How Webinars drive engagement and deliver buyer insights

contents

FOREWORD 3

INTRODUCTION 4

SECTION 1 THE CHALLENGES OF TODAYrsquoS MARKETING 5The failing promise of traditional demand generation 5

Buyers are switching off mdash and dirtying lead gen data 6

Buyers work on their terms mdash not those of a linear nurturing program 7

Bad practices have led to privacy regulations 8

Webinars as the solution for winning consent 9

SECTION 2 HOW WEBINARS DRIVE ENGAGEMENT AND DELIVER BUYER INSIGHTS 10Engagement leads to more sales 11

Webinars generate higher engagement than other content 12

Webinars provide a two-way conversation 12

Webinars provide an hour to gain active consent 12

Webinars encourage lsquocontent bingeingrsquo 13

SECTION 3 BETTER ENGAGEMENT BETTER DATA 14

DISCLAIMER 16

INSIDE ON24 17

2

FOREWORDFROM Joe Hyland CMO ON24

I have a confession to make

Earlier in my marketing career I told myself a reassuring lie The more leads I could get the better our results would be If I could only pass on enough prospects to sales the revenue mdash and the rewards mdash would follow

But thatrsquos simply not true I think every marketer would agree The only valuable prospects are the ones that convert all the others are just wasted time and lessons learned So why then do marketers continue to believe that prospects who have clicked on one link in an email are a qualified buyer Unfortunately itrsquos because wersquove settled for transactional data thatrsquos easy to get rather than looked for new ways to get the insights we need

This shouldnrsquot be the case As buyers ourselves we know that we ignore automated spam We hold back from filling in lead forms dreading the onslaught of requests for a rsquo10 minute callrsquo If we do fill in forms we often lie mdash in fact in a recent webinar of ours nearly 9 in 10 viewers admitted they have sometimes lied about their contact details after filling in a form We know that as buyers we want to research on our own terms and will often do so anonymously Our prospects are no different

All of this means that traditional demand generation just doesnrsquot cut it anymore We need to go beyond the form fill and prioritize experiences that gives us demographic behavioral and self-declared data from our audience

In this eBook wersquoll explain how all the different interactions that happen within a webinar give you a powerful medium to get to the bottom of who your prospects are what they do and why they are interested This puts your audience in the driverrsquos seat to tell you where they are in the funnel so that you can gain consent and optimize the next step

By surfacing signals directly from your prospects yoursquoll be able to better decipher their intent to buy Yoursquoll be able to maintain in compliance with GDPR and other forthcoming data privacy regulations And yoursquoll be able to better personalize your marketing based on what your prospects tell you

Only then will we be able to deliver sales more highly qualified leads and provide our buyers a higher quality experience At the end of the day isnrsquot that really what marketing is all about

3

Introduction

Marketing has been transformed by digital technology over the past couple of decades Whether the purpose has been to influence high-value purchases build relationships or educate prospects the world has moved on from where both the tactics that could be employed and the data that could be garnered were limited

Marketers today can reach people all across the world and operate at a scale that would simply have been impossible just a decade or two ago A single person can send thousands of emails a day and collect vast quantities of data (both first-party and third-party) opening opportunities irrespective of country region or time zone New technologies such as artificial intelligence predictive analytics and account-based marketing software all promise even greater success

However the problem is that marketers and others within the industry have not used this technology in a responsible way

Inundated with low-quality approaches buyers are increasingly switching off Emails remain unopened Calls are not answered They do not want mdash or consent to mdash this kind of approach particularly now that they can do their own research without having to speak to sales

Furthermore bad data collection and sharing practices have made the headlines meaning that individuals are conscious and wary of the information that has been gathered about them Ad blocking reduces the amount of data that can be collected from web research Prospects enter false data into lead capture forms And the culmination of these years of bad practice means that laws are now being passed and enforced Active consent or a real legitimate interest is now necessary to collect data and use it for marketing purposes

While some marketers believe that these developments have negative implications in reality they provide a great opportunity for marketing to become much better Rather than lsquospray and prayrsquo tactics marketers now need to drive engagement with a high-value offer that makes prospects want to opt in share their details and join a two-way conversation Acting as a human will help you gain and keep consent the organizations that can use technology to do this at scale will be the ones that achieve the greatest success

