“We do one webinar and get between 500 and more than 1000 leads… with an hour of live webinar and a little promotion.” – Patrick Whatman.
Are you looking for an innovative way to develop sales leads and promote your products? If so, consider hosting a webinar. Webinars are a great way to reach out to potential customers and create a sense of excitement around your product or service. This blog explores the value webinars offer participants and provides tips for preparing your own webinar. Let’s get started!
What is a Webinar?
The concept of webinars began in 1960 with: “Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations (PLATO)” developed by the University of Illinois and Control Data Corporation. PLATO represents the earliest prototype for webinar software.
A webinar is a conference or presentation used to promote products and services or present information to a select audience over the internet. Businesses often use them to present new products, offer product training courses, sales networking, and generate qualified leads. Webinars tend to be interactive, wherein participants give information, ask questions, and discuss a topic.
What is the purpose of a Webinar?
The primary purpose of a webinar is to present a topic that is engaging, relevant, and informative to a target audience. Webinars are used to share audio-visual content in a seminar-style format utilizing an internet-based platform. The presentation formats vary depending on the product and goals of the webinar.
- 73% of B2B marketers said webinars are great for generating high-quality leads (Source).
Webinars allow businesses to offer an audience value right away. With a webinar, marketers can focus and elaborate on specific product knowledge, training, and industry-relevant expertise.
- 73% of the total attendees turn into lead generation (Webinar Care).
- 40% of the total webinar audiences convert into lead generation.
- 2-5% of attendees purchase offers by the host at the end of the webinar.
Further, webinars help to develop relationships and build rapport by providing value upfront. In the long term, webinar-based lead development creates a loyal following and sales generation.
Webinars offer facilitators and participants value in the following ways:
- Allow presenters to share detailed information, documents, and instructions with specific audiences quickly and effectively.
- Webinars are a quick and effective way to develop brand awareness, generate sales leads, and attract new customers.
- Provide opportunities to develop networks or promote a product by following up on participants through surveys, polling, email, or Q&A that further additional collaboration.
- Webinars are an excellent tool for introducing a company’s products or services to a new audience or re-introducing old ones to the same industry.
- Offer fresh ideas, and insights from industry thought leaders and experts from various disciplines and fields.
- Webinars are a cost-effective way to reach a target audience; according to com, the average cost is approximately $1.25 per minute. So, at the high end, a one-hour Webinar would run around $75, on average, for individual registration.
Webinar Formats Are Customizable to Fit the Needs of the Audience.
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- Live Workshops: These webinars tend to garner the highest level of participation and engagement.
- Pre-recorded Lectures: most webinars are live. However, a live webinar can be recorded, and future participants can register to view them.
- Text-based presentation: most webinar platforms are equipped with text features. These features allow for Q&A between the presenter and the audience in real-time.
- Whiteboard: the guest speaker or presenter (style) may prefer to draw out and explain essential concepts in real time.
- Surveys and polls: surveys and polls get attendees to answer questions and organize them all in one place.
Five Marketing Benefits After Hosting a Successful Webinar
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- Establishes immediate trust and credibility with the audience.
- Generates high-quality sales leads.
- Increases communication in real-time.
- Expands brand awareness to large (global) audiences.
- Provides marketers with a way to generate and scale advertising content.
Three Tips to Consider When Planning a webinar
I) Identify The Audience You Want To Reach
Identifying the ideal customers is a crucial step to hosting successful webinars. Knowing a specific demographic, for instance, would help set achievable objectives, prepare appropriate and engaging topics, and develop an overall webinar marketing theme and strategy.
Questions to help guide the planning process:
- What product or service would benefit most from a webinar?
- What kind of buyers do we want to attract?
- Which buyers could benefit most from this webinar?
- What information from the buyers do I need to prepare webinar material?*
- Where are the customers in the purchasing cycle? *
*As you start planning your webinar, use surveys, online research, buying behavior data, and registration lists to gain a clearer understanding of your ideal buyers’ needs and concerns. The more you understand your audience’s preferences and buying behavior, the more receptive the webinar can match their needs.
*Remember, B2B customers go through a five stages sales/purchasing process: attract, capture, nurture, convert and expand. Identifying which stage your potential buyer is in, will help you further refine your messaging and content.
II) What is the Webinar’s Unique Solution?
Since solution selling is ideal for industries with highly customized products, it is a good approach to use in webinars. For instance, webinars offer the time and flexibility to present detailed information to an audience. When a product is delivered as a solution to a problem, the context becomes relatable to the participants. Solution selling requires the guest speaker to have a solid understanding of the product, the industry, and the unique challenges prospective customers face. Questions the guest speaker should consider:
- What value are viewers supposed to take away from this session?
- What solutions will the viewer leave the webinar with?
- What insights will the guest speaker give the audience that they can’t find on their own?
- Will the audience be given any handouts or templates for reference?
III) Choose A Knowledgeable & Engaging Speaker
A guest speaker is invited by the webinar organizers, usually because of their expertise in a particular field. Their main purpose is to stimulate discussion with the audience and other webinar participants by introducing perspective and professional context. Selecting the right guest speakers is critical to the success of a webinar. This individual plays a significant role in engaging the audience and maintaining their interest.
Moreover, expert-guest participation in a webinar can help potential customers in ways that are particular to a given industry. For instance, they add to the credibility and persuasive nature of the webinar presentation through demonstrations and experienced input. Plus, an expert can also be highly effective at answering questions and alleviating any concerns the audience may have, which makes for a much more comprehensive Q&A portion of the webinar.
- 88% of hosts agree that webinars are great platforms that promote and grow business, if not the best ones. – Jeff Bullas
- 75% of webinar organizers use their products to build brands and get more leads.
“Why Do Webinars? Because They’re Your Path To More Traffic & Sales” – Daniel Waas
Lead nurturing is essential for sales teams, and webinars are one of the most effective tools for this process. They provide an opportunity to connect with potential buyers personally, learn about their needs, and understand their buying process. Webinars also help build trust and credibility with customers and create long-term relationships with them.
Webinars are the way to go if you’re looking for a credible marketing strategy that generates leads. Not only do they attract potential customers who are already interested in your product or service, but they also help to create loyal ones who are more likely to convert. With so many different types of webinars available, there’s sure to be one that will fit business needs. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
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