When the world got hit with the global COVID-19 pandemic, companies, businesses, and education centres had to make a plan to stay in touch and keep the ball rolling. Webinars, online training, and workshops were introduced.
Webinars have great potential and are growing at an exponential rate. Take a look at our most recent facts and statistics about webinars to see the potential for yourself.
35 Webinar Statistics
1. Webinars Are Growing Exponentially
As much as 89% of businesses offering webinars have asserted that they can drastically expand their online offerings. Some marketing companies run up to 150 webinars within a given year. Most of these educational institutions and advertising companies plan to increase the number of webinars they host within the coming year. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
2. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are Webinar Days with Highest Attendance Rate
In the past, studies have suggested that Wednesdays and Thursdays boasted the best webinar attendance at 26% and 28%. However, with the radical increase in webinars starting in early 2020, this has changed. Fridays increased by 222%, Tuesday with 271%, and Mondays with a whopping 441% increase in attendance rate ((“On24 Webinar Benchmarks Report Special Edition: Post-Covid Trends.” ON24, 20 Feb. 2021, www.on24.com/resources/asset/on24-webinar-benchmarks-report-special-edition-post-covid-trends/.))
3. Employee Satisfaction Is in the Training
Studies suggest that 88% of employees would stay with a company that offers proper training and skill development opportunities. It is, therefore, concerning that 15% of employees say they’ve never received ongoing training or refreshers because it’s clear that employees want to grow while they are at work. ((“Employee Training Statistics 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/employee-training-statistics/.))
4. Only Once a Week
Attendees prefer subscribing to a webinar that runs only once a week. People are more likely to commit their time to a webinar with only one presentation a week to fit around other interests and time constraints. ((BigMarker. “12 Webinar Statistics You Need to Know.” Medium, Medium, 20 June 2017, medium.com/@BigMarker/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe.))
5. Employees Value Training and Development
Employees deem it essential to receive ongoing training and development opportunities. In fact, 96% of people see it as very important to receive training online to improve their skills or refresh basic knowledge of the subject matter. In addition, around 93% of people have said that they would feel more satisfied at work with more training. ((“Employee Training Statistics 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/employee-training-statistics/.))
6. Live Events Turned Into Webinars After COVID-19 Outbreak
Webinar popularity increased rapidly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak and associated restrictions. As a result of these circumstances, live events in the United States and worldwide abruptly pivoted to webinars, which proved unexpectedly successful. From February to March 2020, the total number of brands offering webinars grew from 245 to 332 (36%), suggesting a possible further increase in 2021. (( Guttmann, A. “Increase in B2b Webinars Due To COVID-19 in the U.S. 2020.” Statista, 9 Sept. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/1119096/increase-in-b2b-webinars-due-to-covid-19-usa/. ))
7. Webinars Are the Most Popular Training Technique
Employee Training Statistics from 2021 suggest that most employees find webinars and videos the most effective form of training, with a 36% vote. One-on-one training got a 25% vote, and work-based learning or shadowing a 17%. Other training methods like reading manuals or classroom-based training scored less than 12%. ((“Employee Training Statistics 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/employee-training-statistics/.))
8. Webinars Are an Effective Marketing Strategy
Even though only 41% of marketers have participated in or hosted a webinar, 83% have found it highly effective in selling products and services. Marketers have realized the potential of webinars. 43% of marketers have now stated that they plan to create or participate in a webinar before the end of 2021. (( “Webinar Marketing: Your Secret Weapon in 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/webinar-marketing-2020/. ))
9. Webinars Are the Go-to for B2B Professionals
A recent study suggests that 91% of business-to-business professionals choose webinars to gather information on their respective industries. This preference is because webinars have audio and video content that is favorable. Other sought-after content types are blog posts (42%), whitepapers (48%), and industry-related articles (60%). ((Southern, Matt. “91% Of B2B Professionals Say Webinars Are Their Preferred Type of Content.” Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Journal, 28 May 2019, www.searchenginejournal.com/91-of-b2b-professionals-say-webinars-are-their-preferred-type-of-content/309905/#close.))