As data from the likes of SiriusDecisions1 shows webinars represent the best method in achieving this goal And as this guide will show webinars not only allow live interactive and two-way experiences in a way that other formats such as static PDFs do not they also create the opportunity to achieve consent by design This allows the collection of rich data that highlights to both marketing and sales which prospects are engaged and will convert leading to a better experience for everyone

1 SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study

4

contents

FOREWORD 3

INTRODUCTION 4

SECTION 1 THE CHALLENGES OF TODAYrsquoS MARKETING 5The failing promise of traditional demand generation 5

Buyers are switching off mdash and dirtying lead gen data 6

Buyers work on their terms mdash not those of a linear nurturing program 7

Bad practices have led to privacy regulations 8

Webinars as the solution for winning consent 9

SECTION 2 HOW WEBINARS DRIVE ENGAGEMENT AND DELIVER BUYER INSIGHTS 10Engagement leads to more sales 11

Webinars generate higher engagement than other content 12

Webinars provide a two-way conversation 12

Webinars provide an hour to gain active consent 12

Webinars encourage lsquocontent bingeingrsquo 13

SECTION 3 BETTER ENGAGEMENT BETTER DATA 14

DISCLAIMER 16

INSIDE ON24 17

2

FOREWORDFROM Joe Hyland CMO ON24

I have a confession to make

Earlier in my marketing career I told myself a reassuring lie The more leads I could get the better our results would be If I could only pass on enough prospects to sales the revenue mdash and the rewards mdash would follow

But thatrsquos simply not true I think every marketer would agree The only valuable prospects are the ones that convert all the others are just wasted time and lessons learned So why then do marketers continue to believe that prospects who have clicked on one link in an email are a qualified buyer Unfortunately itrsquos because wersquove settled for transactional data thatrsquos easy to get rather than looked for new ways to get the insights we need

This shouldnrsquot be the case As buyers ourselves we know that we ignore automated spam We hold back from filling in lead forms dreading the onslaught of requests for a rsquo10 minute callrsquo If we do fill in forms we often lie mdash in fact in a recent webinar of ours nearly 9 in 10 viewers admitted they have sometimes lied about their contact details after filling in a form We know that as buyers we want to research on our own terms and will often do so anonymously Our prospects are no different

All of this means that traditional demand generation just doesnrsquot cut it anymore We need to go beyond the form fill and prioritize experiences that gives us demographic behavioral and self-declared data from our audience

In this eBook wersquoll explain how all the different interactions that happen within a webinar give you a powerful medium to get to the bottom of who your prospects are what they do and why they are interested This puts your audience in the driverrsquos seat to tell you where they are in the funnel so that you can gain consent and optimize the next step

By surfacing signals directly from your prospects yoursquoll be able to better decipher their intent to buy Yoursquoll be able to maintain in compliance with GDPR and other forthcoming data privacy regulations And yoursquoll be able to better personalize your marketing based on what your prospects tell you

Only then will we be able to deliver sales more highly qualified leads and provide our buyers a higher quality experience At the end of the day isnrsquot that really what marketing is all about

3

Introduction

Marketing has been transformed by digital technology over the past couple of decades Whether the purpose has been to influence high-value purchases build relationships or educate prospects the world has moved on from where both the tactics that could be employed and the data that could be garnered were limited

Marketers today can reach people all across the world and operate at a scale that would simply have been impossible just a decade or two ago A single person can send thousands of emails a day and collect vast quantities of data (both first-party and third-party) opening opportunities irrespective of country region or time zone New technologies such as artificial intelligence predictive analytics and account-based marketing software all promise even greater success

However the problem is that marketers and others within the industry have not used this technology in a responsible way

Inundated with low-quality approaches buyers are increasingly switching off Emails remain unopened Calls are not answered They do not want mdash or consent to mdash this kind of approach particularly now that they can do their own research without having to speak to sales

Furthermore bad data collection and sharing practices have made the headlines meaning that individuals are conscious and wary of the information that has been gathered about them Ad blocking reduces the amount of data that can be collected from web research Prospects enter false data into lead capture forms And the culmination of these years of bad practice means that laws are now being passed and enforced Active consent or a real legitimate interest is now necessary to collect data and use it for marketing purposes

