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If your
first question is "What is a webinar"? It's OK, you're in good
hands. I'll explain.
According
to experts, it is a seminar offered by a company via the web
that is interactive and typically contains audio and video. It
also typically has a moderator helping the presenter by
organizing questions from the audience. One can present
PowerPoint slides, webcams, and software demonstrations.
The next
question is: Is it right for your business? If you answer "yes"
to the following question, keep reading along:
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Do you
have a small business that wants to branch out beyond your
city?
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Do you
have a very small budget?
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Do you
sell a product or service that is best marketed visually?
Not all
webinars are created equal. But with a little preparation and
planning ahead of time, your webinars will be a tremendous
success.
1.
First and foremost, find a webinar provider that's right for
your company's needs. A couple of very reputable companies are
WebEx (now owned by Cisco Systems) and GoToMeeting.com.
There are others and they have a variety of services including a
variety of features, competitive pricing, and lots of extras.
You should plan on at least eight weeks to choose and take a
free trial of a potential provider. This will give you plenty of
lead time.
A good
webinar system should:
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Be
easy to use
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Have
the features you require and the ability to share
presentations and documents
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Charge a flat monthly rate (so you won't get dinged
for running a trial test before your actual webinar or
follow-up webinars)
2.
PLEASE be sure you have really interesting, engaging content so
you don't put your viewers to sleep. This is probably the most
important element to your webinar success. If your material is
boring, you'll lose your guests - and their potential sales.
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Consider inviting an industry expert, marquis customer or
big name partner. This will stimulate more interest, drive
participation and create synergy. A well-known expert or
guru can double or even triple your attendance.
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Use
pictures, diagrams, and live demonstrations from pre-loaded
websites to keep the material fresh and entertaining.
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Ask
potential questions to encourage participation from your
guests.
3. Be
thoughtful when choosing a date and time.
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Plan
on hosting your webinar at least twice to accommodate
multiple time zones.
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Avoid
Mondays or Fridays as these are peak conferencing days and
attendance is also often lower.
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Start
at 15 minutes past the hour. Most meetings end on the hour
and this gives your participants time to decompress before
joining your meeting.
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The
best times are 10 am and 2 pm to make sure your guests are
their desks and available before or after lunch.
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Send a
reminder of the contents and time of the webinar one week
ahead of time. Send a "see you there" reminder the day
before.
4.
Cap Your Participants at about 25 so it's easier
to take question and will keep the seminar quite interactive.
5.
Have an Agenda & Stick to It. If you are the
moderator, be ready to start your webinar 15 minutes ahead of
time.
Start
on time, and respect your participant's schedules by ending on
time as well. It's also a good idea to give more than one
person a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, including a hard
copy, in case of technical difficulties.
6. Run
a Practice Webinar before the actual presentation. Practice
makes perfect. Webinars aren't difficult, but they are different
from running a meeting or a conference call. EVERYONE should
take a test run of a webinar, especially if you've never run one
before.
This
gives you the opportunity to fine tune your material and catch
any potential problems with the system.
Don't
forget to ask two people from sites that will be participating
to help you by signing on and asking questions.
7.
Have the webinar archived so that those who missed it can log in
and watch it later.
8. Be
sure to have any accompanying documents ready for download on
the webinar home page.
If you
incorporate all of these traits, your webinars will be a huge
success. And your business will reap the rewards. We live in a
time where you can buy webinar technology "in a box"; market
your goods or services and be successful. This is a chance to
compete with the big dogs -- and WIN!
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