Seminars have always been a tremendous value to marketing. They provide a structured platform for guided discussion and a place for like-minded entities to come together and discuss something of value. Many times, it is a place of pure education. However, as with almost everything else, this landscape is changing and we, as savvy companies, must adapt. Companies are looking for new ways to reach and engage with their customers in a natural way, to instill trust in their wealth of knowledge, and act in the best interest of their customers or prospects. Due to industry changes over the last 10-20 years, webinars have become a powerful tool to engage and educate your customer base especially when developing thought leadership and mind-share.
Webinars are an online event, planned to educate people about a specific topic. Typically,
a host will present an in-depth, planned topic and once the presentation is complete, they will open a forum for live questions and answers. This forum offers the attendees an opportunity to engage with the presenter.
Here, we will show you some of the reasons why webinars are a powerhouse marketing tool:
Lead Generation
Webinars provide a unique strategy for generating leads. Because they take place on a digital platform and the subject matter is very defined, the hosting company has the ability to start gathering pre-qualified leads from these activities. This is possible, due to the ability to export the attendee list from a given webinar. Depending on the requested fields required for registration, you can learn a lot about potential clients and companies based on their engagement.
Thought Leadership
The focus of webinars is to build a relationship with prospective customers. The best way to do this is by teaching them something. It could be how to apply a solution to a problem your customers are facing. It could also discuss the future of the industry. Your potential range of topics is fairly broad. One thing is for certain, if you take the time to develop something of real value for your customers, they will appreciate and remember when it comes time to make a purchase. By hosting the webinar, you are establishing your company as an industry expert. The key here, is keep the promotion of your products to a minimum. Focus on something or a problem potential clients are facing. Your product may be the solution to their problem, but you need to let the customer come to that conclusion. A way around this, is to present your product as an optional solution. Use it as an example.
Location, Location, Location
One of the golden rules in business is location. Finding a good location used to be paramount for the success of companies. With the implementation of the internet as a business tool and the fact that webinars take place on the internet, webinars are in a convenient and visible location. This convenience ensures great results. Webinar participation is simple. Events are typically free and during business hours, making it much simpler for employees and executives to justify attending. It will only take an hour of their time, rather than a day(s). Reducing the barrier of entry, will always drive results.
Repeat-ability
Now that you have established a script for your webinar and a comfortable presenter, your company can repeat your webinar more frequently. If you become consistent in hosting webinars, you will start to develop a following, helping grow exposure and thought leadership position. When you pay close attention to what works and what doesn't, your future webinars will continue to improve, drawing more companies and prospects to your company.
Reach
Once a webinar is complete, you are presented with several options for distribution. Most webinar platforms give the option to record the session, giving you the ability to share the webinar recording on other marketing and social channels. Post it to YouTube, share it on Facebook, twitter, and/or LinkedIn. Send it in an email blast. The reach of this content is great. Because it is high value, it presents excellent exposure for your company's future plans.
Webinars are a powerful and repeatable activity that your company should be using for thought leadership, mind share, exposure, and content generation. If used properly, your company will be in a great position to gather many high-quality and trusting leads. With a little planning and promotion, you will be able to boost a phenomenal webinar program that will leave people talking.
If you are thinking about utilizing webinars in this year's marketing plan,
contact Nesbit Marketing: www.nesbitmarketing.com/contact
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