While some marketers believe that these developments have negative implications in reality they provide a great opportunity for marketing to become much better Rather than lsquospray and prayrsquo tactics marketers now need to drive engagement with a high-value offer that makes prospects want to opt in share their details and join a two-way conversation Acting as a human will help you gain and keep consent the organizations that can use technology to do this at scale will be the ones that achieve the greatest success

As data from the likes of SiriusDecisions1 shows webinars represent the best method in achieving this goal And as this guide will show webinars not only allow live interactive and two-way experiences in a way that other formats such as static PDFs do not they also create the opportunity to achieve consent by design This allows the collection of rich data that highlights to both marketing and sales which prospects are engaged and will convert leading to a better experience for everyone

1 SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study

4

FOREWORDFROM Joe Hyland CMO ON24

I have a confession to make

Earlier in my marketing career I told myself a reassuring lie The more leads I could get the better our results would be If I could only pass on enough prospects to sales the revenue mdash and the rewards mdash would follow

But thatrsquos simply not true I think every marketer would agree The only valuable prospects are the ones that convert all the others are just wasted time and lessons learned So why then do marketers continue to believe that prospects who have clicked on one link in an email are a qualified buyer Unfortunately itrsquos because wersquove settled for transactional data thatrsquos easy to get rather than looked for new ways to get the insights we need

This shouldnrsquot be the case As buyers ourselves we know that we ignore automated spam We hold back from filling in lead forms dreading the onslaught of requests for a rsquo10 minute callrsquo If we do fill in forms we often lie mdash in fact in a recent webinar of ours nearly 9 in 10 viewers admitted they have sometimes lied about their contact details after filling in a form We know that as buyers we want to research on our own terms and will often do so anonymously Our prospects are no different

All of this means that traditional demand generation just doesnrsquot cut it anymore We need to go beyond the form fill and prioritize experiences that gives us demographic behavioral and self-declared data from our audience

In this eBook wersquoll explain how all the different interactions that happen within a webinar give you a powerful medium to get to the bottom of who your prospects are what they do and why they are interested This puts your audience in the driverrsquos seat to tell you where they are in the funnel so that you can gain consent and optimize the next step

By surfacing signals directly from your prospects yoursquoll be able to better decipher their intent to buy Yoursquoll be able to maintain in compliance with GDPR and other forthcoming data privacy regulations And yoursquoll be able to better personalize your marketing based on what your prospects tell you

Only then will we be able to deliver sales more highly qualified leads and provide our buyers a higher quality experience At the end of the day isnrsquot that really what marketing is all about

3

Introduction

Marketing has been transformed by digital technology over the past couple of decades Whether the purpose has been to influence high-value purchases build relationships or educate prospects the world has moved on from where both the tactics that could be employed and the data that could be garnered were limited

Marketers today can reach people all across the world and operate at a scale that would simply have been impossible just a decade or two ago A single person can send thousands of emails a day and collect vast quantities of data (both first-party and third-party) opening opportunities irrespective of country region or time zone New technologies such as artificial intelligence predictive analytics and account-based marketing software all promise even greater success

However the problem is that marketers and others within the industry have not used this technology in a responsible way

Inundated with low-quality approaches buyers are increasingly switching off Emails remain unopened Calls are not answered They do not want mdash or consent to mdash this kind of approach particularly now that they can do their own research without having to speak to sales

Furthermore bad data collection and sharing practices have made the headlines meaning that individuals are conscious and wary of the information that has been gathered about them Ad blocking reduces the amount of data that can be collected from web research Prospects enter false data into lead capture forms And the culmination of these years of bad practice means that laws are now being passed and enforced Active consent or a real legitimate interest is now necessary to collect data and use it for marketing purposes

While some marketers believe that these developments have negative implications in reality they provide a great opportunity for marketing to become much better Rather than lsquospray and prayrsquo tactics marketers now need to drive engagement with a high-value offer that makes prospects want to opt in share their details and join a two-way conversation Acting as a human will help you gain and keep consent the organizations that can use technology to do this at scale will be the ones that achieve the greatest success

As data from the likes of SiriusDecisions1 shows webinars represent the best method in achieving this goal And as this guide will show webinars not only allow live interactive and two-way experiences in a way that other formats such as static PDFs do not they also create the opportunity to achieve consent by design This allows the collection of rich data that highlights to both marketing and sales which prospects are engaged and will convert leading to a better experience for everyone

