Webinar Marketing Podcast with Joe Daniel - Using Webinars to Build Your Business

GoToWebinar is the most popular webinar hosting platform out there for internet marketers. So I should probably give it some time. This episode is a review of the features for GoToWebinar.com. At least, what they are as I see it. We talk about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. What works, what doesn't.  GoToWebinar is the most reliable webinar hosting service I have used. It just plain works.  Plus it is a fully contained system. Host the webinar, host your recordings, build your registration page, send out your reminders, send out your follow-ups. It's all here.  You can say that for some of the other services, too. But none of them are quite as intuitive as GoToWebinar. It's great for your first time through. The big issues are that there is no chat room for your guests. They can message you, but not each other.  I used to not care about that. But I love the idea of Social Presence and have pushed for more interaction in recent months.  GoToWebinar does not integrate directly with your mailing list, either. But there are some solutions. I'll present a couple in the podcast.  The conclusion of the GoToWebinar review? If you want a reliable service for webinars... GoToWebinar is for you.  But if you are bootstrapping, the costs can be prohibitive. Still, your 30 Day Free Trial is worth using anyway.

You don't need to be afraid to host a webinar. You just need to be prepared. Do you have an audience? If not, you have to find one. Your first webinar will be better if you host it for an existing list.  If you have that audience alreaddy? No more excuses. Time to host a webinar! In Episode 47 of The Webinar Marketing Podcast, I'll take you through the 6 step checklist you need to follow to get your webinar out there.  Click here to download the 6 Steps To Awesome Webinars Checklist! When you finish this podcast, you're going to know exactly what direction to go in right now.  Let's get started! Show Links The Webinar Formula List Building For Webinars Amy Porterfield Show Notes [05:00] Step 1 - decide on your purpose for the webinar [11:28] how to choose your webinar title (headline) [13:11] Step 2 - where is your traffic going to come from? [19:11] Step 3 - choosing your webinar host [20:40] Step 4 - building your registration page [25:49] Step 5 - create your presentation [27:57] Step 6 - time to shine!  

I'm the last person (if you are, you need to change that). I finally took the time to listen to Robert Cialdini's book, Influence.  And it is great. I already knew the concept of triggers. But there's another world in this book.  In this episode we look at: Reciprocity Commitment & Consistency Social Proof Likeability Authority Scarcity What does each of these triggers mean? How can you use it in your business?  I'll provide some explanations and examples for you today. Check it out! Show Notes [00:45] Intro to Influence by Robert Cialdini, and triggers [02:50] The Mouthwash Tangent...  [04:00] The 6 triggers for greater influence [05:20] Reciprocity trigger - give value to get value [08:20] Commitment & Consistency trigger [11:45] How I use Click To Tweet to get a commitment [12:50] Social Proof Trigger and testimonials [16:42] The Testimonial Cruncher, how to get plenty of testimonials [24:40] Likeability trigger - don't be a corporation [27:20] Authority trigger, how to be an important person to your audience [31:00] How you can get interviews that will increase your authority [33:32] Scarcity trigger, "Don't miss this amazing opportunity!" [37:00] Best practices for using triggers Show Links Robert Cialdini's Influence on Amazon [affiliate link] Michael O'Neal's Solopreneur Podcast at Solohour.com Click To Tweet at ClickToTweet.com  

I recently read a great article from Ken Molay that centers around one answer, to one question, from the CMO at ON24. And it really illustrates what you need to be looking for in your webinar hosting. In fact, this article tells you all you need to know about your actual webinar presentation. Basically, it is this - can you connect with your audience? ON24 is a webinar hosting service - and not one I recommend for you or me, since I don't think they're in our price range - that's looking forward. To creating new problems for you, and solving them.  Remember my podcast on how to be a problem solver? OK, so the deal is this. Ken Robinson from ON24 (there's two Ken's in this story, no Barbie... hang with me) basically says that his company's biggest issue is that webinars are old technology. And they need to find a way to make it seem new. To solve a new problem.  I get that. Telephones were old technology. Someone had to make them new. 20 years (or much more) later, we're walking around with an iPhone.  I don't know where that takes Webinars, but it's not coming up with a bunch of shiny add-ons. We need simple. We need "get out of my way so I can connect with my customers!" technology.  Alright well shiny add-on's worked for iPhone. Bad example. Music would be a better example. Remember records? CDs? Now we have MP3s. No wrappers or special inserts. Just music.  So listen to Episode 45 and tell me what you think. Is your webinar host 'too shiny'?

How do you become someone your audience can't live without? How do you make your webinars become a 'Must-See Event'? You listen. Understand. Find out what the unique frustrations of your audience are.  Then, you come up with solutions. And deliver them.  Download my Free "How To Be A Problem Solver" Work Flow [01:05] What does it mean to be a problem solver? [04:12] Get the Problem Solver Work Flow [04:46] Step 1: Ask Questions to find out what the probelm is  [11:32] Step 2: Empathize with the person who has this problem [15:08] Step 3: Come up with a list of possible solutions [18:55] Step 4: Present your solutions... and give them away for free

I honestly thought it was just a job. Paying the bills til I could get back to doing what I loved.  But years later, I can tell you that working for the customer service department of Capital One for a few months was an incredibly valuable experience. I learned so much about how to handle people. In this episode of the Webinar Marketing Podcast, we're talking a little customer service. Listen to the episode to hear my 5 tips on better customer service... Make sure you both understand the problem Be empathetic to the customer's problem Avoid using the word "YOU" or "YOUR" If it's a little thing, let it go. Keep your customers in the loop These are just a few little tips that can help your customer service. What's your best customer service tip? Leave a comment!

There's so much information out there today on selling. It's easy to lose your way. There are some pretty sweet tips and tricks that work. Once. Then the person you 'tricked' realizes it. And you never make the sale again. In a well-run business, most of your sales will come from repeat customers, not first time buyers. That's because you build a relationship with your newest customers. You even build relationships with people who are NOT your customers. They may not buy, but they may spread the word to someone who WILL.  So when it's time to close the sale in your webinar... don't be a salesy sleazebag! In Episode 41 of the Webinar Marketing Podcast, I'm giving you 7 tips on how to NOT be sleazy when you sell... Give huge value. Alway over-deliver on the education. Don't make your webinar all about you. Don't use a pre-planned 'act' to get yourself over. Be proud of your offer... but not surprised. Think long-term. Build relationships. Only make claims you can back up. Ask yourself, would I be happy if my mom bought this? And don't miss my upcoming Live, Free Webinar Event - "Launch Your First Webinar". Visit http://joedaniel.com/launch to sign up!

