A Webinar is simply an online, or on-web, seminar. I just participated in my very first one that was titled, 10 Secrets to Turbo-Charge Your Yellow Page Advertising. A friend, Dick Larkin, who runs a Yellow Page information site, asked me to put together the power point presentation and then we conducted the audio via a phone distribution link that allowed participants to listen in. Besides a few technical glitches, it went fine. But it brought up a slew of questions and ideas I would like to share.
To begin with, it targeted Dick’s customers who consist of contractors and business people who wanted more facts about Yellow Page advertising. It was interesting because:
- We didn’t know how many would attend.
- We never got to interact with the viewers.
- They could have been anywhere in the world.
- They could have been at home or at work.
- They listened and watched for free.
- We don’t know if they paid attention or took notes.
- We didn’t get a lot of feedback.
So, what were the benefits to Dick and myself? I tried to sell my book toward the end, which provided greater details about saving money on Yellow Page advertising and Dick got to promote his website and the various products therein. So, why is the Webinar such an interesting business tool?
It allows anyone to make a pitch, present a new product, introduce a concept, or tell a story to as many as choose to attend. Once the time is reserved and the presentation created, one only needs to promote the Webinar and then sees who views it. There are many online businesses that sell Webinar packages, some based on the number of uses, others based on attendees. Either way, it’s a relatively cheap promotional venue that links the buyer and seller. I imagine that it’s rooted in the info-mercial mold and yet can be done for much less effort and setup. Rather than purchasing high-priced commercial television airtime, it can be structured exactly in the same manner, albeit with a smaller audience. But it has some further advantages over TV. For instance:
- You can target your market by advertising to just those who are interested.
- You can use the software utility to monitor how many attended.
- You can schedule at any time of your choosing.
- You are not censured and can include what you deem necessary.
- You get to choose how long it will last.
- It’s far less costly than TV time.
- You can get instant responses via email.
- You can also allow two-way communications, for follow-up questions.
