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What Do You Think Of Webinars?

by Eric Louviere
59 replies
Like them?

Hate them?

Ever been on one offered by marketers who sell to other marketers? Overdone? Prefer it? Wait for replays? What says you?

feedback and opinions on webinars requested:

~Eric Louviere
#webinars
  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    I personally despise webinars. I would rather watch a video, one that I can rewind immediately to better understand a concept. A webinar, to me, is like a fancy chat room. Boring.
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  • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
    Well, for the most part I do like webinars because you can pick up a lot of good free information. Many marketers do have a product to sell and that is the reason for the webinar, however, some marketers are starting to see that having a webinar for free, just to provide a WOW factor can really pay off big too.

    In my opinion if more marketers would give free webinars that will help people with some of their marketing, or other problems, in return these people will follow them and purchase items from them from now on.

    No one really likes to be SOLD, they just like to be TOLD

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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      They're good for creating the illusion that you are doing something productive with your time by learning new things and networking with people in related industries.

      But, sooner or later, you realize that the bulk of the time of a webinar is wasted time, that the actual meat of the thing is but a very small percentage of the time you've spent there.

      As such, it's a more productive use of your time to watch a condensed video of what occurred at a webinar, or to simply watch videos designed to be short and informative, or to read an eBook or chat with people in Skype, than it is to sit through a webinar.
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      • Profile picture of the author RhondaG
        Actually Dan, I agree somewhat with what you just said, but I also believe that new people need to be around some like-minded people if nothing more than to keep them encouraged in the beginning. Thanks for your insight!
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      • Profile picture of the author Eric Louviere
        Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

        They're good for creating the illusion that you are doing something productive with your time by learning new things and networking with people in related industries.

        But, sooner or later, you realize that the bulk of the time of a webinar is wasted time, that the actual meat of the thing is but a very small percentage of the time you've spent there.

        As such, it's a more productive use of your time to watch a condensed video of what occurred at a webinar, or to simply watch videos designed to be short and informative, or to read an eBook or chat with people in Skype, than it is to sit through a webinar.
        That's pretty interesting. Thanks for your post Dan
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        • Profile picture of the author KenJ
          They are all way too looooong!
          60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120minutes???

          I do not have that sort of time even if there is a killer deal in the last minute.

          I have "Attended" about 10 webinars and the content could have been delivered in 20 minutes at the most. More is not always more.

          What about a webinar that promises - "This will only take 20 minutes or you can have my offer for free"

          That would focus the mind

          Kenj
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      • Profile picture of the author AnitaCross
        My experience with webinars is somewhat limited, but...

        What usually happens is the host says very little, while the guest host tells all about how to use the product he then pitches at the end of the webinar. Sometimes, the information can be used without the product, though it would take more time. Most of the time, the information is not very useable without the product pitched at the end.

        Webinars seem to be the internet's version of infomercials. And most people who go to them know that there is a pitch at the end, and they go anyway. Those who aren't interested in being sold usually don't bother to go. Many bail at the point the pitch starts.

        I neither love nor hate webinars. I'll sign up if the topic interests me, especially if there is the promise for a replay video later. I like knowing I won't miss out if my schedule prevents me from attending. (Plus I like being able to go over the information again, if I like it.)

        All the webinars I've attended are marketers to other marketers.

        For my tastes, I feel like too much time is used for fluff... Establishing the credibility of the guest host, (if I didn't think he/she was credible, I wouldn't have signed up for the webinar); long rambling; long and/or frequently going off topic. A little fluff goes a long way. Too much fluff and many folks come away feeling like they just wasted 1-1/2 hours of their time.

        I also don't like the hard sell. If I'm really interested in the product, I'll sit through it anyway. During the pitch, I usually do some research: I check out the url provided, and I google the product/topic to find out what others are saying about it.

        I very rarely buy what's pitched at the end.

        Hope this helps your research.

        -Anita
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      • Profile picture of the author Yogini
        Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

        They're good for creating the illusion that you are doing something productive with your time by learning new things and networking with people in related industries.

        But, sooner or later, you realize that the bulk of the time of a webinar is wasted time, that the actual meat of the thing is but a very small percentage of the time you've spent there.