Want to maximize your next webinar's impact? You have to show people you know what you're doing.  That means confidence. Not overbearing confidence, of course. Just knowing that you are the right person to help the people in your audience.  Here's 5 tips for making sure your audience knows you are the Expert! Believe in your own product. Don't sell it if it isn't great. Rehearse your presentaion. Not to the point of being robotic, but make sure you aren't reading off your slides. Meditate before the event on how much you will be helping people. Ask some questions and answer some questions from your audience before the presentation gets started, to get into a natural flow. Don't look at the attendance. Present as if whoever's there, is important. The number does not matter. Want to launch your first webinar? Check out http://joedaniel.com/launch to sign up for my Live, Free Webinar that's coming up!

The New Year is finally here! And we all want to grow our businesses in 2015. Whether you're just starting out, or your business is bursting at the seams... more sales are probably a part of your plan. Check out these 7 Tips I'm discussing in this episode of the Webinar Marketing Podcast... Research Your Customers Lower Your Price Raise Your Price (yes, they both work!) Offer Special Bonuses Offer a Little More of You Sell From a Position of Power Bundling! Ready to make a big splash in your market in 2015? Jump on board with The Webinar Marketing Podcast!

You want more leads. No, you NEED more leads.  After all, you can't make a sale if you don't have a lead. And in the world of Online Business, leads come down to one thing... email addresses. The holy grail. More email addresses. Could you pay someone for a big list? Sure. It wouldn't be worth a crap to you. You need highly targeted leads.  Your tribe. Your people.  And you've heard all about Webinars, right? How awesome they are. How people come flocking to webinars. It's the hot thing in internet business right now.  You can get more leads with Webinars. But that needs to be your objective. It's different than a sales webinar.  First, there's a longer time period involved in launching your webinar. There's more work involved. You've got to create a buzz, get people talking. Get people sharing.  Then you have to make them share even more. Their friend. Their mom. Their cousin they haven't seen in 6 months.  An old business partner. A new business contact. Maybe their entire email list for their business. There's some grind involved here. Some elbow grease. This is not easy. Webinars are not a magic bullet.  There may even be a little luck involved. But if you hold your mouth right, Webinars can be a great tool for increasing leads for your business. Growing your email list. Getting things going. Listen to Episode 39 of the Webinar Marketing Podcast and see how Webinars can be used correctly to create new leads for your online (or offline!) business. 

When is the right time to host your next (or first!) webinar? Timing can be everything when you want to turn your web event into a big time conversion tool. The simple answer is always the same. Test! You need to test.  Even with the ideas in today's podcast, you'll need to do plenty of testing. It is always about testing and figuring out what works best for you.  You never know when you'll find new ideas, either. After a year of hosting webinars on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, I tried something new.  My first Sunday afternoon webinar was huge! And it was during a football game. Remember, my business is coaching football. We're going to look at the right time of year, the right time of the month, the right time of week and the best time of day for you to host your webinars.  This is all about finding a reason to host your webinar on a specific day. It is NOT about finding excuses to postpone your webinar longer.  The big key to webinars is getting out there and doing it. Making things happen. Take control of your life and your business. Don't use these timing ideas as a point for procrasination! Show Notes GoToWebinar recording was very smooth when I did a recent webinar. You can sign up for a free trial with GoToWebinar through my affiliate link or visiting GoToWebinar.com.  Everything has moved to JoeDaniel.com! Change your bookmarks for your favorite episodes. If you have links from your site, they'll redirect automatically. Have a question or feedback for the podcast? Click the Contact button! Webinar Marketing on The Flipped Lifestyle I forgot to mention it on the podcast. This past week I was a guest on The Flipped Lifestyle Podcast with Shane & Jocelyn Sams.  The interview was tons of fun and I think you'll find some great stuff there. Shane and Jocelyn do an amazing job helping you launch a new business from the ground up and I was really excited to be a part of it. Listen to the interview here

What's the secret? What are the real tools of the trade for profitable webinars?  Not much, really. Some hosting, a cheap mic and an internet connection.  You could do this thing for practically nothing. At least when you get started. But when you get rolling, there are a few more tools you can add. The toolbox gets a little bigger when you start to really focus on webinars. In this episode, I'll tell you 8 tools (more really, but that's OK) that I'm using for my webinars right now, including... WebinarJam for hosting larger, free web clinics GoToWebinar for hosting private, paid webinars PowerPoint for... well, powerpoints. Infusionsoft for all of my shopping cart and mailing list needs Logitech USB Headset for a microphone, because nothing else works here since the aliens came Bamboo Tablet for drawing diagrams (particularly in football webinars) Facebook for my advertising... and my thoughts on some other platforms LeadPages to handle my opt-in pages. I should have mentioned, I use it for my sales pages as well!  Are these all the tools that I recommend for you? Probably not. Depending on where your business is, and how many alien invasions your house has had, there are probably better tools. You can find out exactly what I think you need to have to when you download my 5 Must-Have Tools for Creating Webinars (it was what I was using, at time time). You're also going to get a T.M.I. re-cap of one of my most recent webinars. It's not the 6-figure blowout you hear from the top gurus, sorry. But it's a pretty good profit for a few hours of work! I really want to hear your feedback. What tools did I leave out? Which tools seem a little intimidating to you? Leave a comment below!

You've heard the promises! Webinars will change your life! They can and they will, if you dive in and really put a ton of effort it. But this isn't some magic bullet. So listen to find out how webinars will NOT change your life (without a lot of effort!)

