It's often said that one of the primary challenges of B2B direct marketing and demand generation is "breaking through the clutter." Nowhere is this more painfully true than with Webinar invitations, at a time when the volume of such events has increased exponentially. How do you prevent your Webinar campaign from being lost in the crowd? In this Slideshare, you'll discover 7 mistakes you’ll want to avoid, along with corresponding remedies. You'll learn: -How to make your header image count -What to sell in the webinar invitation, and how to sell it -Common copywriting errors to avoid -Why you should exclude social sharing links -How to optimize your call-to-action (CTA) To receive monthly tips, strategies and information on upcoming events about demand generation, event marketing, and more, be sure to subscribe to The Point.

2. If you must use a graphic header, make it count.

3. Graphic headers are a necessary evil in HTML email design. On the
one hand, they add an element of visual interest and enable you
to highlight a key selling point. Handled improperly, however, they
do little more than push vital selling copy down the page, all for
what most email clients (with images turned off) will see as a
white box. Keep headers as narrow as possible.
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4. Sell the content, not the company.

5. Even if a company is a thought leader in its space, littering
mention of the brand throughout the email is a big mistake. The
company name or brand is not the message (or at least, it
shouldn’t be.) The reason people will register for any Webinar is
because they believe the information presented will be of value.
Keep the branding to a minimum.
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6. Avoid first and third person where possible.

7. One of the simplest ways to make your email resonate with your
audience is to talk to the reader directly, in the second person (as
in: “you’ll learn …”, “you’ll hear …”) Conversely, describing the
content in the third person, for example: “[Presenter Name] will
outline 9 ideas that email marketers must add to their arsenal,”
sounds much more impersonal. Phrased as such, the content
reads like a meeting agenda, not an invitation to act.
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8. Use bullet points to call out key selling points at a glance.

9. Studies show that emails often get read at a mere glance, usually
in the preview pane. One of the most effective ways to ensure
that key messages are highlighted is to break the copy into bullet
points that spell out learning benefits individually. If those same
benefits are lumped together en masse into one paragraph, most
readers will ignore them.
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10. Offer concrete benefits, not vague generalities.

11. All that matters in a Webinar invitation is to convince the reader
that investing 45 minutes or so of his/her time will be worthwhile.
To do so requires describing the benefits of attending – what the
attendee will learn, see, hear – in specific, concrete terms. Copy
should answer these key questions: Why should I attend? How
will I or my company benefit? What specifically will I learn?
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12. Avoid gratuitous social inks and other navigation.

13. A Webinar invitation has one goal: getting the reader to register
for the event. Presenting any opportunity to do otherwise is a
distraction from the primary call to action, and almost guaranteed
to lower response. Avoid any kind of top navigation, a footer with
contact information, links back to the main Website, and social
sharing links. All detract from the primary goal of your invitation.
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14. Buttons are calls to action; not post-its.

15. Buttons are useful devices in email design. They reinforce the
primary call to action, add visual interest, serve to break up the
copy, and are easier to click for mobile users. What they’re not is
billboards. Button text should be a) short, b) specific and c)
action-oriented. Your best option: “Register Now.”
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16. Spear Marketing Group is a full-service demand generation agency
that helps B2B technology companies generate, nurture, and
convert leads to revenue. Services include email marketing, event
promotion, SEO/SEM, content syndication, lead nurturing, digital
advertising, social media, and content development. For more
information, visit us on the Web at www.spearmarketing.com
Additional resources:
Recorded Podcast: Secrets to Webinar Success
White Paper: Top 10 Tips for Webinar Invitation Success
Blog Post: Design Choices & More Sink Webinar Invitation