1 SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study

4

Introduction

Marketing has been transformed by digital technology over the past couple of decades Whether the purpose has been to influence high-value purchases build relationships or educate prospects the world has moved on from where both the tactics that could be employed and the data that could be garnered were limited

Marketers today can reach people all across the world and operate at a scale that would simply have been impossible just a decade or two ago A single person can send thousands of emails a day and collect vast quantities of data (both first-party and third-party) opening opportunities irrespective of country region or time zone New technologies such as artificial intelligence predictive analytics and account-based marketing software all promise even greater success

However the problem is that marketers and others within the industry have not used this technology in a responsible way

Inundated with low-quality approaches buyers are increasingly switching off Emails remain unopened Calls are not answered They do not want mdash or consent to mdash this kind of approach particularly now that they can do their own research without having to speak to sales

Furthermore bad data collection and sharing practices have made the headlines meaning that individuals are conscious and wary of the information that has been gathered about them Ad blocking reduces the amount of data that can be collected from web research Prospects enter false data into lead capture forms And the culmination of these years of bad practice means that laws are now being passed and enforced Active consent or a real legitimate interest is now necessary to collect data and use it for marketing purposes

While some marketers believe that these developments have negative implications in reality they provide a great opportunity for marketing to become much better Rather than lsquospray and prayrsquo tactics marketers now need to drive engagement with a high-value offer that makes prospects want to opt in share their details and join a two-way conversation Acting as a human will help you gain and keep consent the organizations that can use technology to do this at scale will be the ones that achieve the greatest success

As data from the likes of SiriusDecisions1 shows webinars represent the best method in achieving this goal And as this guide will show webinars not only allow live interactive and two-way experiences in a way that other formats such as static PDFs do not they also create the opportunity to achieve consent by design This allows the collection of rich data that highlights to both marketing and sales which prospects are engaged and will convert leading to a better experience for everyone

1 SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study

4

The challenges of todayrsquos marketing

Marketers are always looking for effective ways to reach potential buyers and attract qualified prospects to pass on to sales Data plays an integral part in how we market today We use it to gain insight on our prospects and market to them in a more personalized way However the way we have gone about marketing is faltering Customers are becoming more cautious about what kind of information they are willing to share and the recent changes in regulations has made things even more difficult

The failing promise of traditional demand generation

An international survey of primarily B2B organizations reported that 61 of respondents identified generating traffic and leads as their top marketing challenge2

This statistic only emphasizes that demand generation continues to be a struggle for marketers Even among marketers that work full time in lead generation 46 report that they are not satisfied with their results while only one in eight (13) said they were very satisfied3

The standard demand generation marketing tactics such as the use of forms emails and websites are becoming more and more ineffective Savvy buyers are not only becoming immune to these tactics they are actively avoiding them They are learning not to pick up the phone avoid filling out lead forms and not answer the multiple emails sent by sales And when they do fill out forms not all the information they provide is accurate

2 HubSpot 3 HubSpot

5

Buyers are switching off mdash and dirtying lead gen data

Gated content is a lead generation marketing tactic which can easily fall short of what itrsquos meant to achieve Gated content is content that can only be accessed after the website visitor fills out a contact form It is not the content that is the problem but the form-filling required to acquire the content and the potentially false information given in the process Who hasnrsquot given false information just to access a piece of content from a company Even in 2008 8 of marketers admitted they lsquorarelyrsquo or lsquoneverrsquo gave a correct email address on a lead gen form with 35 doing the same for phone numbers4 Now this reluctance has almost doubled mdash a 2017 study showed that 77 would not be comfortable with sharing a phone number5

Form filling issues are not just limited to gated content They impact contact website registration and account sign-up forms Even these forms have become a cause for concern In fact research of 3000 consumers by HubSpot found that 86 agreed with the statement lsquoI am very careful about filling out a form on a websitersquo6

It is true that properly filled-out forms can produce high-quality leads However sifting through those containing false information such as names emails and phone numbers can be time-consuming and costly The British postal service Royal Mail estimates that 6 of organisationsrsquo annual revenue is lost due to poor-quality data7

Emails have always been considered a powerful way to generate leads However with the continuing use and abuse of automation technology the email inboxes of prospects are filling up It is getting harder and harder for companies to cut through all the noise and stand out from their competitors And with so many emails coming through there is a threat they might just be deleted This type of automation breeds anonymity

