Category Archives: Webinar

You need a lot of people to tell you no so you find those few that say yes – and mean it.

Quality vs. quantity. Which do you want?

Every marketer has a dilemma. Do they want a lot of leads or a few good ones? Do you want a lot of website traffic or would you rather have only a few, but very qualified leads visit your site?

Basically it is a numbers game.

You need a lot of people to tell you “no” so you find those few that say “yes” – and mean it.

Success in direct marketing involves having a program in place where you reach a large number of people, but can prosper if only a small percentage actually respond. Direct mail pieces that you receive every day in your mail box cost a lot of money to create, print, and mail. Yet if only 2% of those names on your list respond you are probably going to make money. So this means that 98% of the letters were sent out needlessly?

As marketing has moved online, the cost of reaching out has decreased dramatically. Instead of putting together a $1 letter or a $3 catalog, everything can be done on the internet for a fraction of the cost. Email is almost free to distribute and a good looking HTML email can be created for a few hundred dollars. The web site landing page is going to take some time, effort, and expense, but everyday we all see many websites that look like they were done inexpensively. The marginal cost of contacting one more person is very low. So low in fact that these days we have spam filters that catch most of the email delivered to us and we don’t even take the time to look at it.

Social media is growing as a marketing tool. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and too many others to name have joined email as powerful email marketing tools. It may take time to build a large list of Twitter followers, Facebook friends, or YouTube subscribers. Yet we can be certain that they work or we wouldn’t be inundated with these messages daily.

So back to the question: do you want quantity or quality when you are marketing online?

Actually you want both.

You need to reach the largest audience possible because, like any good direct marketer, the number of people that will ignore you is huge. That is quantity. Check out some of the marketers on Twitter with 25,000 followers. Do you think they really can read all of those messages?

But from this almost universally unresponsive crowd a few people are going to respond. They actually click on your Tweet link. They “like” your Facebook page. They watch your entire YouTube video. They comment on your web site blog post.

The key to success is what you do next.

These individuals have made the first move. It is your turn to present your message to these interested people. And then to start a dialog with them about yourself, your products, your services. And most importantly what you can do for them.

This is quality.

And where it gets to be fun and interesting. No successful salesperson can turn down the opportunity to present their message in hopes of making the sale, of completing the transaction. While all of the social media and other online tools can be effective in reaching out to an audience, they can be just as powerful in creating a type of relationship with an interested individual. Personalization, message, timing, and the offer all make or break the sale. And programs such as webinars can bring people together almost as if they are in the same room.

So our experience is that you want both quantity and quality. Concentrating on one alone will make it very difficult to become successful. In our business it is the personal touch that makes people keep coming back. And we want to use online tools to make that happen.

Good luck with your program!

10 Steps to a Successful Webinar

Webinars can be a powerful online tool for building an online business. But to be successful they also require planning, practice, and a certain level of expertise.

10 Steps to a Successful Webinar

1. Outline your goals for the webinar

What do you want to accomplish? You can:
a. Sell products or services
b. Recruit others for your business
c. Provide training and other information

Decide on your objectives and keep it simple. Don’t try to do too much or you will lose your audience.

2. Select your webinar platform

There are many webinar programs out there. Some are complex and expensive. Others are free – usually for a small audience. We have used DimDim and have found it to be a very good program.

3. Learn how it works

Take time to check out all of the features. You will want to look like the professional you are when your audience shows up. At first it may appear to be complicated, but remember it is just like making a presentation in person only using the latest technology to reach a broad audience.

4. Make it simple for your audience

Many people who would be interested in hearing what you have to present are not going to be technical wizards. So make it simple by using a simple link that anyone can use. Most programs don’t require participants to download software onto their computer. All they need is an internet connection and a phone line for hearing you.

5. Prepare your presentation materials

In most cases you already have your presentation materials on hand. They can be in PowerPoint or even PDF files. You can also use videos and even show the audience your web site as part of the webinar. You just need to be prepared in advance.

6. Practice first without an audience then with a select audience

If you think of the webinar as just like talking to a small group in your office, then you know that you need to practice what you are going to say first. By using the program you will quickly learn how to make the best impression. Then when you have it down, invite a select audience you know to view your presentation so you become more comfortable with the format.

7. Use all of the tools available

A webinar can be a multi-media event. There are many tools such as using PowerPoint so everyone is following along at your pace. But you can show videos, web sites, and even use the screen to type information that is important for everyone to see. You can use a web cam during the presentation so all of the participants can see you. There will be a chat feature where you and your staff can interact with participants; answering any questions that come up.

8. Promote your webinar

You will want to set a schedule for most of your webinars. You can then invite anyone to view them. By using a link to your webinar site you will be able to invite people to come see what you have to say.

9. Record your best webinars for others

Most webinar programs allow you to record the presentation. You can then post that recording on your web site for others to view at any time in the future. This is a great feature to make sure that others can see your information even if they weren’t able to make it to the webinar.

10. Ask for and learn from feedback

At the end of the webinar always ask for feedback. You want to hear what the participants have to say. Learn from their input to make future webinars even more productive.

We know from experience how important it is to reach a large audience – anywhere in the country or even around the globe using this latest technology.

Have fun!

PS: If you are looking for ways to build your online business – including how to have insane results from your webinars, click here to check out the program that we have been using.  It works for us and can work for you too.