There just isn't a short cut to success in online business. There's no shortage of people willing to sell you one, though. Here's what you should buy into... the Mailing List is the single most important component of your business success.  Not just a big mailing list. A highly targeted mailing list is much more valuable. Webinars are no exception to this rule. If you want to have an outstanding webinar, you need to have an outstanding mailing list.  Yes, you can do webinars without having a mailing list. They won't be as big, and they won't be as successful though.  Webinars do work for a lead generation strategy, they just are not your best lead generation strategy.  And your best webinars are going to be the one's with a group of people that already have a sense of community with you. They already know, like, and trust you.  Hosting a webinar when you have a mailing list is like having half the battle already won.  So even if you're eager to jump into webinars without your list, make sure you capture email addresses. Chances are that down the road, it will be the most valuable piece of property you have.  Convinced? Listen to Episode 35 here and find out all about mailing lists for your business.  Not convinced yet? Then listen closer... you will be! 

Of course you want to make sales. We all do. But if that's all your after... be prepared to head down a bumpy road.  It's tough to swallow, but the goal of your webinars cannot be simply to get everyone to click the "Buy Now!" button. No, you need a deeper purpose than that. You have to be genuine in that purpose, too. Webinars are different from a 500 word blog post, or a 3 minute video on YouTube. What you offer in a Webinar is really and truly a product.  A good webinar is something you could record and sell at a reasonable price without any hesitation. But you're giving it away for free! The goal of your webinar should be to get your attendees, whether they purchase from you or not, to learn enough and be motivated enough to accomplish a task.  What do you want your highly targeted attendees to do when the webinar is over? What's the next action they should take to reach their goal?  And an they do it without you? If you're really genuine in your training, your webinar will show your expertise by getting your prospects to take action now.  With, or without, your paid products.

You've been to some webinars. You know they work for some people. But can webinars really work in your industry?  Everyone wants to talk about making money online with webinars. What if that's not your gig? Do they still work? The answer is yes. You just need the right topic, the right audience, and the right product. Episode 33 is aimed at getting your creative juices flowing. We'll discuss several major industries and how you can use webinars in each. Didn't hit your line of work? Don't worry. Visit http://webinational.com/33 to get a list of 35 industry webinar ideas, your free download!

You're an expert in your field. Charismatic. Charming. You have a great product, and a big list. Tons of people are registered for your next webinar. How can you possibly mess this up? Well... there's a few ways. Listen to Episode 32 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast to find out the mistakes you need to avoid.  For starters, get a calendar. Nix that, just send a reminder on your phone or in Google Calendar. Don't be late. Be prepared to give more than you think you should. That's always the rule. Making sales is a value for value exchange. Don't skimp on the value. You got 'em registered, but when you set up that registration email sequence... did you set up the reminders too? You should. Most people don't set a reminder in their calendar. Make sure you deliver on your promises. If you advertise a topic, you better be focused on that topic. No bait & switch tactics, time share guy. On that same note... you better be able to back up everything you claim. Don't tell someone it's going to be easy, if you know it isn't. Be sure to capture email addresses. Not every will buy.  At least, not at the end of the webinar. But you can hit them up again and again with your awesome, valuable content. You just need an email address. We hate to do it, but you have to sell at some point too. A common mistake is to keep spewing value for 2 hours. There's a significant drop off in most webinars after one hour of content. That means people are enthralled by you enough to sit and listen for one hour.  Then they leave, and you never deliver the pitch. Big mistake. Ask for the sale if you ever want to get it! Finally, do not insult your audience. This is your tribe, your people. They believe you have something positive to offer to the world.  More importantly, you have something to offer them. And, of course, you hope they'll want to offer you something (money). So take care of them! Don't be a jerk. That's a general rule in life. Want to deliver a killer webinar to boost your business? And do it in about a month? Check my training course, Webinar Countdown.

Webinars should be a piece of your marketing platform. They're just too valuable to not be. But you're finding it a little intimidating to jump in, right? That's OK. Here's a few slivers of advice for anyone looking to dive into webinars. It doesn't have to be scary. It should be exciting. Webinars are fun!! Join me for Episode 31 when we talk about Launching Your First Webinar... and announce the upcoming webinar by the same title! 

You can spend all day looking at numbers. You can spend all day wasting your time in lots of other, more exciting ways too. So quit wasting time. Here's the 6 Webinar Metrics that Matter. The one's you need to be looking at to determine if your most recent webinar was a success.  It all comes down to who showed up and who made a purchase, ultimately. But to make continual improvements, you have to dig a little deeper.  Listen to Episode 30 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast to see exactly which metrics to spend your time on, and what you can learn from each.

The Online Education community is way ahead of us in webinar research. They don't call it that... but the research is there. And that doesn't mean they're better at it than the internet marketers out there. They just look at different metrics. Like, we look at dollars and cents - they look at increased knowledge. Tests. GPAs. To give a truly great Webinar, you need to educate your audience. Educate them like no one else can. And you do not have the be the most knowledgeable, to be the best teacher. In Episode 29 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast, I'm looking at research from the world of education into how we can improve the learning experience in our webinars. It's all about Social Presence Theory and creating a feeling of being there for your webinar attendees. Plenty of actionable advice for you this week. Hope you enjoy it, and please leave your feedback in iTunes or email me at joe@webinational.com!

Webinars don't have to be a one-shot deal. I don't do replays normally - but I always record! The recording of your webinar can be transformed into a bunch of different pieces of content. In this episode, I'll explore 7 ways (8 ways! there's a bonus) to repackage your webinar for added content. Whether you want video, articles, or audio - you can hit all of your potential customer's favorite mediums. And you can use these ideas to be everywhere for your customers.  

The ultimate enemy of the webinar: Boredom. There's so many distractions when people are sitting behind their computer, watching a webinar. They check email, browse the web, or check out Twitter. Then there's the cell phone, the kids, the dog, and everything else. A million ways your attendees can get lost. In today's episode, we're talking about how to eliminate boredom from your webinars. Increase interaction from your audience and get more customers when your webinars keep everyone engaged!

