HubSpot provides marketing software to more than 9,000 companies in 56 countries. The company’s products are focused on helping clients develop and manage inbound marketing, which refers to the concept of attracting leads with engaging content that potential clients find through search engines, social media, and blogs. HubSpot uses that strategy for its own marketing by hosting free webinars on topics of interest to its existing and potential customers, such as search engine optimization and using Facebook to generate leads. A consistent format and relatively simple production keep the focus on useful, relevant content and enables HubSpot to offer an average of four webinars each month.
HubSpot has been hosting webinars since the company was founded in 2006, attracting anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand people for each session. Each production lasts an hour and originates from a soundproof studio inside the company’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, headquarters. Global marketing relations manager Amanda Sibley coordinates the webinars and serves as the host. “We will bring in someone from HubSpot and someone from a partner organization, for example LinkedIn, as presenters,” Sibley said. All of the webinars are streamed live and then made available on demand on the HubSpot Web site.
Online participants hear the audio from discussion in the studio while on their computer screens they see a slide deck created in advance by the presenters. Sibley uses the same format for each webinar: a 45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A session with online attendees. Participants can submit questions through the Web conferencing platform, provided by Infinite Conferencing, or on Twitter, using a designated hashtag. The webinar screen displays the Twitter feed or audience polls. In addition to hosting the live discussion, Sibley monitors the online activity. “Having the presenters ask questions or do a poll is really the best way to keep our audience engaged,” she said.
The webinars take place between noon and 2 p.m. EST, a time frame that works for all time zones in the United States and also for HubSpot’s expanding international audience. She promotes the webinars through the company’s Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, as well as on its blog and via email. Since participants can register several weeks in advance—and therefore may forget or lose the confirmation email—Sibley sends a reminder email one week in advance and another the morning of the event. “I also send a response email about 24 hours later saying, ‘Thanks for joining us,’ and sending a link to the recording,” she said.
