Want to quickly convert your subscribers, followers, and fans into customers?
Who doesn’t, right?
Well, the single most effective way to get your prospects off the fence and making a purchasing decision is through hosting a live webinar (…as you probably guessed from the title of this post).
In fact, there’s no other form of content marketing with a higher ROI.
Blogging, email, social media—these are all foundational to online business.
Yet nothing compares to a webinar when it comes to conversions.
Everyone agrees…
Two corporate education powerhouses, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, teamed up to report that 61% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers rate webinars as the most effective content-marketing tactic.
And since the white collar, B2B marketplace is ultra-competitive, that’s a strong testament to the fact that…
Webinars aren’t going out of fashion anytime soon!
The best part?You don’t even need a list to get started (which we’ll talk about more in a moment).
First it’s important to note that while the allure of making quick sales is strong, many marketers have questions like…
- How do I make sure folks attend?
- Which webinar service should I use?
- What do I say, exactly?
- How do I persuasively present?
- When do I start selling?
And hey—these are all valid concerns!
The last thing you want to do is prepare your webinar…spend a few bucks promoting it…only to show up to an empty webinar room.
Luckily, that’s not going to happen to you.
Not if you follow our process, that is.
Here at Elite Marketing Pro, we’ve hosted HUNDREDS (maybe into the thousands, actually) of webinars over the past decade—which regularly produce over 6-figures of revenue in a single hour—so we know a thing or two about creating webinars that work.
And you’re about to discover the exact, replicable steps you can take to predictably host a profitable webinar on your very first try.
Ready to dive in and get started?
Right-o!
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of running a money-making webinar: step 1 is to…
There are a bunch of options on the market—most with a small monthly fee.
All have their “pluses” and “minuses.”
Luckily all are pretty easy to use.
Here are the Web’s most popular ones that we’ve used here at Elite Marketing Pro…
- GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar is popular for a reason. It works! It’s rock-solid, reliable, and scalable. GoTo includes automated reminder emails and is generally easy to use. Overall it’s our favorite platform for selling (not social) presentations. Pricing starts at $89/month, so it’s not inexpensive, however you can try it free if you’re looking for a top-of-the-line webinar platform. - WebinarJam
WebinarJam is an inexpensive alternative to GoToWebinar, built on the YouTube Live (formerly Google Hangouts On Air) platform. It’s almost on par with GoToWebinar in terms of functionality, and additionally includes some great call to action features, but is weaker in terms of ease of use and reliability (YouTube Live has the occasional show-stopping hiccup, unfortunately). Still, this platform is more affordable at $397/year, making it a great choice if you’re just starting out. - Webinars OnAir
Webinars OnAir, like WebinarJam, is built on top of YouTube Live. It also offers useful call to action functions, and also automatically publishes your webinars to YouTube automatically (again, similar to WebinarJam). It also costs a lot less GoToWebinar, starting at $19.97/month for 25 seats. Overall, it’s an inexpensive place to start and is only hampered by reliability issues, stemming from the occasionally finicky YouTube Live platform. - YouTube Live/Facebook Live/Periscope/etc.
There are a few ways to host a live “webinar” for free, though these applications are more geared towards impromptu “head and shoulders”-style, face-to-camera live streaming. With the exception of YouTube Live, it’s necessary to use 3rd party software to show your screen (and thus slides) and you’re unable to schedule in advance, collect registration information, or any other type of prospect data (like email addresses).
Trying to bootstrap your webinar isn’t recommended.
Much better is to focus on doing things right the first time and making a profit, so that the small investment in technology is a no-brainer!
Once you’ve chosen a platform that suits your needs, it’s time to…
In a webinar, your mission is to give just the right amount of content.
If you give too little, you’ll fail to captivate your audience—and if you give too much, they’ll be overwhelmed.
Either mistake results in less sales.
So to 100% guarantee you don’t over or under-deliver on information, here’s what you do…
Chunk.
That’s a verb.
And it refers to taking content from an information product and breaking it up into bite-sized chunks for your webinar.
That’s a lot to wrap your head around, so here’s an example to show what I mean.
Let’s say you sell a course on blogging (either one you’ve created or one you’re selling as an affiliate).
Chunking would be taking a single module of that course (say, on SEO, for example) and turning that unit of information into its own webinar, repeatedly framing it as part of a bigger, paid course.
Make sense?
Another example would be if I was going to “sell” you on reading this blog post, then maybe I’d post one section (like picking a platform) on Facebook and then say…
“Did you find this valuable? Well, there are six more killer tips to hosting wildly-profitable webinars, which you can find on my blog by clicking here…”
So that’s one way to chunk.
And it’s pretty easy to take a “chunk” of a big course and turn it into a content webinar that’s useful to your audience.
Not only is that valuable, but it also makes the call to action very congruent with the presentation.
The second way to chunk is by taking an even smaller chunk of whatever you’re selling and break it down further with stories, metaphors, case studies, and other supplementary information.
