Hosting virtual events such as teleseminars (essentially a conference call) and webinars (which is basically a PowerPoint presentation delivered via the Internet) are a great way to boost your business. They are both easy and highly effective tools to create more visibility and new profit streams for your business. Using these tools to promote your services and educate your market can be a regular piece of your marketing strategy.
With teleseminars and webinars you can give your audience an opportunity to sample what it’s like to work with you live and see how quickly they can benefit from your expertise. You offer them solutions and prove your value in a an hour or less.
Teleseminars and webinars are really inexpensive to host. If you use the right tools, they can be completely free. You can either generate revenue from the event AND/OR use it as an opportunity to upsell your audience to your other services or products. One other option is to host a free event and charge for the recording, transcript or notes.
Virtual programs like these are great for increasing your reach past your local area. They are easily accessible to people around the world, meaning that your expertise and services get wide exposure. Since you’ll have people opt into your subscriber list to register for the call, you’ll also build database of pre-qualified prospects whom have “raised their hand” to express an interest in your work. This is critically important if you want to sell information products (which we’ll cover in a separate article).
If you’re ready to reap the benefits of hosting teleseminars and webinars, here are some keys to set yourself up for success:
- Choose a specific topic for your presentation: You might have a variety of topics that you can talk about – but keep your event focused on just one topic. You’ll attract more listeners if you have a specific topic and focus on a particular problem and solution
- Make it easy for participants to say YES: Encourage people to sign up by using a low price point. You’ll be able to earn income but also have the opportunity to upsell your audience to a higher priced product or program to generate even more revenue.
- Offer a recording and notes: If you’re offering a free call, this can be a great upsell opportunity. Provide the transcription and recording for sale a few days after the teleseminar or webinar.
- Promote the program to your list, via social media and with referral partners: Pull out all the stops when it comes to promoting your event. Make sure that as many people know about your event as possible so you can get full attendance.
- Use a strong call to action and an irresistible offer to the next step: At the end of your presentation, be sure to make a special offer for a product, program or service that you are offering to your listeners.
In addition to these tips, you’ll also need to set up the technical aspects of your teleseminar or webinar. For a complete list of these tools, read “Absolutely Perfect Teleseminars” which includes a list of what you’ll need for a successful event.
With teleseminars and webinars, you can build a better relationship with your audience and create a new income stream at the same time. Whether you decide to create a free event or charge a small fee for your presentation, this can be a great strategy to build your service business.
Which piece of your expertise can you showcase during a virtual presentation? Leave a comment below and I’ll share feedback to help launch your event!
YOUR ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WEEK
- Select a compelling topic for your webinar or teleseminar. Make sure it’s focused and specific to the needs of your audience.
- Don’t procrastinate or over think it! Pick a date and then start putting the pieces in place.
- Promote the event via social media, to your list and to other offline contacts who are looking for the information you’ll be presenting.
- Use one of the several tools listed on the Smart Simple Marketing Blog to conduct your teleseminar or webinar.
- Create a strong call to action for the end of your presentation to upsell your audience to a related product, program or service.
Enjoyed your post! I used to do webinars all the time at my former “job” but since I started building my own business haven’t had time. Good reminder of how effective this is, so I’ve added to my agenda for the week. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback Marquita! I’m so glad you found the information useful. That’s great that you already have experience hosting webinars! It will be be a cinch for you to add this strategy to your marketing plan. When will you host your first presentation? And on what topic?
Hi Sydni,
I’m working on a book now that’s about time management for solopreneurs / small business, so it makes sense to tie into that for starters. I used to be a District Manage for Avon and managed 4 Islands and 700 Reprs and a pathetically small travel budget which meant minimal “face” time so I had to get creative. I started creating webinars and eCourses as much to build relationships as for training. When I escaped, err I mean left I just blanked all that out – so thanks for the timely reminder!
As far as when, next month for sure – I’m going to work on setting it up this week so I can begin promoting it the week after.
Aloha!
That’s great Marty! You obviously have a lot of valuable information to share and your audience will benefit greatly from the virtual events you host. Please keep me posted on you progress with this!
Hello Syndi
I will be hosting my very first webinar next month (April) and have been looking online for a guide.
Do you have any additional guidelines that you can share ? Thank you
Thanks for the note Gail. What other questions did you have about webinars?