You're about to host a big webinar. You want a big audience. But is it the right audience? The right one for you? A highly targeted audience means a group of people who are like you. They want what you want, they need what you need. They don't mind spending money to get it... and they are ready to spend it right now. You can't bring in a bunch of people who kind of maybe want what you have and expect things to go well. You definitely can't bring in people who are NOT interested in what you are interested in, and expect to change their minds. You don't need the biggest audience ever to make a dent in this world. You need the one that's right for you. Listen to Episode 26 of The Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast as Joe Daniel talks about just what a Highly Tareted Audience is, and how your business can get one.  

Willpower and the concept of willpower has always fascinated me. Why can some people control themselves while others cannot? I took the time to read up on willpower (or listen up, since it was an audiobook). Actually, I keep my word pretty well when I put my mind to something. But I wanted to know why I still sometimes falter. The most fascinating part about willpower was how our brain works to help us make decisions. Why do we sometimes do what we want to do instead of what we know we should do? It turns out the brain's willpower decisions are made in the prefrontal cortex. Now I'm not into all of the anatomy of this... but I know there are 3 parts. 1 part focuses on what we know we should do. 1 part focuses on what we should not be doing.  Most importantly, a third part is focusing on making the decision.  In a high functioning brain, those 3 pieces work in tandem. You make good decisions most of the time.  In a brain that is not functioning quite so well... well, we tend to fall back on our instincts and make poor decisions not based on our long term goals in life. Here's where Webinars come in to play. Why are marketers always trying to trick the low funtioning brains? Why do salesmen try to get us to make snap decisions based on our wants rather than our needs?  Instead, I want to create Webinars that are aimed at high functioning brains. Create products and services that are good for people.  To that end, Episode 25 of The Webinational Podcast was born. 4 ways you can use willpower to create Webinars for the high functioning brain.  Stop trying to trick your customers, or seek out low functioning brains. Your customers don't need to have a couple of drinks to want to buy your stuff!  (booze shuts down the prefrontal cortex, by the way, making you a low functioning brain after a glasses of wine) Ready to start selling to the upper crusts of brain power? Listen to Episode 25 now!

You probably already have some experience giving live presentations. It may be limited, but it is experience. How does giving traditional speeches and presentations to groups compare with a webinar? I'm breaking down some of the advantages and disadvantages in Episode 24 of the Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast. What's the best one? There's probably no right answer for everyone.  Webinars have a definite advantage in terms of start-up cost and the ability to bring in new customers. But your Live Presentations will do a better job of portraying your own passion and enthusiasm for your niche. Downoad Episode 24 now to hear the full comparison of Webinars to Live Presentations!

Webinars can be a major part of building your business and creating sales. But they are only a part. The Email list is still your best bet for getting more sales. The magic is all in getting potential customers onto your email list. So we're talking about the sales funnel. The basics of building a business. It all starts with being seen. Social media, blogging, YouTube videos, a podcast.... how can you be seen? Are you going to be everywhere, or dominate one platform? Then it's time to get them back to the opt-in form. Get the email address! Here's where Webinars come in. Are you going to give something away for free? Once they're on the list, or signed up for your webinar, it's time to start... building relationships! Don't jump the gun on sales. Build relationships, build trust. Give value to get value. And then once you make the sale, keep giving value. Keep building trust. Past customers are your best bet for buying again. Webinars are an important part of your business, if you decide to use them... but they won't make you a fortune on their own.

You need a topic for your webinars that people really want to hear. And if you're looking to generate new leads, it needs to be something a lot of people want! What's the best way to find those topics? How can you be sure that your next webinar is going to be something people really care about? Simple. Follow these 6 tips... By using the resources you have at hand, you can be sure your next webinar is going to be a hit with both new, and old, customers alike.  

This podcast was recorded less than 24 hours after a recent webinar that I hosted for my Football Coaching business. The webinar was small, but successful. There were up's and down's as always. And no better way to learn from them, than to talk about them. Overall the conversion was decent - about 10% of attendees who did not already have a membership to my site, started one. Conversions have continued since then, since the replay is only available to members. But there's more to it. Audience interaction was up. Drop off during the pitch was up too. And attendance, by percentage, was very high - over 60% of registrations attended. Listen to the Webinational Webinar Marking Podcast #21 to hear me disect my own experience with this recent webinar.

One of the most important elements to a great webinar is confidence. That’s what let’s people know you are an expert! We get so caught up in worrying about all the little details that we forget what matters… you are an expert! So when it’s time to present your next webinar, let it shine. Here are 6 Tips for Webinar Confidence… People came to see you. They already regard you as some sort of expert. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Most people won’t even notice the mistakes you see. You are an expert! Don’t forget that. Give away your best stuff.A lot of your attendees will be beginners. Anything you say is top notch info to them. Embrace feedback. If someone puts it in the chat box, it’s just information for you. There will be other webinars. You did it once, you can do it again. Your business is not on the line in a one hour presentation.   Good luck!  Still working on creating that next (first) webinar? Go to Webinational.com and sign up for my free video on creating your own webinar in just 20 minutes.

When your Webinar ends, your job is just starting. But what do you do? We love those special webinars that result in big time sales right off the bat. But a lot of your sales will happen later. Now you run into some really important questions... 1. Replays: Good idea or Bad Habit? Are you getting your message to more people? Or does your audience just procrastinate on your presentation... the way we tend to do everything else! 2. Following up with Attendees - what's the rule? Is it 3 days? This isn't dating. Get back in touch quick. And give more value! 3. Sorry you missed it! What about the no-shows? What do we do about those guys? Well besides a replay, you can offer much more value. Or maybe even another show! The art of great Webinar presentations goes far beyond the presentation itself. Your job continues from there. So listen to Episode 19 of the Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast for some important tips on how to do it 

  You've filled up your Webinar today. Are they going to stay? Sometimes we get too caught up in the big stats. How many signed up? How many showed up? But what really matters is... how many stayed? Transitions are a major factor to who stays and who does not. You have to plan your transitions ahead of time to really give a killer presentation. So here are 5 techniques that will keep your webinar attendees engaged and attentive during your next webinar... Asking Questions: Ask questions that engage people's brains.  Give a Recap: You know the old line, tell them, tell them you told them, etc... Telling a Story: Stories are the basic way that humans communicate. And stories are supposed to have a point. People will stick around for the point! (for a while) Fill in the Blanks: Begin with the end in mind. Then pave the road to it. Use a Hook: Set the line and reel 'em in! What gets people excited? How can they do it? Transitions between each segment of your presentation are crucial. And you need to think about them before you get on the webinar. What's your favorite transition method?  