So let’s say you, or someone you know, achieved a quantifiable result with a tip you learned in a course.
You could easily take that case study and turn it into a full-length presentation.
Because let’s face it, one module’s worth of information is a lot to digest in one sitting, so do your prospects a favor and provide lots of clear examples, comparisons, and stories to illustrate what you’re teaching.
And that’s the second way to chunk.
One of the biggest webinar mistakes is trying to cover too much information!
Of course, even if you have the best content, your audience won’t pay attention unless you…
Slides are the most concise way to illustrate what you’re saying.
So it pains me to say most folks get them wrong—even experienced presenters!
To be specific, there are 3 common mistakes that ruin outstanding webinars all the time…
- Mistake #1: not having slides
This is a big mistake because visuals help keep your audience’s attention and also help illustrate your points. Without slides, comprehension goes down and people aren’t as engaged. - Mistake #2: putting your entire script on your slides
Your slide deck is a visual aid, not a word-for-word transcript! Don’t put too much information on a single slide. It’s overwhelming and kills anticipation. - Mistake #3: using videos and animations
Don’t get too fancy! Embedding multimedia and excessive animations is likely to lead to poor results, as webinar latency affects the frame rate of your audience and makes such viewing experiences “choppy” and frustrating. Keep it simple.
As a general rule, keep every slide short, punchy, and easy-to-read—and avoid “sentence-like” text, and especially videos.
And note that when I say videos, I don’t mean showing your desktop or demonstrating via screen sharing your browser, which is fine and even encouraged, especially if you need to “show and tell” how to do something technical, like placing a Facebook ad, for instance.
Conversely, trying to play a video you’ve embedded from YouTube, for instance, isn’t a good idea and should be avoided due to playback concerns.
Once you’ve created your slides, it’s time to…
When should you schedule your webinar?
Weekends and Fridays aren’t ideal—obviously folks go out, spend time with family and otherwise take time off from the Internet.
So when’s best to run your webinar?
Well, in our experience, here are the best days of the week…
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
And the best times of the day…
- Evening (6:00 to 9:00pm Eastern)
- Afternoon (1:00 to 5:00pm Eastern)
The exact time doesn’t make a huge difference, though 9:00pm Eastern is perhaps the most common.
Importantly, if you’re based in the U.S., most of your customers are likely to be based in the U.S. also, which, as you know, has 4 time zones.
Thus, alternate between time zones for best results.
Plus, alternating times gives international folks more flexibility too.
Don’t ignore folks from far-off places!
Add variety into your scheduling to capture a larger share of the market.
Now, what adds or subtracts from your webinar turnout substantially is how you choose to…
Like I said above, you don’t need a list to host your first webinar!
In fact, webinars are a great way to build your list.
I mean, folks sign up for the webinar with their email address, don’t they?
And this is yet another great reason to start hosting webinars—they’re fantastic for generating new subscribers (and quickly engaging them)!
Quick note: in order to get your registrants on your personal list, you’ll need to do something called “co-registration,” which means that the leads are automatically added to your email list from the webinar platform.
This is easily accomplished with a service like Leadpages, OptimizePress, or EMP’s very own Page Creator Pro, which all integrate with the popular email service providers, like AWeber, GetResponse, MailChimp, etc.
Here are a few quick tips for promoting your webinar…
- Email your list
This goes without saying to notify your current subscribers (if applicable), but here’s the best practice for doing so: send 2-3 emails to your entire list in the 2-3 days leading up to the event. Don’t bother mailing weeks in advance. Folks will forget. - Email registrants
Using list segmentation allows you to send additional reminders to your registrantswithout pestering your entire list. Some aggressive marketers will send 90 min, 60 min, 30 min, 15 min, and “starting now!” reminders to all registrants. And you know what? It works. So don’t be shy. - Share socially
Of course, you should notify all friends, followers, and fans about your webinar. Make sure your social posts are value-added and not simply promotional, which will turn people off. Tell a story. Provide insights. Share a snippet of the content. Don’t give away the farm, but make sure that folks know you’ve got the “goods.” - Promote on social networks!
Here’s a biggie if you’re just getting started and you don’t have a list or a huge following yet: run a sponsored post to your registration page. It doesn’t take a massive budget to get enough people registered for your webinar, which ensures you’ll have a great shot at converting enough people to justify the ad spend. For instance: let’s say you spend $50 promoting, get 20 people on your webinar, and you (conservatively) convert 3 of them into customers. Is $50 worth 3 sales? It better be (or you need to find a new offer)!
We recommend using Facebook ads, because they’re super easy to set up and allow you to target folks with sniper-like precision.
Discover six factors to create higher converting campaigns on Facebook right here.
Next it’s time to…
So you’ve prepped, you’ve promoted, you’ve planned—now it’s game time!
And here’s some great news…
Presenting is a lot easier than most people think!
In fact, it’s the easiest part of running a webinar.
