Webinars provide a chance to showcase industry expertise, raise brand awareness, and develop more personal relationships with potential clients and customers. As a lead magnet, they also provide opportunities to promote business cases around products and answer questions in real-time.
The Virtual Trade Show Booth
Unlike a single-use trade show booth, webinars can be repurposed and repackaged to continue to draw leads even after the live webinar event. An additional benefit of not being on the trade show floor is having the full attention of your audience. The webinar setting allows an opportunity to expand on the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of the company, in a planned presentation, without feeling rushed or competing for attention on a busy trade show floor. Businesses must embrace digital technology to move lead generation beyond the limitations of venues and in-person events. Webinars can provide a significant ROI for companies looking to gain access to global or local prospects for a lower cost per lead.
Choosing a Partner
Hosting a webinar with a partner provides multiple value-adds for attendees. In addition to learning about individual products, live audiences get the benefit of discourse and Q&A with relevant and experienced IoT industry experts. They also gain first access to new use cases and implementation strategies as they are currently being rolled out and tested in the marketplace.
Customers seeking a digital solution are on a steep learning curve when it comes to the IoT ecosystem. Hosting the webinar with a company whose product is too similar to your own will only confuse the audience. Avoid this by selecting an ecosystem partner who complements but does not compete with your product offering and will be able to help provide the most value to attendees.
Divide and Conquer
When more than one company is hosting the webinar, that means multiple email lists are involved. Companies that host an event together can tailor the webinar content to the needs of their target audiences and promote across several channels. This strategy amplifies the ability of each participating company to expand opportunities to generate leads.
What About Content?
There are multiple issues to consider when it comes to creating webinar content for your target audience.
New Leads
Attendees who sign up for your webinar through paid advertising are likely to be unfamiliar with the brand, but their interest shows they would like to know more. In this case, the company should take more time to explain their background and history. Dedicating this time for storytelling creates a framework that helps attendees get to know the brand, the technology, and the value proposition.
Existing Leads
Registrants acquired through previous business services or from an existing mailing list are already familiar with your products or services; thus, it will be essential to cover your differentiating features or new offerings. Additional content can include use cases or examples of clients who are currently using the product, and blogs or articles explaining how and where those businesses have seen benefits.
Advantages of Hosting a Webinar
- Cost is substantially less per lead than attending a trade show
- Webinars continue to draw leads through the recorded event
- Access to clients who may not have attended industry events
- Insights into your target audience through real-time Q&A
- Great method to build an email list and generate qualified leads
Do not underestimate the power of a well-planned webinar event. It is an excellent business tool for tapping into new audiences, identifying new pain points, and building deeper relationships with your customer base. Just like a good trade show meeting, focused, and thoughtful conversation can quickly develop into lead conversions and other collaborative opportunities.