When I started doing these podcasts at the beginning of last month, and planning to put out 20 episodes in 1 month, I never realized how appropriate this one would be. See I have a list. In fact, a hand-written list that was scanned (OK, photographed with my iPad) into Evernote back before I started. Amazingly, a spill caused the pre-recorded titles for Episodes 17 to 20 to be almost un-readable. That was a sign. Because it was right as the time to record Episode 17... this one, pre-recorded title "How to Deal with Disasters"... that my computer died. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this episode was recorded on a brand new lap top. I hope it sounds good. It feels more expensive. It's funny how these things happen. It has taken nearly two weeks to get back on track. In this episode, we're talking about how to deal with those disasters. And get back on track fast. Faster than I did. That's not hard. We'll talk about pre-Webinar disasters like mailing list issues. I've had those all week. Of course, there'll be the Webinar disasters. Bad connections. Faulty equipment. Trolls.  And the post-show disasters. One that provides another reason I do not ever promise recordings. So here it is, give Episode 17 of the Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast a listen!

You did a great job! People are registering for your webinar. They are excited to hear what you have to offer! Now, you have to make sure they hear it. The process of getting attendees for your exciting new webinar is not done. How can you make sure people actually show up? Using a series of autoresponders and reminder emails, you can get maximize your conversion rate - from registration, to attendee. Remember that your webinar is part of a big sales funnel. Don't let this part be the bottle neck! For most webinars, only 40% to 60% of the people who registered will actually show up. A lot of them are falling out of your funnel here (you can pull them back if you captured their email, later). OK, 60% is a really good number. But anything below 40% is a really bad number.  First, make sure you're getting targeted registrations. In other words, do the people who register really want to hear you? Let's assume that you do that and move on with your autoresponders and reminder emails...   How Many Emails?   3 is the magic number. It has been since Ancient times. Why go against it? I like 3 emails, but it depends on what you have to say. And space them out as best you can. Always have an email with value that goes out immediately following their registration.  Send another email 1 to 3 days later. If you go longer than that, they may forget who you are. The third email is 1 to 3 days after the 2nd, but no more than 2 days out from the actual webinar. Let's say my webinar is going to be on Wednesday. So on Thursday of the week prior, someone registers for it. They'll get a valuable email on Thursday. Another will come to them on Sunday. The third will show up in their inbox on Tuesday.  Each email has valuable content. It can be fresh, original content. Or it can be links to articles and podcasts you've done in the past that relate to the webinar topic. Videos work great, too.  The important result is they get to know you, and start to see how valuable starting a relationship with you can be. You can include links to products, just so people know about them... but no heavy selling here.   The Reminder Emails Now it's time for the reminder emails. Send one out the day before. That way people have time to adjust their schedule - in case they forgot. The next reminder should go out the morning of the Webinar.  Your last two reminders come really close together - 1 hour before, and again only 5 to 15 minutes before the start.  That last one is the most important. It will really kick up your attendance. Another great way to send reminders is by text message. There are services that will do this for you.  I'm using a service called http://tropo.com but I can't fully recommend them yet.  All of this may seem like overkill, and it is. But that's what you want.  Most people who register for your webinar have a genuine interest in what you have to say. Sending those value packed email autoresponders will prove to them that they were right to feel that way. Some will have things come up. Life gets in the way.  Others just plain forget! How horrible is it that someone really wanted to learn what you were teaching... but they were watching stupid YouTube videos instead!?  Don't let that happen! Get them to your webinar!

Great webinars are only great because of the reaction you get. And yes, even if only person is there to have that reaction - it means it went pretty well. But you don't want one person! You want a hundred, or a thousand! So it's time for the Registration process.  In the free video on my site, 20 Minutes to a Profit Making Webinar, I walked through the process of setting up that Webinar. But we stopped at registration. There's a lot to consider... How soon to start getting registrations How to set up your Webinar registration page Where to go for your registrations What to offer for those who sign up (if anything) These aren't hard considerations. They require a little testing.  You should try multiple times. And go to multiple places.  But in today's episode of The Webinational Podcast, I'll tell you some of my experiences.

There's more than one way to skin a cat.  I do not subscribe to one particular style. Not in anything, really. I have my own style, but that doesn't mean it is the way.  Filling up your webinars, maximizing interaction, increasing sales... no exception. There are many ways to do it. So a lot of the tips and tricks I'll talk about in this podcast, are not part of my primary model. I've tried most of them, though.  In this episode of the Webinational Webinar Marking Podcast, day 14 of 20 Days to a Profitable Webinar, we take a look at... Using Pre-Webinar sales pitch in emails. You attempt to sell attendees on a lower cost, entry level item before the webinar. That gets them used to buying from you, and shows the quality of what you do. Contests during the webinar to put butts in seats. This is also a great way to increase engagement and get some social activity when done well.  Replays after the webinar, to recapture those poor lost souls who missed out. And sell them.  Using a recorded webinar as an opt-in strategy (plus sales) There's lots of little tricks you can use, but these are some of the most popular. I'll talk about how to use them, and whether or not each one is a good idea for your business.    Listen to it now! Then check out Webinational.com.

