Webinars are one of the most effective ways to drive prospects and sales for your business. Webinars take time and effort to plan, and you do need some technical skills. However, if you want to get more prospects and sales, webinars are at the top of the to-do list when it comes to lead generation and making a profit.
What is a webinar?
A webinar, also called a teleseminar, is an online event designed to offer useful information to the audience. It is often live but can be pre-recorded. There might or might not be interactivity with the audience, such as question and answer. The webinar service used can offer various useful tools to the webinar host, including a shared desktop, whiteboard, polls and more.
Webinars are most effective when they are related to a particular niche or topic, and offer solutions to “pain points,” or problems, within that niche. Webinars are educational but also promotional. Think of them as an infomercial for your brand, or a product you wish to sell.
Why should I use webinars?
Online education is growing. According to the latest statistics, 70% of people are visual learners. In general, they love to watch videos and participate in webinars that teach them what they need to know. Webinars are useful if you plan to launch a new product and want to make it an attention-grabbing event.
Some webinars are free, while others require payment to attend. Paid webinars usually offer more exclusive information opportunities to prospects.
However, in general, a free webinar is best, and is a powerful tool for email marketing list building.
Why use a webinar to build my list?
Webinars can grow your list rapidly because people like to be the first to share a good deal or “news” with their friends. Announcing the webinar on social media makes it very easy for them to share your news. However, you’ll need to use free and paid channels.
You may already have a good following on Facebook or Twitter but running a paid ad or event listing can give you highly qualified traffic. When you prospect this way, create a separate email-marketing list for each webinar you plan to host. Then, use it to market to prospects before, during, and after the event. You can also enlist the help of participants by getting them to continue to spread the word.
Before the webinar
Once someone joins your new list, send them a welcome email with the event date, start-time, time zone, and how to join. Continue to send reminders until the show begins. Even after you have started, you can still send out email reminders to get people to join in. If you have a virtual assistant, have them check your Inbox or the chat for questions or other issues. Also, consider creating a hashtag (#) for your webinar so you can spot their questions and comments easily.
During the webinar
In addition to looking for questions during the event, you might also run a contest or give prizes. It adds fun and interest to the live event.
After the webinar
The follow up after a webinar can be just as important as the planning and presentation stages. Those who have not purchased can still receive information about the product and the special offer. Those who are on the customer list can be given extra content that adds value, making them feel like they really got a great deal. Send a surprise thank you gift for attending. Make sure it is something of value and is branded with your logo and URL.
Selling on your webinar
Building your list of prospects via your webinar is great, but sales are better. Present a webinar on a particular topic and offer one of your existing products as a useful solution. If you are launching a product, show all its features and benefits in relation to one or more common problems.
A product-based webinar is your chance to show off your new item and create buzz about it. Set up a special webinar-only price for it. The information you provide shouldn’t be a glorified ad for the item. It should give your target audience information they really want. The context will drive the sale.
If you’re looking for support for your webinar click here to schedule a 1:1 call with me.