Webinars That Drive Results
A Guide for Equipment and Technology Sellers
Webinars can be valuable selling tools. The past couple of years have shown us that. But are they still as valuable now that many of your customers are back in the office at least some of the time?
Back when companies first started working from home, webinars were still new to many people. Sure, they existed before the pandemic, but it took a mass migration from the office to the home to make them commonplace.
Since 2019:
Attendance volume has risen by 400%
Webinar offerings among equipment and technology sales teams have increased by over 150%
Like we said, commonplace. And that’s the problem – the novelty has worn off. Zoom fatigue is real. Things have gone from “Wow, it’s so great we can meet online!” to “Is there any way I can get out of this meeting?”
Back to the question: Are webinars still as valuable as they were? We think they can be if you go beyond giving customers just a glorified PowerPoint presentation and use a fresh approach. One that is thoughtfully planned and developed to speak to your audience, hold attention, and drive action with the help of the unique advantages of the webinar format.
So let’s get started. Here’s a quick guide to producing high-quality webinars that work.
First, Set Goals
A common error made with webinars is that there are no measurable goals established for the event. What kind of return do you want for your investment in your webinar? Depending on your goals, here are some of the types of questions to start asking:
What level of sales activity within what timeframe justifies a solid ROI for the event?
Choose the Right Topic
The foundational element of success for any webinar is topic selection. The five key aspects of topic selection are:
Freshness
Can you bring a new angle to your topic? While it can be challenging to find a topic that’s truly new, it’s always possible to give audiences a fresh take that supports your brand and what your company does best.
Solutions
Where do your solutions and expertise intersect with customer concerns and needs? Select a topic that aligns with your
offerings and unique value proposition.
What is your team most knowledgeable about? Pick topics that elevate your expertise and highlight your intellectual capital. Help your customers and prospects genuinely learn something you’re in an ideal position to teach.
Expertise
Practicality
Is your topic and the necessary presentation well suited to the webinar format? For the greatest impact, webinars need to be focused, visual, and informative.
Relevancy
What’s top of mind with your audience? Ensure your topic is a priority for your customers and the problem they are trying to solve or the future they are trying to plan for.
Promote, Promote, Promote
Once you have an exciting topic in place that uniquely positions your company in the minds of your customers and prospects, it’s time to promote your event. There’s a lot competing for your audience’s attention, so it’s going to take some convincing to get people to attend.
Start inviting people at least 45 days in advance. While most signups happen during the week of the event, research shows people are most likely to sign up when they’ve received communications well before the event.
Invite Early
Pro Tip
Ensuring invitees get an invitation at least twice per week is essential. People who receive email and phone invitations are eight times more likely to attend. Adding social media invitations to email and phone contacts makes people 21 times more likely to attend.
Invite Often
Pro Tip
Using LinkedIn Sponsored Posts, personal outreach from reps to target accounts, and any other means, build a multi-channel strategy to maximize qualified participants.
Invite Everywhere
You’ve chosen a great topic and built an impressive attendee list. How do you deliver the presentation in a way that will keep the audience engaged from start to finish? Here are a few best practices:
Nail the Delivery
Don’t get so enamored with your presentation skills and content that you leave three minutes in the end for questions. Use the 45/15 rule: 45 minutes for presentation and 15 for Q&A.
Leave Time for Questions
Most webinar presentation decks are completed less than 48 hours before the event. But if you finish your content early, you can promote and tease elements of your presentation. That has two primary benefits: more attendance and an audience that comes prepared with more questions ready to ask.
Get Your Deck Finished Early
Stats, facts, videos, and even outside presenters from third-party companies like your customer finance provider can add credibility, increase engagement, and elevate the entertainment factor. It also reduces the pressure on building the entire presentation yourself from scratch.
Use External Content and Presenters
There is no recovery from a boring presenter who simply reads the words on a PowerPoint deck. Attendees respect informative webinars, but they buy from entertaining ones.
Select Dynamic Presenters
Take polls, frequently encourage electronic questions, and ask participants to log their opinions on issues. Frequently tease upcoming messaging points and give them something to look forward to. Webinars can be easy to multitask through and passively engage in. Your active drive for engagement can be the difference between a webinar that adds value and one that gets dropped for an incoming Teams call.
Engage the Audience Using the Unique Strengths of the Webinar Format
Too many webinars just stop. They end without any particular request of the audience. But what would you like your highly curated list of prospects and customers to do next? Ask them to sign up for a conversation on a landing page or get them to fill out a survey. You’ve just given your time, and intellectual capital to them, and most are expecting you to ask for something in return.
Give Them a Call to Action
Congratulations! You’ve hosted your webinar, but you’re far from finished. Like any event, the real ROI happens afterward. Here are some key steps to drive post-event sales activity:
Follow Up
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Make sure someone on your team follows up personally to questions, whether they are addressed in your webinar or not. Make sure you understand the context of the question and exercise those consultative selling muscles.
Answer Questions
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Call and extend your thanks to each attendee. While you should also email them, following up with a call boosts impact and adds a more personal touch. Ask if questions have developed and what they’d like to learn more about next time.
Show Appreciation
Send a survey on the event, but be promotional as well. Use the outreach to introduce how your value proposition or solutions can address the topic. Ask them about their interest in your solutions.
Get Feedback
A webinar is not a “one and done” event. You can market the recording to the entire list of invitees for weeks following the event. You can also encourage attendees to forward the webinar to others by sharing on LinkedIn and other platforms.
Reach Further
How’d you do? Go back to your initial goal-setting objectives and measure pipeline activity.
Measure Success
Done right, webinars can be one of your most powerful sales tools, and we hope this has been a valuable guide to getting more from your next webinar.
Are you planning a webinar soon? We’re here to help. We’ve frequently served as guest subject-matter experts to help equipment and technology sellers uncover more sales opportunities through webinars.
To connect with us about an upcoming event, contact your LEAF Account Champion today.
Get Results From Your Next Webinar
LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. is a subsidiary of People’s United Bank, N.A
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Use a “countdown clock” approach that teases deeper and deeper details on the ultimate webinar presentation with each new communication.
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Don’t send the same invitation message over and over. Mix up the script, email headlines, etc.
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Use industry groups, trade organizations, and trade publications to get the word out.
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How many existing customers would we like to have growth conversations with in the next three months?
What level of participation do we want to see, and how will we measure it?
How many new sales conversations do we want to generate by a specific date?
How many customers and prospects should we invite, and what attendance rate do we want?
