Webinar marketing has come to be a favorite tool for marketing departments in all types of companies across all segments. The webinar has the perception of exclusivity and value, giving prospective clients an “inside look” that will give them the information they need to make their buying decisions. To use the webinar format to maximize sales, a few best practices should be observed.
1. Keep the webinar exclusive.
It would certainly be possible to simply record a presentation and deliver it on-demand over the Internet, but that defeats the purpose of perceived exclusivity. When advertising the webinar, use it as a tool to capture contact information by requiring the participant to register. This serves two purposes. First, it gives you a database of interested prospects, and second, the simple act of registration enhances the sense that the participant is getting something of value (at no cost to them).
2. Make sure your attendees don’t forget.
The prospect may be initially excited on the subject matter, but may forget between sign-up and the day of the event. Send email reminders periodically, including once on the day before, and once on the morning of the event, to keep it fresh in their minds.
3. Follow up with summaries and more information.
After the webinar has concluded, send each participant a brief email thanking them for their participation. Include a summary of the main points covered during the event, a value-add in the form of a short e-book or conventional white paper, and a “call to action” to invite them to schedule a meeting with a sales representative.
4. Be prepared.
As would be the case in any presentation, live or otherwise, show up prepared. You may rely on anything from a series of note cards to a full, professionally-written script, depending on the nature of the content and your skills as a speaker. Do a run-through ahead of time. Besides practicing the speaking part, also take time to run through any slide shows, presentations, or demonstrations you plan to incorporate, to make sure everything is working as it should.
5. Use appropriate technology.
Before purchasing your webinar software or hosted service, analyze what you expect to accomplish in the webinar and how you expect to do so. A full-featured webinar may incorporate a video feed, a two-way audio solution (through a phone bridge or VoIP connection), and interactive utilities such as IM or a whiteboard. In addition, make sure the back-end controls are easy to understand and use, so that you can focus your energy on the delivery, and not the technology.
6. Know your objective.
Of course, you are using it as a sales tool, but your objective may vary. You may host webinars targeted at existing customers, with the goal of reinforcing customer loyalty; or you may host webinars targeted at prospective customers, for generating new leads. If targeting existing customers, incorporate value-added information that may educate your audience about little-known features; or information about complementary products that may lead to a cross-sell opportunity.
Read More: http://webconferencing.org/articles/best-practices-for-webinar-marketing/