Jim Brodo CMO at Advantexe Learning Solutions provided an excellent personal example of how he is experiencing email fatigue

ldquoI downloaded five white papers from five companies that I found as a result of a Google search Literally within two minutes of downloading I received an email from all five companies Within five minutes of the download I received four phone calls I did not even have the chance to look at any of the articles or white papers before I was inundated with follow-up communications

Within two weeks of downloading I received an additional 42 follow-up emails and 17 phone calls The scorecard from downloading five articles was 68 new inbound communicationsrdquo8

4 Marketingsherpa 5 Demand Gen Report 6 Hubspot 7 Royal Mail 8 Jim Brodo on MarketingProfs

6

Buyers work on their terms - not those of a linear nurturing program

Buyers now have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips This means the buyersrsquo path to purchase has changed considerably It is a longer process and is often more complicated which only adds to the challenge posed by the increase in the amount of decision makers involved Moreover buyers are not following a linear path making the traditional lead generation model of marketing less useful

More substantially buyers are doing more research on their own and not always getting in touch with a human during the process Research revealed that 68 of B2B buyers would rather do business online as opposed to dealing with a salesperson However when buyers do need advice or the sales is complex they will still turn to a salesperson The SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study found that of the average 15 interactions needed before a sale seven involve a human interaction This means that B2B marketers need to serve both models They need to provide content for buyers who wish to self-serve as well as for those active engagement opportunities

9 Forrester

Source Forrester

Source SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study

Average number of interaction types per stage

Education

Solution

Selection

Non-Human Human

3 3

3 2

2 2

Web Company Website Events Sales Peers Social Email Digital

Inbound

Buyers

Influercers

Todayrsquos buyers control their journeys more than vendors do

Search

Discover

Share

Research

Search

Research

Trust

Evangelize

Decide

Purchase

Compare

Trust

Peer Review

7

Bad practices have led to privacy regulations

Shifting attitudes have been met by increasing government regulations For example the end of May 2018 saw the full implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe This new legislation which replaces the Data Protection Directive 1998 regulates the collection and processing of personal data for individuals in the European Union (EU) Personal data is defined as ldquoinformation that relates to an identified or identifiable individualrdquo10 This includes but is not limited to a name number IP address or cookie identifier

Key Term GDPRThe General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the EU and EEA areas

It also applies to businesses outside of the EU that process the personal data of people within the EU and EEA areas

With fines of up to euro20 million or up to 4 of annual worldwide turnover (which is the greater) there are significant risks if it is not complied with

The UKrsquos Information Commissionerrsquos Office (ICO) provides a wealth of information and practical guidance on the topic

While GDPR is an EU regulation it does have international reach According to the international law firm Bird amp Bird ldquowhere no EU presence exists the GDPR will still apply whenever (1) an EU residentrsquos personal data is processed in connection with goodsservices offered to himher or (2) the behavior of individuals within the EU is lsquomonitoredrsquordquo11

Thanks to the digital era it is very likely that GDPR affects most B2B organizations

10 ICO 11 Bird amp Bird 12 Thomson Reuters 13 California Legislative Information 14 US Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation

But itrsquos not just Europe that is pressing for regulations Way back in 2008 a US class action complaint was filed alleging that internet service providers had violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act by sharing data with advertising companies12

More recently July 2018 saw the passing of the California Consumer Privacy Act13 that provides new rights to people around data disclosure and sharing mdash and given that legislators in other states have mirrored efforts in the Golden State it is expected that many states will follow

Even the largest tech companies now agree that there is a need for increased regulation In September 2018 representatives from ATampT Amazon Apple Google and Twitter voiced their support for improvements at a Senate Committee14

As such businesses that look to adopt best practices now will stand a better chance of faring well as new regulations come into play

8

15 Demand Gen Report 16 Hubspot 17 Harvard Business Review

Heftier regulations on how marketers obtain and use data will very likely hinder traditional lead generation marketing efforts This will be aggravated by the fact that only 16 of B2B marketers say they have a solid data acquisition strategy in place15 Additionally 60 of C-level executives expect GDPR to have an impact on how they collect customer data16

Key Term PECRThe Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR also known as the lsquoePrivacy Directiversquo) is a regulation in EU law that sets out more specific privacy rights on electronic communications It continues to apply alongside GDPR and sets rules on how businesses can market to individuals through electronic means such as through emails or calls It also covers the use of cookies

