Today we’re looking at how to get more clients from B2B webinars and I have kindly been joined by B2B webinar expert and GetMoreHRclients reader, Kris Sharma.
We’ve probably all been on a B2B webinar at some point, either as a host, guest, or attendee.
How To Get More Clients From B2B Webinars – Questions To Consider
As you probably know, running webinars for B2B lead generation and to make sales is a lot harder than it looks.
There are so many elements to consider:
- What topic will you choose that will prove attractive enough to your ideal sales prospects?
- Who will host the event?
- Who will present during the event?
- What technology will you use?
- How will you bring in attendees to the event?
- What will you do to keep them entertained and informed?
- How will you produce leads and sales from the webinar?
- Will you host the event live or pre-record it?
- Will you re-use any of the content?
- And more.
(Webinars fall into stage four of my four-stage process to bring in more clients for your HR-related business).
I was pondering these questions recently when I discovered Kris Sharma’s website.
Kris and I started chatting after I joined his newsletter mailing list and he reached out to say hello (how’s that for a simple but effective way to use your CRM!).
Kris Sharma – SmartWebinarMarketing.com
In one of his emails, Kris revealed an excellent tip that I want to share with you now:
When producing webinar content to generate leads and sales, make the webinar so interesting and informative that your own current customers want to join the webinar too.
Again, that’s very simple but very effective when you consider that sleazy sales techniques we see going on during sales webinars these days.
How To Get More Clients From B2B Webinars – Q&A With Kris Sharma
Here’s what I asked Kris:
- A lot of HR firms use webinars to generate leads (HR software example, management consultant webinar examples, recruitment software example). In general, what are the 3 biggest mistakes made by companies running B2B webinars?
- How should an HR business choose a webinar topic that can produce sales leads and not just get tyre-kickers looking for free information on a particular topic?
- What are the best ways to fill a webinar? Is paid traffic possible?
- Is there a way to automate the webinar process that feels real and brings in good leads or sales?
- Are partner webinars worth doing? Any special tips?
- How to work out the ROI of running a webinar?
Let’s get into it and look at how to get more clients from B2B webinars . . .
1. A lot of HR firms use webinars to generate leads (HR software example, management consultant webinar examples, recruitment software example). In general, what are the 3 biggest mistakes made by companies running B2B webinars?
B2B webinars tend to fall in the same 3 traps:
1. Boring. This one baffles me the most. You should strive to be at least as interesting as a sales call. Instead, B2B webinars sound like some mandatory meeting. I was on a webinar once where the presenters spent FIFTEEN MINUTES talking about their experience in the industry, where they went to college—just a ton of filler. Dude, don’t you know I can be watching funny cat videos on Youtube right now? If you want your webinars to have impact, you need to remember that your audience is giving you their most valuable resource: TIME.
2. Not Demonstrating Value. A good B2B webinar isn’t a sales pitch. You want to create valuable content that facilitates the buying process. With my clients, we get most of our leads AFTER the webinar is done. The content is so good that people are watching and sharing content for months, even years, after the webinar is done.
3. No Follow-Up. You can’t expect people to just magically sign up after your call. You need to have clear calls to action and an impactful follow-up process that spurs action.
2. How should an HR business choose a webinar topic that can produce sales leads and not just get tyre-kickers looking for free information on a particular topic?
That’s always going to happen. I give away a ton of free content and don’t expect everyone to become a consulting client or buy my course. You never know how long someone might be in your pipeline before they finally decide to pull the trigger. I had one company reach out to become a client and they weren’t even on my radar. “I’ve been reading your emails and watching your videos for a year,” he said. “I decided it was time to move forward.”
3. What are the best ways to fill a webinar? Is paid traffic possible?
It’s going to depend on your market, but ultimately you want to connect whatever marketing you’re doing to your webinars. If you’re doing a ton of email already, do that. If you’re huge in organic social media, that’s a natural place to start. I recommend paid traffic, but realize that it’s going to be an iterative process. You’re (probably) not going to knock out of the park on the first try.
4. Is there a way to automate the webinar process that feels real and brings in good leads or sales?
I honestly hate automated webinars that pretend to be live, especially for B2B. It just has a goofy, infomercial feel to it. That’s another problem I have with B2B webinars—a lot of people are taking the corny, B2C infomercial-type techniques and applying them to businesses. The VP of an INC 5000 company isn’t going to believe that your webinar is live at 11pm.
That said, if you can be authentic and honest—-like saying it’s an “on-demand training”—then I think it’s fine.
5. Are partner webinars worth doing? Any special tips?
Yes, absolutely. Find a company that complements what you do and offer real value. I’ve done tons of partner webinars and it’s always been a win-win.
6. How to work out the ROI of running a webinar?
If you do it right, the ROI is massive. I’m talking 10000-50000% return.
Why? Well, my goal is to spend very little and generate a mid-five figures of revenue in a week.
You’d calculate it the way you would any other marketing campaign. The lifetime value of the customer, what you’re spending, etc.
Next Steps
Webinars can be really powerful for generating business leads, establishing rapport with future clients, and for making direct sales.
To learn more on how to get more clients from B2B webinars, visit Kris at SmartWebinarMarketing.com.
Next: Join my private mailing list now and I’ll send you my four step strategy to get more clients in the Human Resources industry.