10. It’s Easy Creating and Personalizing a Webinar
With the number of webinar creation tools and technology available online, 39% of industries creating educational programs say it’s straightforward to generate a personalized and customized online training program.
Customizable webinars have proven to be more successful and engaging to their target audience than other types of interaction or communication. Only 9% have said that it’s hard, primarily because of industry-specific challenges. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
11. Webinars Give a Conversion Average of 15%
For many marketers, a webinar aims to inform or educate and sell a product or service. Recent conversion studies have estimated an average attendee-to-customer conversion rate of 15%. ((Abrams, David. “Webinar Conversion Rates: What Makes Them Good and What to Track.” ConvertKit, 3 May 2021, convertkit.com/webinar-conversion-rates.))
12. Target Audience is Mostly External (66%)
Research has suggested that 66% of businesses offering webinar-based training serve external customers. In addition, 38% deliver webinars to internal employees or members, and the remaining 10% broadcast to industry peers. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
13. 92% of Attendees Prefer a Q&A Session in a Webinar
A whopping 92% of webinar attendees appreciate and prefer a live questions and answers section at the end of the session. This format gives participants a chance to ask questions that the webinar has not answered and allows hosts to collect data on improving their presentation. (( “Webinar Marketing: Your Secret Weapon in 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/webinar-marketing-2020/. ))
14. Webinars Are Best Hosted in the Morning
A 2021 survey has suggested that attendees prefer participating in webinars hosted at 10 am – 11 am – 26% voted for 10 am, and 32% voted for 11 am. Only 16% of people in the survey prefer webinars from noon and later or in the early mornings between 8 am – 9 am. ((BigMarker. “12 Webinar Statistics You Need to Know.” Medium, Medium, 20 June 2017, medium.com/@BigMarker/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe.))
15. Only a Third of Those Signed Up Will Attend
Not all those who have registered for a webinar attend, especially if the webinar is free. A study has suggested that between 35% – 45% of those who subscribed will attend. ((BigMarker. “12 Webinar Statistics You Need to Know.” Medium, Medium, 20 June 2017, medium.com/@BigMarker/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe.))
16.Personalized and Customized Webinars Are More Successful
Modern marketing strategies include account-based marketing, which has become the standard. Research has suggested that 68% of webinar hosts generate audience-specific webinars. 35% of hosts create one-to-one webinars that are account-specific. Tailored webinars are more successful than universalized ones because they meet the audience’s specific needs. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
17. Invest in Energetic Hosts and Facilitators
It’s worth investing in a qualified, energetic, and enthusiastic facilitator. One study showed that 32% of webinar attendees felt more engaged when the host of the training was energetic and passionate. (( “Webinar Marketing: Your Secret Weapon in 2021.” Wyzowl, www.wyzowl.com/webinar-marketing-2020/. ))
18. B2B Professionals Engage Every Week
A recent study suggests that 54% of B2B participants partake in a weekly webinar. In addition, approximately 84% of these participants believe this helps them stay updated on what’s happening in their industries ((Southern, Matt. “91% Of B2B Professionals Say Webinars Are Their Preferred Type of Content.” Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Journal, 28 May 2019, www.searchenginejournal.com/91-of-b2b-professionals-say-webinars-are-their-preferred-type-of-content/309905/#close.))
19. Most Webinars Are About Best Practices
Nearly 50% of personalized webinars share best practices from different industries. In addition, 42% use webinars to share product demonstrations to a large audience, and 29% use them to pitch ideas or products to specific accounts. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
20. Sharing Tips and Tricks Are the Most Popular
Recent studies have suggested that the kind of webinar content mostly appreciated by attendees are tips and tricks. For example, 70% of attendees value tips, tricks, and best practices, while 62% value industry trends and predictions. Other hot topics include how-to (61%), interviews with experts (60%), solution case studies (59%), and data and statistics insights (55%). ((Southern, Matt. “91% Of B2B Professionals Say Webinars Are Their Preferred Type of Content.” Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Journal, 28 May 2019, www.searchenginejournal.com/91-of-b2b-professionals-say-webinars-are-their-preferred-type-of-content/309905/#close.))
