Savvy marketing professionals are lifelong learners. They know the trends, technologies and advancements in their industry. They don’t want to part of the crowd; instead, they seek to be two steps ahead, ready to anticipate changing marketplace needs. In addition to reading, attending tradeshows, engaging in meaningful dialogues with peers and others, participating in marketing webinars is a valuable tool for staying at the forefront of innovation.

Why Marketing Webinars?

A webinar, or web seminar, is a form of online content that uses web conferencing software to share specific information or expertise. This can be in the form of presentation, lecture, workshop, seminar or so forth, hosted by an expert or group of experts in that field. One of the most important features of a webinar is its interactive element. Webinars are meant to be attended in real time to allow attendees to ask questions via text chat or voice chat, have discussions and network with each other and the webinar hosts. Most webinar platforms allow users to view recordings and notes of webinars if they weren’t able to attend in real time, or need to review content again.

Today, over 61 percent of B2B companies create and host webinars. Due to their low cost and ease of creation, marketers from a broad range of industries leverage webinars for everything from internal training to lead generation. With such saturation in the webinar world, it can be hard to know where to find quality content. Creators can host webinars on their own website or use external sources to share and distribute. If you’re considering starting your own webinar series, check out our blog on the benefits of webinars as a marketing tool.

In the meantime, here is a short list of our favorite places to listen to or host webinars.

Top Five Marketing Webinar Platforms

1. SMM Connect. Sales & Marketing Management is a print and digital magazine for sales and marketing content. Their online resources are even more expansive. Their webinars feature expertise from sales and marketing professionals nationwide with new topics posted at least once per week. Categories range from general advice on how to close sales to very specific expertise about marketing. Use their calendar to discover upcoming webinars and register to attend. Or browse their long list of recordings if you’re looking for content right away.
2. BrightTALK. BrightTALK is a hosting platform specifically designed for distributing professional webinars. It is one of the most common locations for companies to host their webinars if they are not using their own website (think YouTube, but for webinars.) BrightTALK breaks down their content into industry-based communities ranging from legal, finance, human resources, sales and, of course, marketing. Because of the wide variety BrightTALK has to offer, discovering the right content can be daunting. One of our favorite features they offer is a personalized “knowledge feed” based on your watching habits to help narrow down your options to the suggested relevant content.
3. Hubspot. Any top content list is incomplete without a mention of Hubspot—one of the leaders in B2B marketing expertise. With a recognizable brand and plethora of relevant, trending expertise, Hubspot’s free webinars are known for their in-depth explorations of expansive topics. Right now, this includes practical GDPR advice, graphic design workshops, or even how to build a successful start-up.
4. Marketo. A leader in CRM software, Marketo also maintains a large library of webinar content. In particular, Marketo is a great resource when it comes to marketing tactics that are based on data, metrics and analytics. Their experts are a useful resource to stay on top of technology trends. Incorporate Marketo into your webinar rotation for a balanced diet of marketing knowledge.
5. Content Marketing Institute. Another mainstay of today’s B2B marketing, the Content Marketing Institute is one of our favorites because they include not only their own content but feature webinars from other market leaders. Their list of webinars is carefully curated to include their most trusted sources. In particular, they provide specialized webinars based on niche segments of content marketing, such as email marketing, social media outreach or video development.

Engage to Educate

To be an expert, it is important to embrace ongoing learning. In many ways, digital mediums have made staying educated easier, but they’ve also become so saturated with content that it can be a challenge to choose the most relevant and trusted sources. Try content from a variety of providers to discover which resonate most with you. Keep in mind that webinars aren’t just about the topics they cover. Different companies and experts will engage you in different ways and you’ll interact and network with different users across all platforms. A good webinar isn’t a slide show or a talking head; it’s an opportunity to enter into a discussion. Prepare to engage and participate to get the most out of each experience.