61% of content marketers consider this an effective method…

Event marketing is one of the hottest tickets in town according to the B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends North America report.  67% of B2B content marketers say live events are effective and 61% of B2B content marketers consider webinars to be effective.  That is good news if you market to other businesses.

Why is that such good news?  Well, keeping the focus on webinars, they are an inexpensive way to reach a targeted market over a wide geographic area.  In fact, you can reach a global audience and it doesn’t cost much to put on a webinar.  There are many webinar hosting services to choose from but my personal preference is InstantTeleseminar.  It has everything I need to deliver a high quality presentation and has the replay capabilities I need at a fair monthly price. Other system needs are a lead capture system, a telephone (or VOIP), and email.  Standard technology for any business.

Why is event marketing so popular?  Because event marketing is a form of engagement marketing and engagement marketing is all about the relationships.  People want to experience you before they buy and event marketing is a great way to do that.  Keep this in mind if you are hosting webinars. People love information but they also want a relationship that develops through two-way conversation. 

Are you accessible?  If you are hosting a webinar, host it live so that you can allow for Q&A sessions.  Pre-recorded webinars lack a personal touch and it is somewhat discouraging when you realize that while the host wants your attention they won’t take the time to sit in on their own event.  Even if the person interested in your event can only listen to the replay, therefore missing the live touch, they knew that the event was live.

Relevancy is key.  There is something stale about a pre-recorded webinar.  There is no sense of urgency.  It is like a book or magazine that sits on the side table unread even though you have every intention of getting to it.  The stack keeps piling up but you never seem to get to it.  A pre-recorded webinar elicits the same response and that can have detrimental effects if you have a time-sensitive offer.

If you are looking for new avenues to engage your audience and deliver your expertise through content, I strongly suggest giving webinars a try.  Incorporate this method with the intent of creating relationships by opening up the means for initiating dialogue.  It is one of the most affordable, simple ways to get the relationship started with an audience who is interested in what you have to say.

Liz Uram is the owner of The Coach & Mentor Group, the best choice for planning and development.  Download ‘5 Ways To Boost Your Business Now!’