I’m not like other webinar facilitators, I’m a cool webinar facilitator. (Tee hee, Mean Girls reference!) My webinar strategies are built a bit different… and I am proud of that.
Not only is this a detailed podcast episode about my webinar strategies that aren’t like the others… it’s Day 2 of #Tashmas!!
Wait… What is #Tashmas?
I do it for both my birthday (1-12 March) and pre-Christmas (1-12 December) every year! Every day from now until my birthday on 12th March, there will be a new daily podcast episode, with a hot tip or practical strategy as per usual… but you ALSO get a gift! I love sharing the birthday vibes, and what better way to do that?! The daily gift could be a freebie, a special offer, a competition… but there will be something for YOU every single day.
Today’s gift is a chance to win a pretty epic prize, so be sure to check that out!
Let’s dive right in!
Here for the links referenced in the show notes?
Tell me the title of your webinar for your chance to win a free Webinar Makeover session with meeeeee!!!!
Enter by commenting on the Day 2 #Tashmas post on my Facebook Page!
EPISODE 463: Listen using the player below, or click the links to your fave platform to subscribe and listen over there:
Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on SpotifListen on YouTube
This isn’t the first webinar strategy episode!
I did do a podcast recently about maximising attendance at webinars. And WHOA – Did some people have feelings about that episode?!
I loved your comments and emails, so thank you. I think the sassiness towards the end really resonated with people. Here’s the link to the episode (tashcorbin.com/461) – and I recommend listening to it if you haven’t yet, because it’s clear people are interested in a different approach to running webinars. For some, it’s a revelation to hear me talk about webinars through the lens of showing up in teacher mode and making it valuable whether people buy or not.
It’s an opportunity to establish a relationship with your audience. Most of what they’ve heard about webinars is sell, hustle, trick people, force them, and bribe them; it’s about what you can get rather than give. I loved the response, and I see a big influx of new people into my audience who maybe haven’t been to my webinars before. Keep an eye out for those. I’ve got a few coming up. I love this conversation and coming at it fresh.
Clearly there’s more to say!
Sometimes I think I’ve said all I can about webinars, but it’s a reminder that there’s always a new audience or people who haven’t listened before. You don’t eat up every single word I say. Well, not all of you. What I thought for this episode is to go through my webinar strategies that buck the normal trend.
Here are 6 key webinar strategies I use that buck the trends:
Where do I diverge from the typical advice or strategies to run great webinars? That’s what we’re discussing in this episode.
Strategy 1: I don’t charge money for webinars
Many advocate charging for webinars because people value them more, turn up, and are more likely to buy the next offer. While that’s true, if my goal is list growth, I prefer having larger numbers, even if the conversion percentage is smaller. I found running free webinars helps attract more people and often a higher percentage of new audiences, and so even with a lower conversion RATE, the total number of sales is much higher. I cover more about that in THIS episode.
Strategy 2: I don’t dictate how people engage with my webinars
Telling everyone to focus, turn off phones, and close tabs isn’t ideal for everyone. People have different learning styles, and I respect that. I don’t make webinars live-only; I know people learn at different paces and through different methods. People benefit from replaying, pausing, and fast-forwarding, making webinars more inclusive and engagement friendly. If people want to listen on the go, let them!
It’s ableist to dictate how people engage with the webinar. So I’m not going to do that. I want an inclusive approach to webinars, and when I do that, the webinar does ALL of its jobs better. Making sales is one of those jobs, but it’s not the only one.
Strategy 3: I don’t have client success stories littered throughout
Now, here’s something I do very differently: I don’t litter my webinars with slides showing client success stories. Firstly, there is no client that I have already had, that has the exact same situation as you. So why would I use their story to paint a picture of what is possible for you? The way testimonials and client stories are used in webinars is built on agitation-admiration marketing (tune in to Day 9 of #Tashmas next week to find out more about that!)
They create anxiety over the results others have achieved, emphasising urgency and oversimplifying the process. Testimonials can be cherry-picked to encourage feelings of inadequacy and create pressure to buy. Others are used to show ‘even if this is your challenge, look at this other person who overcame that challenge’, essentially dismissing your concern, but also glossing over what may be needed to achieve the same result. There’s not enough time in a webinar to cover all the background, existing resources and privilege that the individual had, as well as all the things that contributed to their result, in order for that story to give the full picture.
In essence, it’s not a consent-based webinar strategy, because it oversimplifies the process of getting the result, and the resources that were used. I want you to feel informed and empowered, not pressured – so I won’t use this approach to sell to you. It’s not my vibe.
Strategy 4: I don’t bribe people to attend or watch webinars
Offering bonus resources, exclusive offers, or time-limited deals isn’t something I do. It adds pressure to decision-making, disconnecting people from rational judgement and encouraging rash decisions. I prefer organic engagement built on interest in the webinar’s topic and relevance to their needs at the time.
Think about it: If I have to bribe you to listen to the whole thing, what does that say about the quality of the training?
If I have to bribe you to attend live, not only am I now withholding that reward from people who simply CANNOT make it at the time, but I am also artificially raising attendance rates through a sales mechanism, rather than actually improving the topic and content of my webinar to be more relevant and helpful to my ideal clients.
Strategy 5: I don’t withhold value in webinars
My webinars generally last ninety minutes, and I strive to provide as much value as I can during that time. People often fear giving too much away in free webinars, but I believe in offering tangible teaching and implementation while knowing there’s more to offer through my full programs or services.
But it’s not a matter of ‘more is more’. My webinars are comprehensive trainings, absolutely. But I’m not overwhelming people with so much information, that it actually doesn’t help them move forward. I don’t hold back on giving value – but value and volume are very different things. When it comes to your webinar strategy and deciding how much to ‘give away’, remember: People want transformation, not just information!
Strategy 6: I open the webinar room early
Being ADHD-friendly and acknowledging life distractions, I open the room at least 5 mins, if not 10, before the scheduled start time. I don’t start early, I just open the room and say hello. It’s a great way for people to say hello first, connect with each other and tell us about their business. That means attendees often get some new followers on social media simply for arriving a little early, AND when I am giving examples throughout the webinar, I can speak about the specific people in the room’s businesses, making the training far more tangible and relevant .
It allows people to prepare, settle, and ensure they can navigate the technology and find everything they need. It also encourages people to attend on time, knowing the webinar content starts promptly, and that there will be a little mingling prior to the actual training kicking off!
They are six pretty different webinar strategies, especially after attending a 2-hour snorefest of sales from some pushy marketer who just sees you as a number, right?!
Feel free to try these out for yourself as well – you might just find that your webinars end up being far more attended, and the word spreads that you’re not like other webinar facilitators – you’re a cool webinar facilitator. Tee hee!
Now the fun part! Your #Tashmas Gift!
I’m giving away a webinar makeover! We will work together on improving the brilliance and the effectiveness of your webinar.
I’ll draw one lucky winner – all you need to do is tell me the title of your webinar on the Day 2 #Tashmas post over on my Facebook Page. It can be a webinar you’ve never run before, or one you have run and want to improve. I don’t mind either way. If you can’t choose between the two, let’s start with the webinar that you’ve run before because we can use the data from previous times to direct the best focus and how to improve it.
The webinar makeover includes a 90-minute initial session, and a 30-minute review session after you’ve promoted and delivered the webinar, so we can then capture even more insights and upgrades for the next iteration. I’m so excited to see who wins!
But be quick! Enter by telling me the title of your webinar over on my Facebook Page.
Until next time, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.
