5 Steps to Create and Deliver Effective Client Webinars

By Steve Crowhurst, CTC

You already know about customer engagement and chances are you are involved in such travel marketing practices. For the most part an engagement program includes good old direct mail, (refer back to the 5 Steps to Increase Your Direct Mail ROI) and possibly something social, too. To go to the next level of new business generation, you should explore how you can weave the latest sales and marketing trend which is webinars, into your marketing model.

I am 99% sure you have attended a webinar or two in your travel career. You know how they work and you also know what makes them worthwhile for you. Delivering a webinar puts you on the other end of the microphone and the view from there is a little nerve wracking.

Here are some keypoints: Your audience is made up of your clients. You can design your webinar to suit a promotion or you may chat about your latest trip and show your photographs and naturally with an end result having your audience inquire about that destination. You can offer a non-sales webinar where you share something such as “a recipe from the island” – food is always an excellent theme and it ties into travel nicely.

Here are 5 steps that will get you closer to creating and presenting your own series of client webinars:

1. Choosing Your Webinar System: Webinar systems are low cost. They range from $20 to $50 per month for a basic account. You will have a ‘virtual classroom’ of 10 to 150 seats for a monthly fee. Make sure the system you use is compatible on most internet browsers. You will want an e-Commerce function too, so look for a system that offers a PayPal program at the basic level.
2. The 4 “I Wants”: There are four things your clients will want if they are to give up their time to attend your webinar. The 4 I Wants are: 1) I want to be entertained. 2) I want to be informed. 3) I want to learn something. 4) I want to trust you. There is your presentation development plan. If you can meet each of those four demands, your webinar content will be on course with what most audiences want.
3. What Do You Want Them To Do? After you have presented your slides, and held a question and answer session, how will you end your webinar? What do you want your clients to do once you’ve finished the webinar? Some webinar systems give you the option of pointing your audience to your website or a specific website page where your special promotion can be found. Think about this last action because it’s very important. Will your audience visit your website, fill in a survey, send an email, receive a brochure, visit your agency, enter to win? So many options, so it is very important that you set a goal for the end.
4. Follow Up: The next question is to you: what will you do after the webinar? You must follow up with each client who attended. Send an email, make a phone call or Skype them about how the webinar went, what they thought of the information and lead them your way, if your intention is to ask them to book. The follow up can be the moment you qualify your clients for a trip, ask where they are planning on going, or ask for referrals. Once again this must be planned and practiced. You can even “seed” the PowerPoint presentation with questions such as “Who do you know who would like to do this trip with you?” When you seed presentations like this, you don’t even have to mention it, the text on the slide is subtle enough.
5. The Recording: Let’s say you managed to attract 50 of your clients to your webinar, but you have 1,500. What to do? Repurpose your webinar and promote the recorded version. Upload your recorded webinar to your website and promote the link to that page where any of your clients can click and watch. Of course they will not have the live interaction with you as they watch the recording, however they can follow up with you after. If you ask your clients to sign in or register before they watch the recording, then you will have their name and email to follow up.

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