It is expected to be superceded in 2019 with the proposed Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications This potentially widens the scope of regulation and creates stronger rules for direct marketing

However privacy regulation has benefits not just for individuals but also for marketers Stricter data regulations have the potential to make for better marketing According to the Harvard Business Review new rules ldquowill force marketers to relinquish much of their dependence on behavioral data collectionrdquo17 And because many regulations require active consent (opt-in) activities that include collecting behavioural data mdash such as monitoring internet use or using cross-device tracking mdash will be limited

Marketers have been relying too much on data This had led to some very high-profile data breaches namely those involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica On the B2B side marketers have been making far too much unsolicited contact This only leads to a poor view of data

collection and marketing practices in general Privacy regulations such as GDPR have been enforced to help marketers move away from poor data collection practices and give people confidence that the data that they provide is used properly

Webinars aRE the solution for understanding buyer intent and gaining consent

All these challenges pose a number of questions for marketers and sales teams First how do we capitalize on the promise of technology With technologies such as AI there is considerable potential for scale and also for rich and useful data

Another challenge is around starting a two-way conversation on our buyersrsquo terms The buyers are in control so how can we get them to want to speak to the salesperson How do we do this when they can just as easily find the answers to most of their questions online

Then there is the question of engagement How do we drive engagement in a way that inspires consent Can we build methods into our marketing efforts that create comfort and trust so that our buyers are happy to let us contact them Even more importantly how do we do all this while being compliant with privacy regulations

The good news is that webinars provide an excellent channel through which to answer all these challenges Speaking to people directly kickstarts conversations that lead to business opportunities and an open sharing of contact information Offering great content and linking to multiple assets create ample opportunities to gain consent on opt-in forms And once you have consent the best platforms will allow you to collect this data and integrate it with the entire

9

18 Marketo

How webinarSDrive engagement And Deliver BuyerinsightS

Engagement is a critical element of todayrsquos marketing and needs to be utilized throughout the buying cycle Engagement builds trust boosts retention rates and has the ability to turn customers into advocates Marketers know this and are crafting strategies that are personalized for their customers

Customers expect engagement and personalization They are no longer satisfied with generalized lsquospray and prayrsquo tactics that are designed to reach as many targets as possible at the expense of connecting with prospects on a personal level When customers are engaged they report very positive results A Marketo report highlighted the top five ways engagement benefits consumers18

1 Improved customer experience overall (60)

2 Receiving discounts and promotions tailored to their preferences (55)

3 Faster resolution of issues and problems (55)

4 Getting the latest information on products or services (54)

5 Feeling valued heard and wanted (51)

Of particular note B2B respondents reported an additional benefit having a better relationship with vendors Improved relationships are likely to lead to improved sales

10

19 ON24 Engagement Score

Engagement leads to more sales

While it is true that engagement brings about positive feelings from customers what effect does it have on sales and marketing One of the most important benefits from a marketing point of view is that engagement leads to sales

The ON24 Engagement Score enables marketers to see the way engagement drives sales Engagement is scored on a 10-point scale with 10 being the highest level of engagement The scoring measures attendeesrsquo participation interaction and use of various webinar features19

Based on this data ON24 has identified a strong direct correlation between a high level of engagement and number of sales opportunities An engagement score of 4 - 6 led to a 38 conversion of attendees to sales accepted leads (SAL) However a more dramatic finding was that a score of 6 or higher led to a 89 conversion of attendees to SALs

Did you knowON24rsquos Engagement Score is a single number that is used to measure attendeesrsquo participation interactivity and use of webcast features With a maximum score of 10 ON24rsquos Engagement Score algorithm factors in a range of factors into one simple metric This can then be be fed into your marketing automation and CRM systems and used by sales to identify the most engaged prospects

Engagement predicts opportunites

89

6+ Engagement Score

4-6 Engagement Score

Conversion of Attendees to SALs

53Conversion of MQLs to SALs

38Conversion of Attendees to SALs

25Conversion of MQLs to SALs

11

20 DemandWave 21 B2B Marketing 22 ON24 2019 Webinar Benchmarks Report 23 Demand Gen Report 24 2019 Webinar Benchmarks Report

