Tele-seminars and now Webinars have been a great tool for business people. In fact now the devices are getting smaller and the unconnected are getting connected and that Great Digital Divide is being conquered. Communication is one of the most important things to the productivity of a nation. Indeed, communication increases value and spurs on faster transactions, collaboration and helps bring concepts to market much faster. Communicating in visual images and voice, along with the written word, we use the best of all our communication skills to send the right message and educate, inform and instruct.

What is an Online Seminar (Webinar)?

An Online Seminar (Webinar) is a marketing and sales venue that allows you to log into the Internet and via technology view either a PowerPoint presentation or an actual demo of a product while listening to the presenter via a conference call-in number. The cost of this is only the local cost of the telephone call, except if it is a tool free line.

Great webinars generate qualified sales leads. They take planning, practice and consistent follow through. Here are few tips that are sure to work for you.

• Planning a Webinar – Every presentation requires a basic plan. Create a webinar plan that includes agendas, potential speakers, a registration process, budget, promotion, and success metrics and follow through.

• Schedule at Right Time – Schedule your webinar when the utmost number of people can come.
  o If your audience is national, run the webinar in the mid-afternoon. That way, people from all times zones can attend.
  o Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally best. People are not just starting or ending their week.

• Endorse it – If you build it, will they come? It depends. Do they know about it? Do they care?
  o Study your key audience and develop a targeted marketing strategy.
  o Test different messages and ad sources. Be creative. See what works.
  o Activate networks. Word-of-mouth is key, so include an “invite-a-colleague” link in all exchanges with potential attendees.
  

• Webinars don’t happen in a vacuum. Make sure your webinars are incorporated into your overall marketing strategy.

• Employ your audience – E-mail, the web, to do lists and the phone are just some of the many distractions competing your speakers have to content with
  o Make sure content is informative and your speakers are interesting.
  o Get input from your sales team.
  o Involve all of your marketing staff.
  

• Conduct polls – Don’t miss out on a chance to ask your audience their opinions. Use your webinar to learn more about your audience and what they care about.

• Practice for best and plan for the worst – Teach your speakers. Presenting at a webinar is very different from presenting in person.
  o All speakers need to use land lines with headsets and have a hard copy of their presentation in front of them.
  o Technology isn’t foolproof. Prepare for all calamities. Schedule at least one run through that covers:
  o Web conferencing technology
  o Webinar presentation and timing
  o Q&A
  o How to handle a loss of audio or web access
  

• Pick a good conferencing vendor – There are many web conferencing vendors out there. Can yours handle your volume and support you when there’s a problem?

• Make the most of registration – Every time someone registers for your event, you have a chance to learn more about their interests and needs. Include different touch points like demos and white paper downloads in all registration emails. Don’t Forget - Automate the registration process as much as possible and make sure your metrics capture what happens.

• Respect Your Audience – People take time out of their day because they are interested in solving a problem. Hard sell doesn’t work. Soft sell does.