21. Webinar Industry Has A Projected Reach of $800 Million By 2023
Future projections by market analysts foresee that the webinar industry will reach $800 million by 2023. In 2015, the webinar market was worth $547 million, giving it a projection of a 46.2% increase by 2023. The steep increase is because more people resort to online training and education because of the global outbreak of COVID-19 ((“Webinar and Webcast Market Share, GROWTH, Industry Size, Key Players, Segments, Latest Trends and Forecast 2021-2026.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 31 Aug. 2021, www.marketwatch.com/press-release/webinar-and-webcast-market-share-growth-industry-size-key-players-segments-latest-trends-and-forecast-2021-2026-2021-08-31?siteid=bigcharts&dist=bigcharts&tesla=y.))
22. Webinar Feedback Gives Quality Business Insight
Businesses are integrating CRM systems into webinar data to get insight into their accounts. A survey has suggested that 88% of respondents integrate their webinar information with a marketing automation tool or CRM to gain better insights. In addition, using a CRM tool along with webinar info lets you pass valuable details to sales representatives that they can use for lead generation and marketing improvements. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
23. Webinars Should Be Shorter than an Hour
Studies have shown that webinar participants prefer attending webinars that are between 30-40 minutes in length. For example, 41% prefer a 30-minute webinar and 44% prefer a 40-45 minute webinar. Only 5% are interested in webinars shorter than 20 minutes and 10% in 1-hour webinars. ((BigMarker. “12 Webinar Statistics You Need to Know.” Medium, Medium, 20 June 2017, medium.com/@BigMarker/12-webinar-statistics-you-need-to-know-b3e28b275abe.))
24. A Quarter of Attendees Will Watch the Replay
If you are hosting a live webinar, 60% of subscribers will miss the live presentation. A recent study has suggested an estimate that 25% of those who missed the live webinar will watch the replay on their own time. This estimation includes people who had to leave the webinar early. ((Abrams, David. “Webinar Conversion Rates: What Makes Them Good and What to Track.” ConvertKit, 3 May 2021, convertkit.com/webinar-conversion-rates.))
25. On-demand Videos Increase Attendance Rate
Considering that attendance rates average between 35% and 45%, studies suggest that making webinars available on-demand can increase attendance rates.
When viewers can watch the webinar instantly, they are more likely to sign up right away without a chance to change their minds. In addition, having on-demand videos for visitors can increase the sign-up rate by 43%. ((“How We Got A 75.62% Webinar Attendance Rate.” Venture Harbour, 7 Aug. 2020, www.ventureharbour.com/boost-webinar-attendance-rate/.))
26. On-Demand Webinars Are Watched Over Weekends
Webinar statistics suggest that 18% of on-demand views are from weekend watchers. Many people who watch webinars on Saturdays and Sundays have busy work schedules. Thus, they resort to development training or informative webinars over the weekends. ((Taisey, Joni. “Ultimate Webinar Stats for 2020.” WorkCast, 20 Jan. 2020, info.workcast.com/blog/ultimate-webinar-stats-for-2020.))
27. Baseline Cost of a Webinar Should Be $100
Since you’ve invested a lot of time and effort in developing and marketing your webinar, studies suggest that you price your webinar at a minimum cost of $100. However, high-quality webinars with experts can cost up to $3,000. ((Miller, Caitlin. “How to Price Your Online Course.” Teachable, 2021, teachable.com/blog/how-to-price-your-online-course.))
