9 Strategies to Boost Engagement in Your Government Webinars

We’ve all been there: sitting in a cubicle, watching yet another text-filled webinar that loses us around slide five. But a successful webinar or virtual event doesn’t have to be boring. The key is engaging your audience beyond the event itself. 

For those in the trenches, developing ideas that make a webinar attractive to potential registrants, keeping them engaged throughout the event, and building trust and engagement afterward can be overwhelming. With the right content marketing strategies, government agencies can create an experience that informs, engages, and builds trust before, during, and after online webinars and events. 

Here’s how to create government webinars that turn one-time attendees into long-term, engaged audiences. 

Pre-Webinar: Build Anticipation 

1. Teaser Content: Create short, visual-forward content to introduce key speakers or topics. Share this on social media and official websites to generate buzz and boost registrations. 
2. Interactive Polls: Use polls on social media accounts or official websites to gauge interest in potential discussion topics. The results will help shape the event agenda. 
3. Downloadable Primers: Offer short guides or summaries on the event’s main topics. These concise documents help attendees come prepared and promote more informed discussions. 

During the Webinar: Encourage Active Participation

1. Interactive Q&A: Allow a live chat or document where attendees can submit and upvote questions. This engagement makes sure your speakers address the most relevant issues, and attendees feel heard. 
2. Live-Sharing: Create branded templates and assign a team member to share key points, quotes, and insights on social media platforms throughout the event. 

Post-Webinar: Build Authority and Engagement

1. Highlight Reel: Create content around key moments or information from the event that is easily readable and digestible. This content serves as a recap for attendees and an interest-builder for future events. 
2. Actionable Summary Report: Create a guide or checklist summarizing the main points and any action steps attendees should know. Create a template for post-event reports that includes sections for key takeaways, action items, and ways for citizens to stay involved. 
3. Follow-Up Survey with Content Upgrade: Send attendees a feedback survey. As an incentive for completion, offer extra content like an in-depth white paper or early access to upcoming events. 
4. Interview Series: Record or draft written short follow-up interviews with speakers or subject matter experts, answering common questions or expanding on topics that resonated during the event. 

Overcoming Common Virtual Event Challenges 

1. Digital Divide: Not everyone has equal access to technology or high-speed internet. 

Solution: Offer dial-in options for events and consider providing post-event transcripts.

2. Information Overload: With so much content, attendees might feel overwhelmed.

Solution: Use clear categorization and tagging for all content. Provide “quick read” versions or key takeaways of larger documents and use visual content like infographics to make complex information digestible. 

3. Maintaining Momentum: Engagement often drops off after the event ends. 

Solution: Create a content calendar that extends weeks after the event, gradually transitioning from event-specific content to broader topics that keep citizens interested. 

4. Measuring Impact: It can be challenging to quantify the success of content marketing efforts. 

Solution: Establish clear KPIs before launch — track metrics like registrations, engagement rates, content downloads, and survey responses. 

You don’t need to be a marketing professional to implement content marketing strategies into your webinar and virtual event process. These tips can increase registration, boost event engagement, and build a more transparent relationship with citizens. 

Ultimately, you will have fostered an ongoing conversation that turns one-time broadcasts of complex information into tools for long-term civic engagement. 

Jen Nieto is the founder of Civica Growth, a B2G content marketing consultancy helping GovTech companies, government contractors, nonprofit organizations, and industry leaders communicate effectively with public sector audiences. Jen’s unique insider perspective, honed over a decade in federal, state, and local government, allows her to create content for her clients that resonates with and motivates government decision-makers. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Management from The George Washington University and is deeply interested in digital modernization’s potential to make government more responsive, efficient, and collaborative. Off-duty, you’ll find Jen devouring the latest fiction novel or sipping lattes on her patio, possibly doing both at once.

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