Companies already know that Webinars are a great way to share what they have to say with the world. With a webinar the audience doesn’t have to travel in order to participate, can participate when they have the time, and participants are able to explore issues and share knowledge. For all of these reasons, and more, companies are quickly jumping onto the webinar train and producing informational webinars to share with their customers. This can be great for both the company and the customers alike. However, the differences between informational and infomercial is something that these companies must keep in mind.
Informational webinars have three things in common: a focus on customer’s needs, valuable content, and expert speakers.
What the Customer Wants and Needs
Do your research and find out who your customers are and what it is they want to know about.
Find out what makes these people tick. Why? Because, to get people interested in what you have to say, you must talk about what is important to them. By doing research you will be addressing your target market’s concerns and then helping the customers solve a problem or issue. Start by looking for blogs on subject related to your products/services, contacting industry thought leaders, or even starting the conversation with your current customers.
Relevance is key in encouraging a potential customer to take the time to watch your webinar. When keeping the topic of your webinar based on relevant customer concerns you will get a quality volume of people who will be interested in your message and, in effect, your products. Take the information you have gathered from your sources and define your topic based on the subject that is either most often discussed, debated, or questioned.
Valuable Content
As marketing expert Todd Davidson wrote in his article How to Host a Successful Webinar, “Content is king.” I completely agree, without valuable content your message is worthless. You must provide useful information that helps the customer learn something. The content is what engages the viewer; it is what raises awareness and incites change.
You have the option of either creating or sharing content with the customer. Creating content does guarantee a level of distinctness; it is something your competition doesn’t have. Sharing content allows you to pick the best content from around the web and it is an easy, reliable way to provide fresh content. With either option you will be providing customers with a destination for the most valuable content on your topic. By using this valuable content you are helping the customer answer a question, participate in the discussion, and possible do something they couldn’t do before they viewed the webinar. It is also important to note that in today’s active social media world creating and sharing helpful content is contagious; if you produce something profound the participant can and will share it.
The Expert Speaker
An expert is that influential person, author or problem solver who is a recognized leader in the industry. This person(s), and their influence, will be able to spark customer activity and response. They also help initiate conversations, extend the webinar’s lifespan, and increase audience numbers.
As new media marketing expert Brian Solis wrote in his article Redefining Viral Marketing, “By aligning with those individuals who are recognized as leaders, trendsetters and authorities, an ambiance is established that carries with it the lure for affinity, belonging, and association, inviting individuals to “join the club” simply by viewing and sharing.” In other words, participants will more comfortable buying from your company because the expert that they related with is connected to you.
In conclusion, an informational webinar provides useful information that helps the customers learn, engage, and ultimately decide if buying your product is a good idea. By positioning your company as a thought leader, innovator, and problem solver you are creating a trail of breadcrumbs that leads them back to your products and/or services.