Hosting a live event, such as a webinar, is another way to generate leads for your online business. Interested attendees will register to attend and in return their email is added to a new prospect list.
Webinars are online presentations made to a virtual audience where interaction is encouraged. They often run about 60 minutes and they provide a very easy way to teach or demonstrate something while the audience sits comfortably in their own homes.
Webinar Planning 101
Always plan your webinar topics with your audience in mind. What do they need? Do you have a product that can help them with a particular problem? What do you have to offer that will make their lives easier?
The more targeted your webinar topic, the more qualified leads you’ll have in attendance. For instance, a mortgage broker could hold a webinar about Home Buying 101 and would likely attract first time homebuyers to the event. Every potential home buyer would be a potential lead because why else would anyone attend a seminar about buying a house unless they were in the market to buy?
Likewise, a graphic designer might host a webinar about Photoshop Tips & Tricks but might attract a lot of do-it-yourself type people or other graphic designers or virtual assistants who use Photoshop in their business. These may not be the most targeted leads because this group may not have the money to hire a graphic designer, hence the reason they want to learn the tips and tricks.
Instead, this graphic designer could host a webinar about Why Your Marketing Images Aren’t Working and attract more business owners who want to re-brand their businesses or give their marketing materials a facelift. If the designer is looking for new clients, this group is the better target.
Follow Up With Your Attendees
Whenever you add an email to your list, treat it like gold. The potential is huge to turn each of these emails into paying customers but don’t just swoop in for the sale.
Thank each subscriber for attending your webinar. Simple etiquette goes a long way these days! Consider giving your attendees an extra bonus as a thank you gift. It can be a special report, mp3 recording of the webinar, limited access to the video replay or even a coupon for a discount on your product or service.
But don’t let the thank you letter be the last time your subscribers hear from you. Even if they’re not ready to purchase immediately after the webinar, you never know when they’ll need you in the future. Keep emailing on a regular basis and occasionally ask what you can do for them.