Really.
See, your audience doesn’t want you to be perfect; they just want you to share the information you’ve promised.
That’s it.
As long as you’ve prepared (and I know you have) all you have to do is show up and talk!
And to do that effectively and keep folks engaged, just stay “high-energy”—
That’s the only “secret” to being a successful presenter, because as long as you’re excited, your audience will be too.
The best way to stay “amped up” is to stand up and talk (with your hands) a bit louder than you would using your normal “inside voice.”
It might feel a bit awkward at first, but remember…
This is a performance!
Outside of maintaining a high energy level, another key to engaging your audience is…
High-quality audio.
If you don’t have a decent mic and headphone combo, buy or borrow one—you don’t want feedback from speakers interrupting your presentation.
Once you have the equipment, test it.
And test it again.
And, of course, join the webinar room early to make 110% sure everything’s working as it should.
That’s it!
If you planned in advance—and maybe rehearsed a time or two if you’re really nervous—your script will guide you through everything else.
Remember, you don’t have to be on camera if you don’t want, so you could literally write out your script word-for-word, if that makes you more comfortable.
As long as you’re high-energy and sound good, you won’t have any trouble keeping your audience engaged all the way to your call to action.
Once you’ve presented, the only thing you’ve left to do is…
Okay, so once you’ve delivered your presentation, give yourself a pat on the back.
Great job!
Sure, take a moment to celebrate.
But you’re not done quite yet.
Here’s the deal…
Yes, some people will buy immediately, right after the presentation.
Some will need to ask a few questions first, before they purchase.
Others, no matter what you do, just won’t buy during or after your webinar.
Here’s the good news, though…
There’s a strong chance they’ll buy later.
Might be a day later.
Might be a week later.
Sometimes, it could even be a year or more later (this happens more often than you might think.)
See, even if someone loved your webinar…
They may have a valid reason for not buying immediately.
Maybe their bank account is empty.
Maybe they’re still skeptical and not quite ready to start their entrepreneurial journey.
Or maybe they’re just not the kind of person that buys on impulse.
But you know what?
It’s often these folks that turn into lifetime customers once they do purchase.
Provided, of course, you continue to follow-up and make yourself a regular, welcome guest in their inbox!
So follow-up like your business depends on it—because it does!
Wrapping up…
Okay, so those are the 7 steps to profitably hosting your first webinar!
- Select a webinar platform
- Plan out your content
- Create a slide deck
- Schedule it
- Promote it
- Present it
- Follow up like you mean it!
If you follow these steps, you’ll be a webinar pro in no time!
And here’s the truth about hosting your first webinar…
It’s going to mean stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Big time.
But you know what?
The only way to grow is to actually do it.
Which, of course, is how you’re going to get your online payday.
So keep this in mind…
Preparation will ensure your success, over-thinking the process will not.
Slaying the “fear of selling” dragon
Let’s be honest…Selling is the toughest part of running a webinar for most people.
The idea of selling to a roomful of people, live, is intimidating!
But here’s the deal…
It’s only intimidating because you’re running a business and you need to make money…
Which might give you the impression it’s you who wants something from your audience.
This is backwards.
Because, in reality, if your audience sat through your presentation…
They’re the ones who want something from you!
Right?
So help them out—tell them what you’ve got that will solve their problems.
Because that’s what selling is!
And that’s not “slimy,” right?
Okay, let’s talk next steps…
As I’ve already mentioned…
Webinars can quickly and profitably build your list
Look, you already know that regardless of your profession…The ability to give effective presentations is one of the most in-demand skills in any industry, anywhere in the world.
That’s, of course, why it pays so well.
And while “real-life” presenting is a high-stakes, high pressure affair…
Webinars, in contrast, are high-reward and low-risk!
Plus, as you’ve learned, you don’t even need a website, list, or even a product to get started.
Pretty cool, right?
Now, of course…
You simply can’t learn all the ins-and-outs of hosting massively profitable webinars from a single blog post.
It’s a big topic, after all.
In fact, Tim Erway, our CEO and co-founder here at Elite Marketing Pro, invested $10,000 and an entire day of his time to learn the secrets of one of the best webinar presenters in the world, a couple of years ago.
Was it worth the 5-figure price tag?
Well, Tim generated $107,359 in just 90 minutes on his very next webinar (and has done over 6-figures dozens of times on webinars since).
And you know what?
You too can generate generate $1k…$2k…$5k…or even much more in 90 minutes, or less.
So if you’d like to take a page out of Tim’s playbook…
Click here to discover Tim’s exact, fill-in-the-blank “90 minute profit machine” formula.
Just like every other skill under the sun…
If you want to be successful at ANYTHING, all you need to do is find out what other successful people have done…
And copy them!
So if you’re ready to start creating these kinds of FAST cash infusions in your business…
Click here to discover Tim’s exact, fill-in-the-blank “90 minute profit machine” formula.
Until next time,
Bill Fletcher
