It is always desirable to reach as large a share of the target group as possible during a webinar. The day and time the webinar is broadcast can make a big difference. Think about this in the planning of the webinar and use it:
- Benchmarks time and day of broadcast
- Points of attention and advice
Benchmarks time and day of broadcast
There are many benchmarks, especially in America, for the most suitable time. ON24 concludes from experience that 11 am is the best time. Brighttalk mentions different times and states that 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. are good times for broadcasting a webinar. Clickmeeting finally states that many participants can be present between 12.00 and 15.00 hours. A note on this data is that in America time zones often have to be taken into account, whereby the above times are suitable for all corners of the country.
In the Netherlands, when choosing a time, a distinction is made between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) topics. Company Webcast’s experience shows that the most suitable time for a B2B webinar in the Netherlands is between 10.00 and 16.00 hours. For the B2C market this is different. These webinars often take place in the evening, at 19.00 or 20.00 hours. In short, one ideal time for the webinar does not exist. The target group is mainly leading in determining the time, whereby the above data can be used as a guideline.
As far as the best day is concerned, it is generally advised to organise the webinar on a Tuesday or Thursday, Wednesday is also a reasonably good day. Friday is not recommended and Monday is also a less suitable day because on these days there are often ‘last minute’ activities or people are out of the office.
Points of attention and advice
In the case of a webinar with B2B or internal employees as the target group, it is important to check whether they can participate from their own workplace. Consider whether this person has access to a computer at work, the company network allows this and the computer of this person (e.g. sound card) is suitable for this. If this is a problem, another option may have to be found, such as having the webinar take place after working hours so that participants can watch it from home. Remember that if a topic is interesting enough, people will be willing to attend the webinar.
Another reason for a webinar to take place outside the average working hours of the target audience is when the topic is a B2C topic, such as private investing. This target group is not available during work hours and will usually make time in the evening to attend a webinar. Consider carefully what time the target group can be online. For example, a webinar around dinner time is not convenient, nor is one too late in the evening. Try to think through all possible scenarios and decide for yourself what is logical.
In short, the starting point for choosing a suitable day and time is the target group. In addition, the availability of your own staff can be a consideration when deciding on a time and day, as can the competition. If the subject of the webinar is in a market where there are several similar webinars that are interesting for the target group, consider choosing a different broadcast time than the competition. The target group then does not have to make a choice.
Finally, there are two pieces of advice with regard to determining the right day and time. A useful tool here is the survey at the end of the webinar: ask on what day and at what time participants would prefer to attend a webinar. This question is a great tool for planning the next webinar and should in principle be a fixed part of the survey. A final piece of advice is to simply experiment. Try giving a webinar on a Saturday or Sunday evening and find out what works best for the target audience.
Check out this webinar based on the latest research from ON24
Tip: When giving frequent webinars, it is wise to do it on the same day and time each time. This is easy for participants to remember and will increase attendance.