You Could Really Use a Good Webinar Right Now
Your goal is to convert as many of those tradeshow leads into sales as quickly as possible, at the lowest possible cost. So while you’d meet with each lead if you could, the time and cost to do so is out of the question.
Webinars are a great way to spend quality time with your leads at a relatively low cost. They provide the interaction of a face-to-face meeting at a fraction of the cost, and can be easily targeted toward different groups of leads in different stages of the sales cycle. For example, you can have an in-depth product demo for technical evaluators or
a case study analysis for buyers.
When you invite your leads to attend a webinar, you are establishing a communications channel that does two things. First, it helps qualify the leads: if they register for your webinar, they are interested. Leads who don’t register may also be interested, but require a different follow-up approach. Second, the act of registering creates multiple, meaningful contact opportunities with prospects before and after the webinar, such as confirmation and reminder e-mails, and registration and post-seminar surveys. These communications allow you to progressively profile your leads, and collect qualifying information before and after the webinar. Last, but not least, your recorded webinars become valuable collateral that you can reuse in other marketing contexts at no additional cost. It’s always nice to get something for free.
First Things First
A webinarr follow-up to your tradeshow is a good idea, but not if you don’t think of it until after the show. You wouldn’t wait until after the show to put together a direct mail piece to use in your follow-up campaign. So don’t wait until after the show to create your webinar.
Not only does it take time to line up your presenter and create the content, your webinar will be most effective if it reflects your show’s objectives. Are you introducing new technology or products? Are you trying to gain or consolidate marketshare? Are you going after your key competitors? Your web seminar plan should be a part of your show plan, not an afterthought.
Create your webinar before the show, but allow yourself some flexibility to make changes to it based on input that may come out of the show itself. For instance, you may find out that the big new wonderful software release that’s the centerpiece of your show raises serious concerns about transition issues among the attendees. You’ll probably want to address those concerns in your follow-up webinar.
One webinar might not be enough. Depending on the focus of the show, the projected attendance, and the possible mix of attendees, you may need different webinars targeted toward individual audiences. You might need a detailed demo for users and technical buyers, for example, and an ROI analysis for economic buyers. More people are likely to sign up for the webinar if they think you created it specifically for them. Even those looky-loos who just stopped by to trade their business card for a bottle opener might be interested in a short product overview webinar.
Consider teaming up with a technology partner or a key customer for the webinar. Nothing builds credibility like the tributes of others. Case studies are a natural for this. For example, having a customer explain how they used your product to solve a difficult technical problem or reduce development costs can make a very powerful statement. Maybe they’ll even participate with you in the show. In any case, you’ll need time to work with these partners.
And finally, think about how you’ll promote your webinar. You may want to include it with your tradeshow advertising in pre-show publications, emails, and websites. Planning your webinar far enough in advance lets you take advantage of advertising opportunities that extend your reach beyond the boundaries of your booth at the show.