Webinar of Webinars
Posted by Tyler Kirkland, AIF®, PPC®, Director of Business Development and Client Engagement on October 26, 2018
Being an Fi360 Designee comes with its perks! One of which is exclusive access to content created to aid in operational efficiency, further professional development and adding value.
On a recent coaching call, presenter Michael Muirhead, covered how designees can Drive New Business with Webinars. ICYMI, check it out in our designee portal. The image below sums up the reasons webinars are beneficial as a device to increase sales. You see, with a few inputs, you can reap many outcomes with long-lasting impacts.
Tips for Conducting Successful Webinars
Choose topics focused on “Common Challenges” or “Change Events”
You want to present content that is relevant to the needs of your prospects. The goal here is to provide them with the answers they are looking for and in return you gain credibility and become a resource for future needs.
Leverage existing content from key partners (e.g. – DCIOs, Recordkeepers, Attorneys, CPAs, etc.)
There are no new ideas (so they say) so why reinvent the wheel? If you know of strong content from a partner, a simple (permitted) rebrand and prudent siting will go a long way. You still benefit from providing content with the ease of not developing it yourself! #Yes Please
Create compelling marketing copy
"Copy" is anything written by you or your company that is meant to attract customers to your business. According to Wendy Keller, CEO and Founder of Keller Media, Inc., there are three simple principles to writing good copy:
- Always think about the other person when you're writing.
- Burnish, to "burnish" means to rub something to a shine or gloss.
- Never, ever write anything without including a "CTA"(call-to-action), as marketers call it.
See the full article here.
Build your webinar landing page
This is your opportunity to collect what you need for an effective follow-up strategy. Remember you are going to deliver great content to those who need it. In exchange for high-value content, you should receive something. You may not charge a monetary figure in exchange for your webinar but you will receive something (such a contact information). In a way, that is more valuable than money. It is a chance, an opportunity to occupy time. Make sure you collect information necessary to execute an effective follow-up strategy. This is the key to turning a webinar into a profitable investment.
Develop your email promotion and follow-up strategy
Spread the word! You have developed or repurposed content. You have a landing page. Promote!!! Email and social media messages go a long way. The goal here is to expand your reach and invite audiences/niches who could benefit from the content but more importantly your services/solutions. Remember, you are giving content for the opportunity to follow up with them. Be sure your promotion strategy includes the following:
- Initial invites
- Follow-up invites
- Confirmation email following registration with an option to add the event to their calendar
- A 72- hour reminder message
- A “starting now” reminder message sent 15 minutes before your webinar goes live
- A “sorry we missed you” email sent to people who registered but did not attend the live event
- A “thanks for joining us” follow-up for live attendees to re-watch or share with colleagues
Conduct a practice webinar session and test
Practice makes perfect! The last thing you want on webinar day is to have a technology flop or to lose credibility due to lack of preparation. Go to the ball Cinderella, there is nobody stopping you but you! Do a dry run for your nerves and have a trusted friend or colleague give you feedback. You are not alone and a different perspective may help with your delivery. If no change comes out of your practice run, that's ok. At least you got another opportunity to flex those muscles before the live presentation.
Add opportunities for audience interaction
Being talked at and lectured to did not work in college and it doesn’t work outside of the classroom. Nobody wants to watch a dry presentation. Give it some gravy by breaking the fourth wall. The audience will have opinions and questions regarding the content you are presenting. Take polls! Take Questions! Do Surveys! Give Handouts! Make an impact and they will want to see what else you have to offer.
Use team members to help conduct webinar session
If you are a solo shop this is a bit more difficult but a team member can be a friend if a colleague is not available. The goal here is to ensure that all of the nuances of giving a webinar are taken care of such as slide progression, audio levels, polls and Q&A. There is a lot of choppy water during a webinar and a poor presentation can tarnish your attendees’ experience. Remedy it by having someone to help you paddle.
Be sure to record your webinar session
Recycle your content. If it was good once, it will be good again! Also, there will always be people out there who could not attend the live showing (but wish they could). Archive the content and make the presentation available for replay. Make your content work for you! If it is valuable, gate it. Make the interested party provide you with contact information in exchange for access.
What’s Next?
After you delivered your webinar, your follow-up will kick off your Active Sales Process.
Stick to your plan!
The juggling act of growing a book of business and delighting current clients is not easy to navigate. Effective sales, marketing and client service planning, and ruthless, focused execution is the key to a growing, fruitful practice.
Stay tuned for a future post highlighting an effective sales plan!
