Likes UP: 7 Fail-Proof Ways To Engage on Live Webinars And Make Money…

1. Start with a “Killer Hook” – You know what they say about first impressions, right? That first image or first slide is very important in getting people attention and orienting them on the webinar. Even with streaming video webinars your “place holder” is important. I recommend turning on your webinar presentation 15 minutes before the start time and leaving the opening slide. You can have two versions of the opening slide with the pre-start slide having the text “We’ll Be Starting Shortly” display. This helps orient the attendees and since there is no audio they won’t think they cannot hear. Start your engagement before the webinar begins. If they don’t stay on the webinar, there is no opportunity to make your offer during the close portion.

2. From Then to Now – So many folks will do anything to get people to register for a webinar. The question to ask is: “Is there is continuity between the registration page and the webinar?” Continuity means that what you promised in your headline and copy is what you will deliver on the webinar. People often print out the registration page to refer to it or copy and paste the information into their calendar. Nothing turns off an audience faster than a “bait and switch.” If however, you conducted a survey after registration and got feedback on what is of interest to your webinar attendees that is different that the copy on the registration page let the webinar participants know that you modified the webinar presentation to meet their needs. Being honest is a way to connect and engage webinar participants. When participants connect with you early on, they will be more apt to buy from you later.

3. Eye Candy – Evocative images are the core of a good presentation. Original photos and graphics are preferred but royalty free stock photos with the right supporting text work just as well. Analyze images for character, setting and theme to see if they support your concept. If you don’t have eye candy, don’t do a webinar. Do a teleseminar. Or, run a live event. Without images that evoke an emotion you are missing a huge opportunity. We’ve all seen visual stories on meme images, Facebook’s Timeline, Pinterest and Instagram and perhaps you have shared one or two and helped make it go viral. Connecting through the emotion makes the webinar participant feel you understand their situation and need so when you make an offer they’ll feel it can fill their gap. The images are the backdrop to the story and engage the emotions. This leads us to way # 4, Visual Storytelling.

4. Visual Storytelling – The internet has made access to information, videos and images potentially unlimited. Turning found on the internet information into your own branded, valuable meaning is how you engage people and ultimately profit. It is the human factor that helps add and extracting meaning into our presentation to tell a story. Visual storytelling can go beyond a webinar and be expressed in still images as noted in #3, infographics, games, contests and videos and shared instantly across mobile platforms. I have seen a webinar that is simply all the parts of an infographic but it is the story that goes along with the visuals that makes it come alive. The Information Age may cause overwhelm but the stories that we tall are remembered. It’s like the old marketing adage: Facts Tell, Stories Sell. Images coupled with the story emotion so when you get to the close portion of your webinar they will feel open to listen and ultimately purchase or take your next requested action. The visuals support the story and you can engage webinar audiences with important issues and install human emotion with storytelling.

5. Show and Tell – Demonstrations are powerful especially if you have a software component. Many social media professionals start with a slide based presentation or streaming video then switch over to a browser to demonstrate the features of tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. The hands in-the-moment experience is very engaging. This is an opportunity for questions and chat and more live engagement. The F.A.M.E. example is what you strive for in engaging an audience. The F.A.M.E. example in a webinar is F= Fascination, A= Achieves, M= Memorable, E= Experience. Webinars and event experience worthy of engagement. Use show and tell demos to make it memorable.

6. Fascinating Features – Most webinar platforms come with features such as a chat box, question area, polls and whiteboards. You many not find these tools fascinating but the feedback and responses of these features create more engagement. You can learn more about your attendees as you connect and go back and forth in an engaging webinar-style dialogue. You have heard the expression: ‘A confused person does not buy.’ Flint McLaughlin says, “Clarity Trumps Persuasion.” Engage participants with questions and take them on a journey that has a clear path and a clear destination. Then you don’t have to persuade and cajole because if your offer is the right fit and your story has sold them, they want to buy. Even if you don’t use any fancy features, asking well-timed questions is one of the most important ways to get attention and create engagement. One simple thing to do with the chat area is to provide the order link when you complete your webinar closing pitch before the Q&A portion. This way the participants don’t have to type the link themselves and it avoids typos. Anything that is a short-cut that creates engagement and speeds up the sales process will help you make more money.

7. Give Them An Encore, Baby! Not everyone who registers for a live webinar shows up. Not everyone who shows up live can stay until the end of the webinar. It has been reported that many sales from webinars come from the encore webinar replay – up to 50-70% of the revenue is from encores. Obviously, you have to have a valuable offer in your webinar close. If you use an automated webinar system, such as Easy Webinar Plugin, you can still use the chat feature to answer questions via email to maintain engagement.  Also, there are timed events for special gifts such as PDF downloads, and other features built into the automated encore webinar system. It is true that even people who were on the live webinar go and watch the encore because missed something and want to discover more. Well after the live webinar event is over, webinar encores are great for engagement.

#LikesUP for Webinar Engagement!

The Webinar Way 2nd edition 2018