Many new entrepreneurs ask me, “Do I need to do webinars to attract my target client?” That leads to a discussion to determine if a webinar would be the right tactic for them and their audience.
Webinars are one of the best online communication platforms invented. They convey a sense of immediacy and involvement, allow people to see and hear you as if you were in the same room as them, and they also create a high degree of emotionally and intellectually focused engagement. However, before you jump on the webinar bandwagon, you need to do your research.
Find Out What Your Target Audience Wants – and How They Want It
Stop and consider whether or not a webinar is the best way to present the information you want to present. Some questions you need to ask are:
What is your target market’s learning style?
If you don’t know this go back and look at your target client persona. Did you get as detailed as learning style when you created it? If not, do some research and determine how your audience likes to absorb what you are offering.
Do they all share the same learning style? And is it the same as your presentation style?
This can be an issue if the two don’t match. For example, virtual entrepreneur Milton learned that the learning style of his target market was primarily visual and audio. Perfect for webinars! However, Milton was not comfortable on video and didn’t possess sharp speaking skills. So, he was in a quandary. The solution I suggested was animated video, such as whiteboards, and either enlist a professional voice over or record the audio in short sessions that felt more comfortable. This worked very well for Milton.
Do you need to make a personality-based connection, to help them to get to “know” you?
This is common in professions such as coaching, consulting or teaching. You’ve probably heard the often quoted saying, ‘People buy from people they like’. With the popularity of social media, you could argue that this is more important than ever before. There are sales experts who disagree with the concept. Notably, though, they don’t trash the whole idea they just further the explanation. I don’t want to get into the debate, so here are the variations and links to read more.
Value trumps likability EVERY time — be valuable, not liked. ~Keenan, The Sales Guy
Customers Don’t Buy From People They Like, They Buy From Those They Trust ~ c.j. Ng
Is something best demonstrated hands-on?
This will dictate what type of webinar is best. Here’s where people new to webinars typically get stuck: Deciding on what type of webinar to offer. Usually, this is because they are not fully aware of how webinars work – and this goes for two dual areas: The technology and the sales psychology. So we’re going to stop right here for a mini crash course in both.
First, determine if you should charge for your webinar or offer it free:
- Use your free webinar as a complete sample of your services (e.g. a coaching seminar). Finish with an offer for a coaching package or high-end eBook
- Use your free webinar to present Part One of a six-part, high-end course. (Make sure there is enough meat and completeness in your Part One sample for participants to take away something valuable and complete that they can immediately implement) Then offer your paid course
- Use your free webinar to educate your target market about something they don’t know they need yet – but will be thrilled to discover
If you determine a paid webinar is best for you, know how much to charge. This depends on your webinar’s perceived value to the average target customer, as well as what type of webinar you are presenting and what is included. Study your competitors to get an idea of the general ballpark.
There are a number of ways to run your webinar.
Choose the version that feels most comfortable to you.
- Single Presenter – non-interactive webinar
- Single Presenter – interactive webinar
- Interviews – Presenter and expert guest
- Summit – Presenter and multiple guest round table; presenter and individual expert guest webinars
Knowing not only that you have multiple options, but also gaining a good idea of what these options are can help you decide how best to fit webinars into your business – and how best to monetize them in a way that will have your target clients or customers eager to pay.
Are you showcasing your business skills?
This is often the case with professional coaches and consultants. A webinar may not be the best tactic. Setting up private ‘discovery sessions’ will give your target audience a more accurate idea of what it is like working with you. However, if you want to save time and present to multiple prospects, you can conduct a hot-seat webinar.
For example, a hot-seat presentation if you’re a coach would be doing a live session with a client during the webinar. Of course, the person in the hot-seat should agree to their session while others are listening. Make sure you have addressed all privacy issues before the session.
It’s important to ask yourself questions like these before settling on a webinar as your best medium for communication.
Once you’ve determined that it is indeed your best option, don’t just rush into creating it.
Find out if your idea is viable – or if there’s a better webinar topic your target market is longing to learn more about.
There are many ways to test the waters, in addition to seeing what’s trending on markets like Amazon, sites like What’s Trending or social media:
- See what social media posts get the most comments and interaction
- See what Facebook or LinkedIn groups are current and active
- See which blog, forum and membership site posts get the most comments
- Run surveys, as well as Facebook and Smartphone polls
Take special notice of complaints – these often provide spot-on clues for product or webinar topics. Complaints point to a gaping hole or need in any market.
Planning a webinar? HIT Virtual can help. Take a look at our Webinar Management Services.
OR
Download our ebook, Your Guide to as Successful Webinar.
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