You should always strive to learn from those who have done more than you. And pick up tips from those who have done less. But there's a problem with that pattern. Learning from the Have's is going to give you those expectations.  Learning from the Have Not's is going to give you those results. So that isn't the answer. The Big Idea here, is to be realistic in your goals and expectations. But if you've only listened to the self-proclaimed Gurus, you might not know what's realistic. "Self-Proclaimed Guru" has an insulting feel to it. It is. But I'm also lumping in the good guys here, the one's who are wildly successful and sharing their stories. It's just, their story is not your story. Here are 4 Truths you need to know, going in to your Webinars. 1. Filling Up a Webinar is Not Easy How big is your audience right now? That will determine how easy it is to fill up a Webinar.  You can get a ton of people registered if you spend enough money in advertising. That's not a bad route if you know your product sales can cover those costs.  Most people are not in that position when they host the first one. If you've got a big, well targeted mailing list, you should do well. They are your fans, they want to hear what you have to say!  I do NOT recommend buying lists. Chances are it is not very good, and not well targeted to your needs. 20 attendees in your first Webinar, for a business in it's early stages, is not bad. Not at all. You're getting experience, which is extremely valuable. Plus with 20 people, you should be able to make a sale or two if they are well targeted. And if it's a disaster, you can find out what to do next time. By the way, once you start filling them up, new issues come up. Because anyone left out could be lost business. It never gets easier. 2. Their Webinars have Bumps and Bruises, too It's just not that smooth. Not the first one.  Truthfully, most people will never notice the little bumps. Next week, I'll talk about the big disasters and how to handle them. But the little bumps... most people never see them. Maybe there's a slide out of place. A piece of equipment isn't working properly. The recording doesn't work (you should have a back-up... but I forget sometimes). Most people will never know. They are not judging your business as a failure. I don't know about you, but I like real people. Real people have problems.  One of the lessons I learned in 10 years of teaching was that I don't have to fake being perfect. While it was never my style to open up, I learned to reveal some weaknesses to the kids. Once they realize you're a person, they listen a little better. Your audience is the same way. No matter how low on the totem pole you may feel in your chosen field, at least some portion of your attendees are looking up to you. That's why they came. They'll be excited to know you have real problems... just like them. 3. Every Webinar Does Not Make 6 Figures MOST Webinars do not make 6 figures. Or 5 figures. They don't all get to 4 figures. Some don't get a figure. And that's OK.  When you hear someone talking about how a Webinar made $200,000... you might start thinking that is the mark for success. It's not.  How much did you spend for Webinar hosting? How much did you spend on advertising? Anything above that number, is a success. It's a profit. If you make enough to cover your time spent, it's a big profit. Don't forget that you are building relationships and gathering experience. You may be saving your recording for re-purposing. Profits are not the end-all for Webinar success. If you don't have a $1,000 product to sell... or a $100 product... you should still use Webinars.  Hit up your list. Spend $50 on advertising if you don't have a list (do some research for this). Use some free hosting or a free trial. Then go have a ball talking about what you love and try to sell $100 worth of eBooks. That's a win. 4. Too Many Questions is the Least of Your Concerns I love listening to podcasts. I listen to a lot of the top dogs in the internet marketing industry. And the people I listen to are, I believe, genuinely good people. They want to help everyone. And so it is overwhelming to them that they have so many fans asking so many questions. You want to help everyone too! So how come at your Webinar there's only 1 question, and it was "What time does this end?" (that's happened to me) Don't be concerned if interaction is not through the roof. Most people really need to feel like they know you, just to ask a question. It has nothing to do with them feeling like you know stuff. If you have a very successful podcast already, people will have that bond and ask more questions. If you have a successful blog, they might feel that bond. But they've never really heard your voice.  I had a pretty popular blog when I hosted my first webinar. I did not know how to market, and I did not have a true relationship built with my audience. Hence, the crickets (or cricket... who asked, "What time does this end?"). Do It Anyway Webinars are an incredible experience. I get a high from spouting my knowledge to a captivated audience for an 60 to 90 minutes. I love it. And I really don't care, in that moment, how many people were there. It's only later that I pay attention to the stats. Attendees. Interaction. Sales.  For those 60 to 90 minutes, I can just live in the moment. Know I'm with a few like-minded people. And share my knowledge with them. 

For a lot of folks, the fast track to popularity is guests. And that's okay. It's not for me. In fact, I'm really against it. Not completely, mind you. About 40 episodes of my current Football Coaching Podcast were interviews (through 90 episodes, as of this posting).  Of the 100 or so Webinars I've done, about a dozen were only hosted by me. They featured guest presenters.   But I don't do much of that anymore. I just don't enjoy it as much. Easy for me to say, I'm established there. But I don't intend on doing a lot of that with Webinational.com, either. Maybe it will take a long time to grow (and a lot of ad money, possibly). But that's OK.  Here's my reasoning... 1. I want to be the expert.  It's not that I think people who do lots of interviews on their podcast or host webinars where someone else does most of the talking are not experts.  But you aren't hearing their expertise. You hear the expertise of their guest. There's the concept of expert by association. When people hear you talk with a bunch of experts, they start to consider you to be one.  That's just not how I want to do it. 2. I want to steer the ship. There's a certain way I want my webinars to be done. To get someone else to follow that schedule requires a lot of communication.  And they have to be willing to work on your terms.  I find that other presenters do not understand the importance of timing. They do not get transitions. They aren't used to presenting webinars. I've ended up with 90 minute presentations, poor transitions, no one there for the pitch (doesn't happen often, but if the presenter is particularly long-winded).  There are exceptions, for sure. I'll talk about those. 3. I hate setting it up. In my businesses I've worked hard to cut out everything I don't want to do. Either delegate it, or just quit doing it all together. I hate setting up interviews and guests. Everyone's schedule is different.  Time zones get confused. Emails go back and forth. Something comes up.   I've ended up with no one to talk to. Putting together a presentation on the fly, or cancelling when there were hundreds of people registered. That's a killer. The organization of interviews and guest presenters is miserable for me. But There are Good Times for a Guest... If you don't mind setting up your guests, and you just love talking to them... then by all means, you should do it. You should do the things that you enjoy. If you are not an expert, it doesn't hurt to have guests, either.  For example, if your business model is to follow your journey as you learn to be a Master Cake Baker. But last week you made something completely inedible because the instructions on the Betty Crocker box are pretty confusing. In that situation, having guests on is a good idea. You get to learn from them, while establishing that expert-by-association feel. When using Webinars to market an affiliate product, guests are often appropriate as well. If you can have the person who made the product on.  They'll know the Unique Selling Points (USP) for the product. They know what people are after (hopefully).  Just don't turn the entire thing over to them and fade into the background. Your biggest concern here is that they won't deliver value, they'll just pitch.  Keep steering the presentation back to valuable content. They should give you a run down of the value they'll be providing. Be prepared to bring them back to it.  There are times when guests are good. But don't rely on them to build your business!

