Webinars are the most direct form of interaction between you and your leads and customers, because you meet them face to face, albeit in a cyber world. You speak directly to them, and they can ask questions which you can give them the answers to on the spot.
For this and many other reasons, webinars have become a staple in successful digital marketing strategies. There are many opportunities and reasons for hosting a webinar, but today we will speak about the one you care about the most: to drive more sales.
That’s right, you can use webinars as a sales tool–and you can precisely measure the results of your efforts. By offering attendants a specific link to click on and make the purchase, for instance, you can add up the numbers and determine how much money you made from each webinar you hosted.
But let’s not move too fast. Instead, let us go through a step-by-step process which starts with the idea of hosting a webinar and ends with sales.
First things first…
- Do Not Apologise for Selling
This is the cause of losing so many potential sales in a webinar. You’ve got your audience curious, explained away their objections, and they are literally lusting for the chance to try your product or service. And you start apologising. What the audience perceives is that you do not believe your product to be WORTHY of their money. And this kills the sale.
So the first thing to do is to get in a sales mindset before you even start the webinar. You must exude confidence and enthusiasm. Remember, your voice and your mimic must match your words. You are no longer in anonymity, behind a URL or a social media ad. Your prospects look at you and can perceive your true emotions and state of mind.
- Use the Word Free in Your Registration Form
Some businesses make money from webinars in the most direct manner, by charging for attendance. This is why many people are wary when they are invited to attend a webinar. At the initial phase, they do not know whether they will have to pay for attendance or not.
Do not keep them wondering, because you will lose many potential participants and sales. Let them know prominently, in all caps if you prefer, that the webinar is free to join.
- Don’t Bore Your Audience with Long Introductions
Here you are! Your webinar has started and you have an adequate audience. However, the next few minutes are critical–if you start a long introduction, beating around the bush, as it is, they will leave. Their time is precious, their attention span is limited. If you don’t deliver the goods from the very start, you’ll find yourself talking to an empty virtual room.
Instead, go briefly over your expertise and qualifications (the audience needs to know why they should listen to you) and move on to what really matters: what the audience will gain by staying with you until the end of the webinar. Focus on the unique selling proposition and the benefits of the information they are about to receive, make them curious…in short, keep them engaged.
- Offer a Freebie
Before you ask for something, you’ve got to give something. And what better opportunity to win the audience’s goodwill than by promising them that they will receive a full transcript of the webinar by email for free, or another valuable freebie (an ebook, a cheat sheet, etc.).
What makes the freebie more valuable is its exclusive nature: only those who registered for the webinar will receive it. Extra tip: also send the freebie to people who registered, but did not attend the webinar; it’s a great opportunity to still make a sale.
- Leave the Sale Offer Until After the Q&A Session
Every webinar should have a Q&A session at the end, allowing the participants the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings. For you, it is a supplementary chance to get over objections concerning your product or service, and reinforce the participant’s desire to try it.
Placing the sales pitch at the very end has another obvious reason: those participants who are still with you are qualified leads. They waited through the presentation of the product and its benefits. They wanted further explanations and got them. Now they’re primed for the offer to buy your product.
Last, but not least, do not forget to thank everyone for attending your webinar in a personalised message–even those who did not make a purchase. The next webinar may be your golden opportunity, but only if you are courteous to them will you keep them interested in joining it.