If you want to succeed with a webinar, read on…
By: Paulina Swan Banska
Tags: Sales Development, Digital Marketing, Webinar, Webinar Tips, Email Marketing Tips

I have been organizing webinars since 2015 and I admit I did not create them so thoughtfully at the beginning until I started testing their impact on the target group.

The webinar is a powerful business tool and it’s a shame not to take advantage of what today’s products offer.

Who is the webinar suitable for?

When I help companies increase their sales and set up sales processes, a webinar is one of the first tool I usually analyze as appropriate or unsuitable for a given product or service.

I recommend using the webinar if:

you do legal, consulting, professional, other consulting services.

These industries have strong competition, so you need to differentiate yourself. Acquiring customers by direct contact is challenging, time consuming, often perceived as spamming. Therefore, if you create a really interesting topic and you are willing to share valuable information, it is the way to gain loyal customers.

you sell a technical product or software

There are marketers who don’t rush into a webinar about a physical product, which I fully understand. Selling a car through a webinar is a superhuman act, isn’t it?

But if you have a product that requires expertise, better understanding and explanation, this can be caught very well by webinars. In this case, a demo of the product should be also included.

Types of webinars according to the method of presentation

The difference between a pre-recorded and a live webinar

live

I consider live more successful in terms of the sale itself, because it is authentic. The same time sharing and connecting with a presenter increases credibility. The live webinar should always be ended the way that participants know what to do next =”call to action”. Closing the webinar just by greeting and wishing you a nice day is not enough.

Call to action can be: offer a course, next scheduled webinar, sign up for an event.

pre-recorded

is more suitable if you want to educate your target group and present your brand, show your expertise. However, they do not ensure successful sales, so in this type of webinar I would not try to appeal to sales, but rather to branding. You can pre-record your webinar with WebinarJam, ClickToMeeting software or directly into your computer and integrate the link let’s say into your web page.

A webinar is a system that consists of several components

Customers often think that a webinar event is the most important thing to prepare for.

That’s true, but how do I get enough people?

How do I convert subscribers to customers?

pre-webinar

In general, only 20% of registered participants will actually attend the webinar. This number should be increased by wise sequential emailing before the webinar itself max 10 days, min 3 days before the start. The closer the registration is to the webinar deadline, the higher the chance of participation.

webinar action

Here are few rules about what you should do. Definitely, do not talk 20 minutes about yourself or your company…. NO ONE IS INTERESTED!

Instead, imagine your ideal client sitting behind their PC looking at you and your presentation. Wouldn’t you rather tell him what you can offer him to make his life easier?

The basic MUSTs at the webinar are:

• always have the camera turned on (optionally: pre-recorded webinars where you primarily show presentation, live demo)

• A prepared presentation about the problems that the ideal customer has and how you will help them solve them (make them imagine live without your product and with your product)

• less text and more pictures

• termination of call to action, e.g. make a special offer only for course participants and no one else.

post-webinar

How do I convert webinar participants to my customers?

Once again via appropriate content in sequential emailing, which follows after the webinar. In 3–4 following emails you can share your recorded webinar for those who were registered and could not make it, for those who attended but maybe could not pay 100% attention. In next emails ask for their feedback (How do they like it?), share your case study, testimonials make them watch company video, download PDF guide, anything really which would grab the attention. In the last email you can suggest a call. I use Calendly software where I give an option to book a 15 minutes call with me.

If you have any questions or you would need help to organize a webinar, feel free to connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinaswan/