Now that we have the internet and various technologies within our reach, many things in our lives have become much easier. This includes the way we deal and manage our business. Through the internet, the scope that our business can reach has immensely widened. We can now reach people all over the world in real-time whenever we wish without leaving our office. We can all agree that this has also made a lot of companies more competitive. With a tough business environment, you have to do your best to innovate and adopt new ways to keep you at the top of the industry.
How to Use Webinars to Increase Your Sales
Small business owners may feel as if they don’t have a chance of competing with other companies out there. There is no need to worry. If you want to increase your sales and give your business an edge from your competitors, there are several different ways for you to do it. This can, however, become a bit expensive. Traveling to meet with clients can be time-consuming and may build a hole in your bank account, especially when they are far from your place. Luckily, there are numerous tools available on the internet, for free or just a small fee, such as webinars that may be of help to increase your sales while staying in the comforts of your own office.
But what exactly is a webinar and how can it help with businesses? A webinar is basically a seminar, lecture, workshop, or presentation held on the internet. This is also often referred to as web conference, web training, webcasts, online classes, online events and more. This live and web-based video conference allows you to connect and interact in real-time with an individual or even a group of people whenever and wherever you are.
Benefits and Features of Using Webinars
Numerous companies have seen the advantages of using webinars for their businesses. A lot of them understand the importance of this tool for their business needs. But for those who haven’t tried it out yet and are skeptical of its advantages for their business, here are some of the features of webinars and the benefits you and your business could get:
- The most important thing that webinars may provide you is a platform for you to interact with not just one, but even hundreds or thousands of audiences or customers at once and in real-time. You and your audiences or customers can connect with each other through the computer or through a regular land or cell phone. With the advancements in technology, more and more people are turning to technology for their everyday needs. In this modern world, almost everyone has access to the internet and owns a phone. Through webinars, you can reach a wider scope of audiences. There are no geographical boundaries. It doesn’t matter if they live halfway around the globe. Anyone who has access to the internet or a cellular or land phone may reach you and become your customer or audience.
- Webinars include audio and visual components. Audiences can listen to the speaker using their cellular or land phones. They can also look at the examples and demonstrations of the presenters on screen. The presenter may share his or her desktop screen with the audiences and show their product, video, PowerPoint, documents, and more. With a webinar, you will be able to deliver valuable information, insights, and facts to your audiences. This way your customers can clearly understand and know what you are selling or offering and its importance to their needs and relevance to their business.
- Webinars are not only a one-way interaction. A lot of webinars, especially those that are done live allow interaction between the speaker and the audiences. Some webinars include a shared control feature where audiences or participants can be given control over the presenter’s display screen. Other features included in some webinars are surveys and polls that your audiences can question. Your audience will also get a voice. They can ask questions and answer questions. This allows you to collect information from your audiences or customers. You will have an idea of their preferences and their feedback. It also keeps your audience and customers more engaged. With a webinar, you can build a new relationship and strengthen customer loyalty and trust.
The Use of Webinars in Businesses
Webinars are now used in a lot of different ways. Different professionals such as coaches, therapists, authors, speakers, and other leaders use webinars whether paid or free to increase their presence and authority online, as well as connect with their audiences or customers by selling their services or products.
A lot of businesses are benefiting from the use of webinars. Webinars are becoming popular that even drug and alcohol treatment centers use webinars to interact with their prospective patients and those who are curious about their services or those who just want to understand information about substance abuse.
A lot of people like attending webinars because they get to learn about a lot of things. The best thing is that they don’t have to travel far for it. In-person seminars or events can often be very expensive both for you and for your prospective clients. Setting up in-person events can take a lot of time, manpower, and money. Traveling and registration fees for your event can also be very pricey and some of your prospective clients may not be able to afford them. With webinars, however, even when your clients are even at home, they can join webinars and learn from the speakers and interact with them for free or for a small price. Webinars also look as professional or even more professional as in-person events. It helps bring people together and build relationships. The uses of webinars are endless. You and your business will benefit a lot from this tool.
Where to Host Your Webinars
There are different ways for you to host webinars. Some people would prefer to host their own webinars. To do this, you would need to choose a good webinar service provider. There are many options to choose from with so many companies and service providers out there.
It can be hard to find a provider that offers webinars for free since you need to use resources to do them. Most of them, however, offer a free trial for a few days or at most a month for you to try their services. If you wish to do webinars for free without spending anything, you can use the live video features of social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This does not provide the full features of a webinar service provider, but for small businesses, this can be enough to increase your sales.