How to run your own webinars ..that is the question.

First, you have to put together a compelling presentation that causes your prospective customers to take action. You see, it’s not enough to educate your audience. You can be the most beloved “teacher” on the Internet and still not grow your online or offline business through webinars.

You have to walk the fine line of giving really great content as well as asking them to DO SOMETHING at the end of your webinar. That can be visiting your website, picking up the phone or driving over for a visit.

After you create a killer presentation, you have to find a webinar hosting company so you can present your information to hundreds of people at one time. There are several good ones out there including GoToWebinar, WebEx, Adobe Connect and few others. Or you can hire individuals to run your webinar for you.

Also, there are webinar “how to” courses that show you every step and give you the reasoning behind each one. Make sure you choose a course that has lots of step by step video so you don’t get lost. Then turn the course over to your techie person, employee, secretary, or teenage kid and have them learn how to setup your webinar!

Next, you have to have a way of recording the webinar so you can show the replay. Let’s face it, not everyone will be able to attend your webinar “in person”, so you can pick up a few more sales by offering a replay.

Now here’s a million dollar tip. Always have a reason to “buy now” in your webinar. Either the sale price is expiring in 48 hours …or you only have a limited amount of appointments left …or an extra special bonus will expire at the end of the week …anything to get them to take action immediately after the webinar.

And that’s why you want them “live”. A webinar is a live event and you control when they see it and what rewards they get for taking action. That is how a webinar differs from a video they can watch any time they want. Even a webinar replay is released with the understanding that a deadline is looming right around the corner.

And finally, you want to follow up with your webinar attendees. If you ask for full contact information, you can send those that didn’t buy a postcard, direct mail piece or even pick up the phone and call them.

Think about how qualified a webinar attendee is …they just spent 60 minutes listening to you on a webinar.Do you think they are pretty interested in your product or service? All it takes is a nudge to get them to buy.

So, these are a few webinar how to’s. Webinars are really not that complicated, and the rewards can be VERY profitable!

What comes to mind when you think, seminar? Suits, ties, high heels, Hotels, fine dining, travel… the list goes on. Seminars add up to a lot of money and time- something many Americans are becoming less willing to part with.

The laser pace of our society is demanding instant products, and that demand is quickly coming to include the traditional seminar. A lot of people smile at the thought of throwing away the hosiery and suit coats, and letting the world come to their desktop in the form of a Webinar.

According to the well-known Web Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.com, a Webinar is just about what it sounds like – a seminar conducted over the World Wide Web. What’s the difference between a Webinar and a Web Conference? Interaction. Presenters and the audience have direct communication via telephone or speaker phone.

If you’ve been scratching your head, looking for more ways to stretch your days and/or budget this may be your personal bonanza.

5 Reasons to Consider Hosting a Webinar

1. You’ll Save Money
Travel and phone arrangements to get a seminar set to roll can quickly add up. Add to that the time you’ll spend, and the benefits of the Webinar look pretty good.

2. You’ll Broaden your Horizons
Just like everything else that happens on the World Wide Web, the
Webinar allows you to reach a global audience that might not otherwise be able to attend a conventional seminar.

3. You’ll Increase Sales
It stands to reason that if you reach a larger audience, your sales will rocket in direct proportion to the expansion.

4. You’ve got a Hook
Once you’ve wooed an audience with a Webinar, you have the perfect opportunity to keep them coming back for other Web Conferences, classes or to your Web Site.

5. You can Make Money as an Affiliate
Affiliate marketing is a booming business. Why not cash in on it. If you’ve found a good Web Conference provider, offer it to your audience for a profit.

Wondering what will make a Webinar successful?

*Plan Ahead
Just like a seminar you need to have a schedule, choose potential speakers, set a budget, and promote it before hand. Don’t forget to put aside some time to make the registration process user friendly and helpful in following up after the event.

*Market It
Remember to focus on your target market. A great way to spread the good news is to put a tell a friend link on your registration page.

*Make it Exciting
Ring, ring… that’s all it will take to get your audience distracted. Remember you’ll be competing with phones, email and other distractions.

*Have a Back Up Plan
Technology is fool-proof right? Just have a tight deadline to meet, and you’ll find out how foolproof it really is! Be prepared for the worst – just in case.

*Shop Around for a Quality Conferencing Vendor
The bigger the turnout, the more volume your vendor will need to be able to handle effectively. Customer support, as always, is a big plus as well.

If you are a vendor of goods that are routinely sold through online stores you may be an especially good candidate for video streaming.

You may use a phone conferencing system where multiple clients can converse with you about a new product. These types of services continue to be useful. However, a new generation of savvy vendors are finding a greater value in video streaming webinars.

Imagine a growing company with several hundred vendors or affiliates. This company has several new products they are ready to make available, but short of sending a sample to every current vendor on their list they opt to use a webinar to debut the new products.

They capitalize on the buzz by creating timely press releases and information on how the vendor can take advantage of the webinar. On a set date and time men and women gather in front of their computer screen to see the debut of the products.

As part of the video streaming webinar the company provides practical demonstrations of the product and benefits are fully reviewed. Explanations are provided as to why this product is superior to other similar products on the market. In the end the vendor is asked to register their attendance. By doing so they will receive a thank you gift.

This alerts the vendor as to the effectiveness of the webinar and allows them to make note of the most responsive affiliates.

In this case the vendor may be more inclined to promote a product than a website, but video streaming is used as a means of solidly marketing their product.

That same webinar can be archived for any vendor that could not attend when the video stream was being sent live.

You can also make the webinar an interactive experience by allowing emails to be sent live during the webinar from affiliates. If you have a slightly more sophisticated setup you could take landline, cell or VoIP phone calls from valued affiliates.

In this scenario you can answer a multitude of questions that will result in fewer questions following the webinar. This gives the webinar a much more comprehensive coverage on the product and saves you time following the webinar because the majority of the questions will already be answered.

The use of video streaming is a growing phenomenon with so many different positive applications. Video streaming provides opportunities for individuals to share footage of their families with other family members. Music and entertainment video streams can be shared. Television shows can be downloaded and best all, business can be done effectively through the use of video streaming technology.