28. A Webinar Producer’s Annual Salary Is up to $85,000
On average, a webinar producer can get an annual salary of up to $85,000. Yearly wages are dependent on the state in which they live, with Washington D.C. being the highest-paid. North Carolina is the lowest paying state with an annual average salary of $54,000. ((“Q: What Is the Average Webinar Producer Salary by State in 2021?” ZipRecruiter, 2021, www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/What-Is-the-Average-Webinar-Producer-Salary-by-State.))
29. Individuals Sign Up Much Earlier Than Anticipated
Despite the popular belief of people being last-minute, surveys have suggested that many registrants sign up for webinars more than eight days before the event. For example, 26% of registrants sign up 8-14 days before, 28% sign up more than 15 days in advance, 35% 1-7 days before the date, and only 11% sign up on the scheduled day of the webinar. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
30. Webinar Promotional E-mails Should Be Sent on Tuesdays
Studies have suggested that Tuesdays are a popular day to send promotional e-mails for webinars. Of course, that doesn’t make Tuesday the only fruitful day to send out promotional materials. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays account for 60% of all registrations. Only 12% register on Fridays and 5% over the weekend. ((“On24 Webinar Benchmarks Report Special Edition: Post-Covid Trends.” ON24, 20 Feb. 2021, www.on24.com/resources/asset/on24-webinar-benchmarks-report-special-edition-post-covid-trends/.))
31. Webinars Attract Cold Traffic
A recent study has estimated a 30% average cold traffic attraction when hosting a webinar. This statistic refers to the visitors who land on your website or webinar advertisement without prior knowledge of your business. So even though the conversion rates on cold traffic are much lower, it’s a great way to generate new leads. ((Abrams, David. “Webinar Conversion Rates: What Makes Them Good and What to Track.” ConvertKit, 3 May 2021, convertkit.com/webinar-conversion-rates.))
32. Webinars Drive Engagement and Increase Revenue
Webinars are not only educational and informative, but they can help generate leads and increase conversion rates. A survey has suggested that 76% of respondents reached additional leads, 75% extended their brand, 69% scaled marketing efforts, and 49% reached targeted audiences. ((ON24 Webinar Benchmarks Report, 2019, app.hushly.com/runtime/content/lKVbWb3wAS3jzpov?assetId=cols623870ujd20jlmmd3sl616&ref=related.))
33. Most Engaging Tool on a Webinar Is the Q&A
To ensure your webinar is engaging and interactive, hosts have to implement specific tools. Studies have suggested that the most used tool is Q&A at 81%. Other means to facilitate engagement include resources (69%), surveys (36%), social media (25%), polls (22%), and a group chat (10%). ((Hallur, Akshay. “25+ Surprising Webinar Statistics and Benchmarks You Need to Know.” BloggingX, 26 Aug. 2020, bloggingx.com/webinar-statistics/.))
34. Webinars are Multi-Functional to Increase Revenue
Recent studies by marketing strategists have suggested that you can transform webinars into numerous different valuable content pieces. For example, a one-hour video can become SEO content like articles and blog posts, feed into Q&As, and build infographics. This content recycling increases revenue drastically. (( Richmond, Dan. “How to Turn Your Webinars into Marketing Content.” MegaMeeting, MegaMeeting, 25 Aug. 2021, www.megameeting.com/news/webinar-marketing-content/.))
35. Webinars Are Mainly Watched on Mobile Phones
Considering that the average American spends almost 3 hours a day using their smartphone, it’s no surprise that 25% of people watch webinars on their mobile phones. ((Taisey, Joni. “Ultimate Webinar Stats for 2020.” WorkCast, 20 Jan. 2020, info.workcast.com/blog/ultimate-webinar-stats-for-2020.))
Bottom Line
Webinars are an excellent tool that companies can use to increase reach and revenue.
With the multiple benefits of webinars, it may be worth investing the time and resources to create a high-quality webinar to market your products and services.
The pandemic-influenced restrictions created the ultimate test to see whether online training and webinars can be profitable as well as functional.
Statistics have proven that webinars are increasing in popularity because they are more convenient, engaging, interactive, and accessible and are likely to become even more profitable.
