Wayne Turmel, author of 6 Weeks to a Great Webinar, led a great discussion on when and how to use webinars throughout the buyer’s journey to accelerate buyers up the lead ladder on a recent Adobe Connect webinar. Here are a few key takeaways:
Webinars for every stage:
Lower rung webinars
Traditionally we think about webinars being used for cold or lukewarm prospects who don’t know our product or service. These get-to-know-us webinars are usually promoted to a very wide net of prospects and have a high no-show rate. A better approach for these get-to-know-us webinars would be placing them at the top of the lead ladder for a more targeted approach to a smaller set of known, warm prospects. Thought leadership webinars, on the other hand, are more effective at the bottom of your lead ladder to attract cold, new prospects into your wider net.
Middle rung webinars
Wayne explains that these webinars are typically smaller, very interactive and specific. Attendees are less likely to view a recording to consume this content. They usually have very specific questions because they are closer to a buying decision. By now these prospects know you and have done quite a bit of research on your solution and other similar options so they are ready for some interaction.
After the ladder
Webinars are also very useful for existing customers because it gives marketers a valid reason to maintain contact by providing best practices, industry trends, training, etc. This is a great example of how marketers are being tasked more and more with post-purchase nurturing of customers. Webinars very effectively support this effort to build relationships using the more interactive and personalized approach this medium offers.
Where to start:
Leverage existing content and marketing efforts to kick off your webinar program. There is no need to start from scratch. Do you have content that can be turned into a presentation? Can some of your live events be delivered virtually to reach a larger audience? Do you have whitepapers, market research or subject matter experts (SMEs) that can be used to generate webinar content? If you are just starting your foray into the world of webinars, it can be overwhelming – so find ways to maximize existing content and experts so you can concentrate on production and promotion.
Consider seeking out SMEs or thought leaders to speak on your webinar instead of creating presentations from scratch. Many thought leaders already have presentations ready to go and are happy to share their expertise to gain exposure to a new audience.
Combine webinars with other campaigns:
Can you combine a webinar with other campaigns? For instance, if you have a whitepaper created can you create a webinar presentation on that topic and provide the paper as a premium to the webinar attendees? Or perhaps the whitepaper is a good follow-up touch point with webinar registrants.
What about including a webinar in the midst of a product launch to show off the new product or new product features? Post-launch you might also conduct some training webinars to provide a personal and interactive touch.
Watch the full recording for more tips and details: ‘Webinar: More than just lead generation’.
(Slides and other resources available for download at the end of the recording)