
STEP 2: Organize the Execution
STEP 3: Document Lessons Learned

17. 17WEBINAR PROGRAM
Monitor Registrations
Session Start Times
Polls & Surveys
Handle the Logistics Organize the Execution
STEP 1 STEP 2
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Plan Template to document the logistics of
hosting a webinar.
Use the Webinar Execution Checklist to help you manage
your webinar session.
Recognize that the logistical considerations presented here may
not be the same for all webinars you host. A few items to consider
include:
A webinar is not unlike a performance where the presenter is the
actor and your Webinar Program Manager is the director.
Use this checklist to clearly define the roles and responsibilities to
ensure your performance goes off smoothly.
Introduction
Webinar
Execution
3
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 2 4 5

18. 18WEBINAR PROGRAM
Overall Assessment
Scope Management
Quality of Deliverables
Key Accomplishments
Lessons Learned
Opportunities for Improvement
Future Considerations
Best Practices
Document Lessons Learned
STEP 3
Action Item
Use the Webinar Evaluation Template to help you track
and analyze the feedback that you get from attendees and
speakers.
This template covers the following sections:
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
Webinar
Execution
3Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Post-Webinar
Marketing
Program
Measurement
1 2 4 5

19. Post-Webinar Marketing
STAGE 4
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Post-webinar marketing helps you get the full ROI from your webinar program.
Before you host your first webinar, you should define your post-webinar marketing plan to
ensure that these critical activities are occurring:
STEP 1: Follow Up
STEP 2: Lead Nurturing
STEP 3: Leveraging the Content

20. 20WEBINAR PROGRAM
Introduction
Post-Webinar
Marketing
4
Timeliness
Frequency
Methods
Follow Up Lead Nurturing
STEP 1 STEP 2
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Plan Template to document a follow-up
plan with timelines or standards and measures for every
webinar you produce.
Use the Lead Generation Plan to help you identify and
document how you will nurture leads generated through
your webinar program.
When it comes to follow-up, you need to consider:
Best practices for webinar follow-up suggest some form of commu-
nication, typically email, within two hours of webinar conclusion.
Your webinar program should not dictate your lead nurturing
strategy, but fit within it. Webinars have the ability to create many
new leads, so having a lead generation program is essential to
getting the full ROI on your webinar program.
The use of marketing automation can greatly simplify your lead
nurturing efforts, and increase their effectiveness.
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Program
Measurement
1 2 3 5

21. 21WEBINAR PROGRAM
Blog Posts
Newsletters
How-to Guides
Infographics
Leveraging the Content
STEP 3
Action Item
Use the Content Marketing Plan and ensure that your
webinar plan includes some provision for recording and
using this content.
Webinars usually enjoy more recorded than live views, so make
them available in some sort of webinar archive.
In addition, leverage your webinar content through other channels
as well, such as:
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
Post-Webinar
Marketing
4Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Program
Measurement
1 2 3 5

22. Program Measurement
STAGE 5
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Measuring the effectiveness of your webinar program is imperative to determine your ROI,
as well as making improvements to keep your program growing.
During this Stage, we’ll discuss:
STEP 1: Key Performance Indicators
STEP 2: Budget
STEP 3: Calculate Return on Investment

23. 23WEBINAR PROGRAM
Introduction
Program
Measurement
5
Registration Numbers
Live Attendees
New Leads & Return Viewers
Webinar Delivery - This is the cost of your platform.
Promotion - Any costs associated with marketing your webinars:
ads, direct mail or the use of any channel for which you must pay.
Talent - These fees include honorariums for speakers,
equipment, connectivity, travel or living (if any) associated
with securing and using presenters for your webinars.
Sales
Social Mentions
Cost Per Lead
Key Performance Indicators Budget
STEP 1 STEP 2
Action Item Action Item
Use the Webinar Metrics Dashboard to identify and track a
set of metrics or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will
help you understand how effective your webinar program is.
Use the Webinar Budget Template to create a budget for
your webinar program.
Choose metrics that have meaning for your company, not just the
marketing function. Here are a few examples of metrics that you
can consider for use:
Develop a total budget for your webinar program, and track costs
at the individual webinar level. Make sure you consider each of the
following expense categories:
V I E W R E S O U R C E V I E W R E S O U R C E
Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
1 2 3 4

24. 24WEBINAR PROGRAM
STEP 3
Quantitative – Technology, Equipment, Promotions, Sales, etc.
Qualitative – Brand Awareness, Thought Leadership,
Customer Relationships, Leads.
Calculate Return on Investment
Action Item
Use the Webinar ROI Calculator to determine the ROI, in
quantitative and qualitative terms, from individual webinars.
A few examples of potential costs include:
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Introduction
Program
Measurement
5Objectives & Buy-In Pre-Webinar
Planning
Webinar Execution Post-Webinar
Marketing
1 2 3 4

25. Conclusion
At the end of any business process, it’s always a good idea to review it
and identify areas for improvement.
Demand Metric has the tools and expertise to help you build an effective
webinar program.
Create or audit your webinar plans
Assist with using any of the tools referenced in this playbook
Provide hands-on marketing assistance to accelerate achieving your
marketing department’s goals.
To learn more, contact Demand Metric: info@demandmetric.com
WEBINAR PROGRAM

26. About This Playbook
WEBINAR PROGRAM
Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory
firm serving a membership community of over 106,000
marketing professionals and consultants in 75 countries.
Offering consulting playbooks, advisory services, and
500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand
Metric resources and expertise help the marketing
community plan more efficiently and effectively, answer
the difficult questions about their work with authority and
conviction, and complete marketing projects more quickly
and with greater confidence — thus boosting the respect
of the marketing team and making it easier to justify
resources the team needs to succeed.
To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit
www.demandmetric.com

27. © Demand Metric Research Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
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