Webinars generate higher engagement than other content

Companies are increasingly becoming aware that webinars have the ability to drive leads and revenue DemandWave found that 60 of the B2B companies they surveyed produced webinars Half of the respondents use webinars to drive leads while 37 use them to drive revenue (second only to white papers) 20

Another element that webinars bring to the sales and marketing front is engagement By their nature webinars are built for engagement

ldquoThe modern webinar is all about engagement Theyrsquore multimedia interactive experiences where the goal is to get your audience members to take as many actions as possible which then provides you with actionable information about your prospectsrdquo 21

Mark Bornstein VP Content Marketing ON24

Webinars provide a two-way conversation

One of the most important benefits of webinars is that they enable a two-way conversation between buyers and vendors Most B2B content is one-sided and you can never really be sure where your prospect is in their buying journey or what their immediate concerns are Webinars are designed for two-way live interaction They are not static Instead webinars give you the ability to find out what your buyersrsquo needs are and address them directly

Built-in tools such as polls QampAs and surveys provide you with the opportunity to engage with your buyers in real time which is something that you donrsquot get with any other content formats ON24 found that these forms of engagement are popular and effective QampAs are used in 81 of their clientsrsquo webinars while resource lists are used 69 of the time22

Resource lists give marketers the opportunity to provide additional downloadable content such as white papers and e-books which takes the engagement beyond the initial 60-minute webinar

Webinars provide an hour to gain active consent

This kind of engagement is even more important in the age of more stringent privacy regulations GDPR requires individuals to opt in and they are more compelled to do so if they are interested in and trust a company and product The interactivity and two-way conversation that webinars provide make generating legitimate interest easier In fact 75 of B2B buyers are willing to register and share information about themselves and their company in order to access webinar content23

The average length of attendance for a webinar is approximately 58 minutes24 This means that while you have your prospectsrsquo undivided attention for about an hour of their day to introduce them to your productservice or some other related aspect you also have that amount of time to gain their active consent to contact them further This can be done in a number of ways within the webinar platform and most importantly they will comply with privacy laws

Key Term GDPRrsquos Six Lawful Bases for Using DataGDPR defines six lawful bases for processing personal data No single basis is lsquobetterrsquo or more important and processing must be lsquonecessaryrsquo Without one of these bases a company cannot process data on an individual

12

They are

bull Consent When an individual has given this clearly for a specific purpose

bull Legitimate interest When the processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or those of a third party

bull Contract When the data is necessary to fulfill a contract or take steps into entering into one

bull Legal obligation When the law requires you to process such data

bull Vital interest To protect someonersquos life

bull Public task When the data is needed for the public interest or for official functions

The top two bases (consent and legitimate interest) are of most relevance for marketers However whereas opted-in consent is often clear legitimate interest needs to be justified on a case-by-case basis

Using webinars to obtain consent through engagement will help you fulfill your obligations as a marketer mdash and gaining this consent through engagement will improve the quality of your leads for sales

Webinars encourage lsquocontent bingeingrsquo

Compared to a static PDF the immersive nature of a webinar provides the opportunity to point to other forms of content that a prospect can engage with A webinar console can hold many different resource types within its interface and can also link to other sources of content outside of the platform Furthermore when several on-demand webinars are available this encourages the Netflix model known as lsquocontent bingeingrsquo where a prospect can consume lots of different types of content increasing the speed of their buying journey and providing opportunities to capture data for qualification

When this behavior is tied to a lead qualification system it not only results in a greater number of leads but also leads of a higher quality as they are likely to be further along their buying journey

Did you knowWith the ON24 Engagement Hub you can publish standalone branded pages to promote your content including webinars PDFs and podcasts that can be easily embedded in web pages emails or published on social media sites such as LinkedIn Facebook Twitter and YouTube

13

better engagement better data

As buyers become more discerning and regulations tighten there is really is only one direction in which marketers need to head

Producing quality content and creating opportunities for high-value conversations is essential to driving the engagement that will get your prospects opting-in to hearing more and accelerating their buyer journeys mdash all while staying compliant

Here are a few points to consider as you take the next steps forward

Get buy-in for an engagement strategy

Moving away from volume-based approaches that are typical of traditional demand generation activities can represent a significant shift in both the way sales and marketing is done and the metrics to measure success In particular make sure to liaise with sales so they understand while there may be fewer leads they will be of a significantly higher quality

