When your company launches a new product, often the office is in abuzz with excitement. So as the marketing team, what’s your plan? You’ve deployed all of the traditional marketing methods to get the word out, but something new may just take your marketing endeavors to the next level. Why not host an educational webinar to entice customers?
Maybe you’re intimidated by technology or hosting a webinar sounds like a daunting task. But it’s fairly easy to get started. And don’t worry, you also don’t have to be a huge company to host a webinar. Once you have one under your belt, you’ll find that you can use webinars for a variety of reasons, like showcasing your employees who possess expertise on a subject or even training your employees. So get out there, and start creating with these helpful tips.
What’s Your Story?
First things first, determine the goal of your webinar. In the case of a new product offering, you probably want people to buy it. But you can take several approaches. Maybe you provide education around the pain you’re trying to solve and, at the end, viola, you have the solution. Or maybe you just want to cut to the chase and demo your new offering.
Get the Tools
Now it’s time to find a service to conduct your webinar through. There are a variety of online webinar providers that cater to nearly any budget, including free. You’ll want to select the service that offers the right features for the job. Do you need video capabilities? Do you want your prospects to ask questions? Will you have a proctor? How many do you plan to attend? These are just a few factors in deciding the tool that’s right for you.
Spread the Word
Now that you’ve selected a service, choose a date and do what marketers do best—get the word out. Post the event registration on your company’s website, use your social media channels and send out direct mail to notify the appropriate audiences of the event. If your webinar is educational in nature, you can ask to add your event to websites that promote events in the industries you serve. You can also try a referral offer to get that word of mouth marketing going.
Practice Makes Perfect
You’ve set everything up and promoted it, but now you’re left wondering how on earth to conduct a webinar. You know your goal, so outline your presentation to support it. Select the right presenter to convey excitement for your new product offering. And your PowerPoint slides have to be equally exciting—and more abundant than an in-person presentation. Most webinars have audio and slides only, so keep that in mind as you plan. Then, do a test run with your sales team and employees to ensure you’ve created an engaging webinar. Plus, you’ll be able to work out any potential technical issues before going in front of a live audience of potential customers.