You are unique. It's what makes you... well, you. But it does not make you buzzworthy. At least, not until you are buzzworthy. For most of us, that time is not here yet. We have to build our own buzz. So what are you going to do to build a buzz? How are you going to create that gotta be there feeling? You need to create a shareable webinar topic. Not just something that people will retweet. More than that. Something they'll share with their friends. I like retweets and likes as much as the next guy, but that's not the secret sauce. How do I know I've hit on a good one? When people are commenting on Facebook just to tag their friends: "John Smith you need to see this!" Or when they mention a co-worker on Twitter. That's how you know you've got something. That's what we're trying to make happen. Try these 4 tactics to build a buzz for your next Webinar presentation... Solve a Specific Problem Being specific will make people think of others. Delivering a presentation on hair re-growth? Bald Bob is gonna need to see this! Many businesses try to be too broad in their solutions. They don't want to miss out on big chunks of the audience. Smart business people want to dominate a small piece of the audience. You can always grow later. The problem you're solving may not be one that everyone has. But for the people who do, your solution might be something they can't live without! Tell Them When and How It's a good idea to tell people exactly how your webinar presentation will help them. Not all the details, mind you. Just the big picture. 5 Steps to Your Beach Body? What are the steps? Even better, 5 Days to Your Beach Body. Tell them how long. The When & How are what people can really latch on to. "All I have to do is follow these steps... I'll be there in no time!" Give Instant Results This is the toughest part for many of us. You want people to leave your webinar with a result. Something has already happened. Things are better. You'll lose an inch off your waistline during the webinar. Sound impossible? It probably is. But if you could back it up, you'd have a full room. Note that I do NOT recommend lying. If you can't do it, don't promise it. Those people will never become your customers if you lie to them. I always want my webinar attendees to leave with something they didn't have. Yes, they need to have something to take action on. A little inspiration.  But they better learn something. Even better is if they actually have something.  I've offered free downloads to webinar attendees. I'd like to do even more! I'm working on this so... I'd love to hear some ideas. If you've got an idea, go to Webinational.com/contact and tell me. Have a Contest This is a good one. Simple. Easy. I give away one of my information products (or have multiple winners) to attendees. They have to do something for it - like a retweet. Then I pick someone at random. You can give away something you have to pay for (iPads were the hot giveaway item for a long time). I think you'd get more from putting that money toward more advertising. But if you have really high end products it's not a bad idea. Be Different Football coaching products are well known for being boring. For as much personality as some coaches have on the field, they tend to be a little camera shy. They also deliver their information like it's heart surgery, instead of a game.  A while back I created a buzz by combining two of my biggest passions. I love Professional Wrestling and football. So for an upcoming webinar, I delivered my first ever Pro Wrestler promo. I talked 'em into the building. It was so different from what people are used to. The video had tons of likes, comments, and shares on Facebook.  It shocked a lot of coaches for being so different. A few thought I was crazy. Fine... at least I stood out. Be different. Find a way to make your webinar stand out from the crowd. Now Here's What You Don't Do... Do not lie to get people there. Be real and genuine. Make sure you can deliver on your promise. Do not be boooooorrrriiiiinnnng. No matter what you do, spice it up. Make it sound like the most exciting thing in the world.  Hopefully you think it is! I mean you chose this business! Don't create your buzz in the wrong place.  I didn't post my wrestling promo ad on forums about Professional Wrestling. I put it in places where football coaches would see it.  This is important with giveaways! If you teach people how to churn their own butter, the latest and greatest microwave giveaway might not bring the right people in the door. Now go create a buzz!

BIG SMILEY FACE. Hi and Welcome to the Webinational Podcast. It's so great to see you! You belong here.  People want to feel welcome. They want to feel like they belong. Unless you're a military brat, you have only had to welcome yourself into new social groups a few times. Maybe never. But you know, it's the worst. For most of us.  When you host your webinar, it is a new social group for many. Your guests want to know they belong.   4 Ways to Say You are in the Right Place...   1. Tell people what makes them belong. Give examples of the types of hobbies, beliefs, values, experiences a good fit for this group has had. 2. Give examples of people who don't belong. Nothing brings people together like excluding other people. Cliques are bad in High School, but they are not bad for business. 3. Show guests what they want to see. Give a preview of what's going to happen during the presentation so they know you share the same interests. 4. Tell stories. That's how social groups work. It's how relationships work. We give valuable advice. We sit around and tell stories that are valuable. They teach a lesson, provide humor, give hope... This is one of the first slides we should see in your webinar. The "You are in the right place if..." slide is critical.  It is much more important than any slide telling about yourself. Remember, this is about them, not you! You are just providing the presentation.  You could do that without anyone there but... that'd be weird, right?

  Should you even be presenting webinars? Does anyone really care about you? People will only care about you if you give them a reason to. Give them a reason! This is your Unique Selling Point, or USP. What makes you stand out from the crowd? I was really pleased to be mentioned in Chris Ducker's new book on Virtual Assistants. And then I saw something embarrassing on Amazon. Someone created a carbon copy. Same title, less information (much less), and published it as a free kindle book. Now, they'll probably get plenty of looks. And downloads (it is free). But what is unique?  Anyone looking for information on the virtual assistant market is bound to find Chris and his book. So when they get a freebie from this joker, are they going to want to pay him any money? No. Of course not! As far as I can tell, he doesn't have a unique thought in his head. But you do. There is something about you, that makes you unique.  It doesn't have to make you special to everyone. Just special to a few people. Your eventual tribe. When I first started Football-Defense.com, one thing made me unique. I was the only person creating online content about coaching defensive football. Other than that, I was far from being an expert. And I still am, as far as I'm concerned. What makes me unique in teaching people how to do a webinar? I have no training in business, or marketing, and I didn't make my money selling make money online stuff. There is something that makes you different in your space, from  anyone else.  Maybe you're the first. Probably not. Maybe you're the best. Probably not. So what is it?  Did you learn your trade from someone special?  Have you put a unique twist on your talent that no one else does? Can you teach people how to do what you do, more efficiently or more elegantly or more... Anything'ly? Do you combine talents from another field into the one your business is being built on? Find something that makes you unique. Everyone has it. Maybe you can't see it... You just need to ask someone else. I don't shout my USP from the rooftops. I don't even really have it written down. It is in the back of my mind. When I produce content, I consider it.  More importantly, it gives me reason. Knowing my USP reminds me that someone out there would like to hear from me.  So what's your USP?   