Plan campaigns that have a high-value offer

Starting with campaigns that are engagement-led will be different to those that simply focus on converting prospects quickly and handing them over to sales mdash particularly when you need to gain consent

Create opportunities for prospects to engage on multiple occasions in multiple formats

Marketers know that campaigns shouldnrsquot be single-touch but too often they follow a linear cadence Offer different ways for your prospects to educate themselves on their terms

Webinars are a great tool because you can link to multiple assets (including other webinars) that each create the chance that your prospects will opt-in and share their contact details

Start genuine conversations by asking questions

By definition prospects that are willing to speak to sales will be those that are happy with answering questions about their business But this openness wonrsquot necessarily occur if the communication has just been one way

Use your campaigns as an opportunity to elicit feedback find out what their challenges are and offer to talk about problems affecting them Once they respond they will likely be more willing to take that conversation forward

14

About ON24

DISCLAIMER

This eBook is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice We encourage you to work with a legally qualified professional if you require advice on any of the areas covered

ON24 MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS IMPLIED OR STATUTORY AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS WHITEPAPER This whitepaper is provided ldquoas-isrdquo Information and views expressed in this whitepaper including URL and other internet website references may change without notice

Published July 2019

copy ON24 All rights reserved

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

15

INSIDE ON24

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

wwwon24comabout-us 16

better engagement better data

As buyers become more discerning and regulations tighten there is really is only one direction in which marketers need to head

Producing quality content and creating opportunities for high-value conversations is essential to driving the engagement that will get your prospects opting-in to hearing more and accelerating their buyer journeys mdash all while staying compliant

Here are a few points to consider as you take the next steps forward

Get buy-in for an engagement strategy

Moving away from volume-based approaches that are typical of traditional demand generation activities can represent a significant shift in both the way sales and marketing is done and the metrics to measure success In particular make sure to liaise with sales so they understand while there may be fewer leads they will be of a significantly higher quality

Plan campaigns that have a high-value offer

Starting with campaigns that are engagement-led will be different to those that simply focus on converting prospects quickly and handing them over to sales mdash particularly when you need to gain consent

Create opportunities for prospects to engage on multiple occasions in multiple formats

Marketers know that campaigns shouldnrsquot be single-touch but too often they follow a linear cadence Offer different ways for your prospects to educate themselves on their terms

Webinars are a great tool because you can link to multiple assets (including other webinars) that each create the chance that your prospects will opt-in and share their contact details

Start genuine conversations by asking questions

By definition prospects that are willing to speak to sales will be those that are happy with answering questions about their business But this openness wonrsquot necessarily occur if the communication has just been one way

Use your campaigns as an opportunity to elicit feedback find out what their challenges are and offer to talk about problems affecting them Once they respond they will likely be more willing to take that conversation forward

14

About ON24

DISCLAIMER

This eBook is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice We encourage you to work with a legally qualified professional if you require advice on any of the areas covered

ON24 MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS IMPLIED OR STATUTORY AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS WHITEPAPER This whitepaper is provided ldquoas-isrdquo Information and views expressed in this whitepaper including URL and other internet website references may change without notice

Published July 2019

copy ON24 All rights reserved

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

15

INSIDE ON24

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

wwwon24comabout-us 16

About ON24

DISCLAIMER

This eBook is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice We encourage you to work with a legally qualified professional if you require advice on any of the areas covered

ON24 MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS IMPLIED OR STATUTORY AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS WHITEPAPER This whitepaper is provided ldquoas-isrdquo Information and views expressed in this whitepaper including URL and other internet website references may change without notice

Published July 2019

copy ON24 All rights reserved

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

15

INSIDE ON24

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

wwwon24comabout-us 16

INSIDE ON24

ON24reg is on a mission to redefine how organizations engage with their audiences powering interactive data-rich webinars and content experiences that help people connect on a more human level and make smarter business decisions

Through the ON24 Platform marketers can create live always-on and personalized digital experiences understand audience behavior and turn that intelligence into action Informed by more than a billion engagement minutes mdash including 12 million polls 13 million surveys 15 million conversations and conversion of over 17 million resources mdash marketers drive more revenue from ON24 webinars than any other digital channel Headquartered in San Francisco ON24 has a wide global footprint with eight offices in key regions including London Munich Singapore Stockholm and Sydney

wwwon24comabout-us 16