Amanda Clark
We’ll let you in on a secret: We’re big believers in the power of a good webinar. We host them fairly often—usually on resume writing topics, but occasionally on content marketing as well—and we find that the bang for buck is incredible. It takes a couple hours to prepare and then an hour or so for the webinar itself, but we almost always get some referrals and new clients out of it. So: Totally worth it.
And it makes sense, right? For as powerful as Facebook and other channels can be, webinars allow you to speak directly to people who have actively sought out your expertise and want to hear your solutions. In a way, it’s content marketing at its finest.
Maybe you’re interested in hosting a webinar on behalf of your own business. We recommend it—but only if you’re going to take the time to really do it right.
How to Nail Your Next Webinar
Some tips for doing just that:
Invest in good equipment. The last thing you want is for your webinar to be derailed by a perceived lack of professionalism on your part. Be prepared by investing in a good microphone and blazing-fast Internet. Also get some good, high-quality webinar software; we really like GoToWebinar.
Deliver great, focused content. The content, of course, is the main point of the webinar. Make sure you hone in on a specific pain point that your attendees may be facing, and provide some robust solutions. Be specific in what you’re saying: Webinar attendees need more than just “visit my website for more.”
Have an outline. Different people have different ways of delivering a presentation, and you should do whatever you feel comfortable with—but what we recommend is an outline. Without any notes at all, you may get lost; with a full script, though, you may sound too forced. An outline lets you stay focused while remaining loose and conversational.
Be human. People want a webinar host who is energetic and engaging, not robotic. One way to humanize yourself is to spend just a minute at the top with an introduction, maybe sharing where you’re from, what kind of experience you have, and so forth. Above all, don’t be afraid to be passionate. Make it clear that you love what you do and are happy to talk about it!
Promote the hell out of it. Facebook, LinkedIn, e-mail… make sure you’re letting people know about the webinar. Promote the specific problem you’ll be tackling, and promise solutions and suggestions. Promote the event with several reminder e-mails for those who sign up for it, including at least one reminder on the day of the event.
End with a sale. There’s nothing wrong with plugging your services at the end of the webinar. Get more juice out of your sell by offering a time-sensitive discount—say, 10 percent off for any webinar attendee who places an order within the week.
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