Webinars are not "me"-centric. They need to be prospect-centric. Yes, you'll be the one doing most or all of the talking. You set the course. But you better set a destination everyone else wants to go. A good webinar isn't one big long production. It has 5 phases that flow seamlessly together. In this episode of the Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast, I'll teach you how to use those 5 phases. Plus, transition between them so no one gets bored or drops out. The pre-webinar The Opening Presentation The Pitch Questions & Answers These 5 phases are the critical parts of there Webinar. Remember that they are steps in your sales funnel! Listen to Episode 8 of the Webinational Webinar Marketing podcast to learn more!

Presenting a Webinar that sells is just like any other marketing plan. You create a funnel. Each spot on the funnel will move potential customers along. If there's a problem, good customers could fall out of the funnel! The Webinar sales funnel starts with marketing your webinar and goes all the way through to your follow-up emails. You should be tracking each step of the way as best you can. It isn't easy, but there are a lot of tools to help you. I admit to not being really proficient in tracking my sales funnel. I'm working to sure things up this year. Truthfully, I'm a pedal-to-the-metal type of guy. I like to just go and see what happens.  That's a good thing because I get a lot done. But I'm never quite sure what worked and what didn't. I'm trying to get this Webinar funnel nailed down so I know what works. More important, I want to know what didn't. Here's the steps in my Webinar sales funnel... The Registration Page - getting people there with my mailing list, Twitter, Facebook Ads, etc. The pre-Webinar AutoResponder & Reminder Emails The pre-Webinar, when people log in - Yes, you can lose or win people here! The Opening - Answer the question, "Am I in the right place?" The Presentation - No sleeping! The Pitch - OK pretty obvious right? This is the end! Nope... the Question & Answer - Some people just aren't sold yet The Follow-Up Email - My webinars end late at night sometimes, these can be critical! There's one other key point... some people will fall out. You need to capture their email early. Then you can put them into a separate funnel! They were interested at one point, and something kept them from you. Don't lose them forever! Give Episode 7 of The Webinational Webinar Marketing Podcast a listen now!

  The presentation. The meat and potatoes.  Like many of you, I use PowerPoint on an almost daily basis. My webinars are no difference. But you don't have to use PowerPoint. You can use several other tools like Keynote (for Mac users) or the free LibreOffice and Google Drive. No matter what you use, the idea is the same. Keep it simple, keep it moving. How can you create your top notch Webinar presentation? More important, how can you do it without wasting a ton of time? Your content is still the King. And Webinars are no exception. Beautiful designs and elaborate images will not increase your sales (unless you're selling graphic design...) So keep it simple! Follow these tips to put together your next Webinar presentation in no time!

Presenting a webinar takes a lot of preparation. Finding a hosting service doesn't. I've broken it down for you here. There are tons of services available but these are the one's that work for me. There's something for everyone here... Beginners can use the free AnyMeeting.com service Professionals will want to use GoToWebinar.com Rebels are going to step out the latest, WebinarJam.com If choosing a service is holding you up, stop wasting time.  AnyMeeting.com is free.  GoToWebinar.com has a free trial. And WebinarJam is awesome. And offers a guarantee.  So pick the one that fits you best and get to work!

  How much information are you going to give away for free? The answer will surpise you. Webinars are about establishing yourself as an expert. Building relationships. Creating trust. You can't do that if you have something to hide.  Put your best stuff out there in your webinar. You don't have to put everything out there, but put your best stuff out there. If you're hiding something, no one will know your true genius in your field. And they'll know you have something to hide! Not much trust there. Follow these 5 steps to have a successful web event... Remember the 80/20 Rule Give Actionable Steps Let them in on a "Game Changer" Don't be shy in your Q&A Session When in doubt, tell them more When you put together your webinar, keep these "secrets" in mind!  You'll have more success when you open up your tool kit to your attendees.

What's your biggest fear about hosting a webinar? Mine hasn't changed, even after doing nearly 100 webinars.  What if no one shows up? What if people don't care what I have to say? Here's the good news. It really does not matter.  Especially on the first one. But even after you've done a few of them, you can always gain something from presenting your webinar to even the smallest audiences... Get experience presenting your webinars Record the presentation and repurpose it later You can still make a sale! In most webinar platforms, the attendance is hidden. They don't know they are alone. Presenting to an empty room is tough. Presenting to an empty webinar is easy. Now, you don't want to be sitting in there alone. So what do you need to do? Get folks to show up.  In this episode, we talk about how you can fill up your webinar event with highly targeted potential customers.

If you're listening to this podcast, I can make one assumption...   You want to make some money.   Do you have something to sell?   More importantly, do you have something that people want to buy?   The second episode in the Webinational.com 30 Days to a Profitable Webinar series focuses on finding something to sell.   Even better, we're going to talk about selling when you don't actually HAVE anything!   Here are the four options discussed in the podcast...   Creating an eBook to sell Selling a group training 1 on 1 Consulting Selling someone elses stuff - Affiliate Products   There are lots of other products. These are some of my favorites.   Have questions? Email me at joe@webinational.com

You've probably attended a webinar. You might have even bought something. Or you are just looking for a new way to sell. A way to expand your marketing. New business or old. New product launch or your top selling classic product. You can use webinars to expand your marketing platform. Webinational.com begins 30 Days to a Profitable Webinar. There'll be a new podcast every week day for 4 weeks. At the conclusion, you'll have the information needed to create profitable webinars for your business. In this episode, we're looking at 5 reasons webinars should be part of your business marketing plan... Webinars establish you as the expert They are FUN to present Your customers value webinars Build a relationship through Webinars Webinars CONVERT! That's what matters most! Jump in and join us for 30 Days to a Profitable Webinar from Webinational.com.