Armando and I recently gave a seminar at a local coffee shop, Urban Dog (sponsored by Administaff) , on the topic of leveraging social media. SRJ places a high value on our seminars for several reasons. It is an excellent way to communicate and build a rapport with our current customers, add credibility to the company and keep our name in front of our target audiences.
When preparing for this seminar, I was simultaneously preparing for a webinar for church leadership. While the seminar at Urban Dog may have encouraged a high level of involvement from the audience, webinars share many of the same benefits as live seminars at a much lower cost and a much greater convenience.
Some of you might be asking, what is a webinar? Simply stated, a webinar is kind of Web conference that allows users to listen in on the speaker(s) from the convenience of their own home or office.
While a seminar is most effective due to the high level of involvement from audience, the webinar shares many of the seminars advantages and has added benefits that are unique to its Web-based nature. Let’s talk about a couple of benefits that are distinctive to webinars.
First of all, webinars give you the opportunity to diversify your expertise and expand your market reach. Ask yourself a question: What are you good at? Ok, now pose this question to yourself: Does this ability apply to more than just your customers? There is a very good chance that it does.
Webinars allow you to be viewed as the ‘expert’ in your field, and you can share your knowledge with just about anyone over the Web. When done correctly, webinars create a positive impression of you in an audience’s mind. This can lead to new customers and valuable referrals.
The second benefit is more obvious: webinars are convenient. Yes, it’s nice that you can sit in your pajamas and talk to your clients from home (and vice-versa), but webinars have the added benefit of giving the attendee the opportunity to engage in the topic through the internet, without having to leave their home or office.
It’s true that webinars also have disadvantages. That’s why it is important to realize that there isn’t one best way to reach your customers. You have to integrate many tools to reach your prospects and customers, and the webinar is only one great option.
If you have any questions about promoting webinars, writing scripts, or the technology it takes to create a webinar, feel free to contact SRJ Marketing Communications, LLC ( www.srj.net) at 214-528-5775.