        As such, it's a more productive use of your time to watch a condensed video of what occurred at a webinar, or to simply watch videos designed to be short and informative, or to read an eBook or chat with people in Skype, than it is to sit through a webinar.
        I agree with this though personally just prefer an ebook. There is too much filler in most webinars and egos of presenters. On top of that, when there is something valuable often it's hard to remember the url that was given (which is much easier to find in a pdf file). People are busy and to sit through an hour to get 1 or 2 tips is a lot of time compared to skimming a pdf for information. Because webinars often have a wide range of levels of viewers there is generally bound to be information on it that one has heard before, if one has been around a while. I'd rather just see video/webinar for technical parts that require visualization but then to be able to click to relevant videos from within a pdf and not see the ones I already know.

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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    I don't like webinars.

    They've been done to death so badly that they've anchored webinars to pre-selling in my mind so I just avoid them now as they feel like nothing more than preselling events.
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  • Profile picture of the author erichammer
    In most cases, I find them to be a waste of time. As has been noted, the meat in most of them is minimal. I actually attended one the other day in which the guy kept going on and on about how his webinar was going to be filled with content and that you should take notes. I sat there waiting for over an hour for him to do even one thing that was useful. All he did was make a hard sell for half an hour for his product. Pathetic. I immediately opted out of his list. The only webinars I've found any value from were the ones offered by John Chow. The three I've been to from him have had real content with very little hard sell. Others seem to do the opposite.
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  • Profile picture of the author mikeroosa
    I do like them, but I prefer watching the replay. They can run on and on forever sometimes.
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Mostly I find that they are too long, I just don't have the time for them!

    And a lot of the ones I have been to are boring too but I will say the ones I have liked are ones where the people are showing you how to use their product especially if I know ahead of time exactly what the product and, therefore, that I want to buy it.

    But for the most part now I avoid them because I'm very selective about what I do with my time since time=money.

    I'm sure if you did one though Eric, it would be really exciting and well worth every second!

    Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author TracyNeedham
    I think everyone here has good points.

    I think the first question more people doing a webinar need to think about is--why a webinar? What advantage does that format have for what you're trying to do?

    • If I'm going to do some copy hot seats, a webinar would be a good format because that's something you do really have to see to get.
    • If you're doing a topic on landing page conversions--again, a webinar is a good fit because you want to show visual examples of what you're talking about.
    • But if you're just going to serve up a bunch of bullets on PowerPoint slides, do a teleseminar or report. Please. Because you're totally missing the point of having a visual medium.
    And as some have said, do they really need to be so long? Seriously? I'd like to see 30-45 minute webinars myself.

    First, because I just don't have the time and the patience to sit through all that. Even if the content is fascinating, just sitting there watching gets old after a while.

    But you know the big reason I (and maybe some others) hate long webinars?

    They make me feel unproductive. I start stressing about all the work I'm not getting done while watching it but it's too distracting (IMO) to do real work at the same time.

    And if try to do real work anyway, inevitably I'll hear something I want to see and miss it before I get back to that screen. Argh. So now I'm annoyed an unproductive. LOL

    Some folks have complained about them being one long sales pitch--but the quality of content is going to vary with the presenter. That's no different from teleseminars, free reports or anything else.

    Some will offer real info, some will be one loooong pitch.

    My one pet peeve is having to download their stupid software (GotoMeeting). But they still seem to be the most reliable platform out there for a large number of attendees, although I haven't tried the new webinar service from Instant Teleseminar yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Grant
    I pass on them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
    When I first started out about three years ago, I found webinars useful and learned a lot. As my knowledge increased, I found them to be mostly less and less useful and more a waste of my time.

    People who put these things on seem more intent on trying to get attendance numbers up. As such, it is not always possible to judge if the content will be useful to me or not. Most webinars now are very much like blind sales copy.

    And if the content usefulness is unknown, then the probable pitch at the end is also unlikely to be of any use to me.

    Bottom line is that it is getting harder and harder for anyone to get me to attend a webinar. The value of a replay is I can listen for a few minutes and get a feel for the value of listening ON MY TIME.

    Hmmm, maybe I am not the target audience for most webinars .

    Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author Dann Vicker
    Many do not realize it but webinars actually offer about the highest conversion rates for my products and promotions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Marr
    Webinars are great to pick up new informations but all depends if the webinar is a replay or not.
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  • Profile picture of the author Henry White
    No thanks! I'll wait for the transcript. I might have 20 minutes to read that - if it's better than what we've all come to expect - but not 2 hours.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
      Depends on who is doing the webinar. Certain people, like John Schwartz and Michael Gunn, have webinars that are meaty and full of great content. Others, not so much.

      And for God's sake, don't tell me I'm signing up for a webinar and then it turns out to be pre-recorded. That's not a webinar, it's a video.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kieran D
        [QUOTE=Tina Golden;3678168]Depends on who is doing the webinar. Certain people, like John Schwartz and Michael Gunn, have webinars that are meaty and full of great content. Others, not so much.

        I totally agree with Tina.

        Personally, I've seen, heard and experienced the good, bad and the damn right ugly.

        I do prefer a recording as well though (if I have the option).
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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    Seems like some people are having great success with webinars as a marketing tool. I can see why, you've got a captive audience there already interested in what you have to say so conceivably they are more likely to buy your stuff.

    However, I do not really like attending them as often it's a waste of time, like many have said. Often the hosts ramble on a bit it seems like, just to fill time, or run silly competitions just to get people to ask more questions and give more comments. If it's great content, I'm all for it, but I'm just afraid of all the time wasting that will likely go on, with too much discussion that goes nowhere. They're inefficient, I'd say.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nickolie0990
    Webinars and Teleseminars rock, love them. Great for sales and for teaching.
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  • Profile picture of the author Trivum
    A lot of people like them. I don't. In fact, I just recently unsubscribed from a list I was on because all they seemed to do was promote their webinars through their emails. Never any info in the emails themselves.
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    • Profile picture of the author rrm
      Originally Posted by Trivum View Post

      A lot of people like them. I don't. In fact, I just recently unsubscribed from a list I was on because all they seemed to do was promote their webinars through their emails. Never any info in the emails themselves.

      Yeah, you would think that IM marketers, of all people, by now would realize that if ALL you do is send emails that promote the webinar of the week without EVER providing anything useful whatsoever, people will unsubscribe. One marketer I've recently unsubscribed from sells a keyword research tool, his flagship product, but all the emails I get from him, several every week, do nothing but promote webinars (or downloadables) on other marketers' products. This annoys me more than 2 hours of "fluff and stuff" webinars. Have had enough of that!

      Signed onto one webinar where the first 9 (nine!) minutes was spent validating the presenter's credentials. Are you kidding? Shut up already! You already got me to join the webinar. Don't waste my time with all the master of the universe stuff, or name drop all the gurus who use your services. I'm not impressed. You go to the bathroom the same way I do (if you're a guy . Just share some useful knowledge and if I like what I hear and if your product interests me, then we'll talk. You really, really can do this in less than 2 hours.

      Lots of webinars are now more than 2 to 2 and a half hours long. Waaay too long, no matter what the subject. If I want to learn something, I'll just watch the replay. I can just skip over to hear what I want to hear.
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  • Profile picture of the author SShip
    I only like webinars by certain people. It's nice that they send replays so if the time the webinar is happening isn't good for you, you can listen to it at a time that is.
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  • Profile picture of the author aminur
    I do both. Love them and hate them. it's so much easier to explain things to people. it's excellent to hold a webinar and answer all the question your list has, instead of emailing back every day.
    Hate it because they do seem to have a lot of technical issues. Some time the audio cuts off or a massive delay on where people hear your voice 1st then your screen and makes things harder. But over all WEbinars are great.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Wagoner
    My tastes for them have waned considerably, so I have become really picky about which (if any) webinars I attend.

    Most I have attended have been bare bones info wrapped with things I don't want to hear.

    The worst don't stay on topic and ramble about irrelevant things with the co-host.

    During these times, I wish I could click a "Slap the hosts" button.

    Robert Plank is currently one of the best webinar hosts IMO. He doesn't ramble too terribly, and I always feel like it was worth my time.
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  • Profile picture of the author CTonline09
    A webinar is nothing but a pre sell, they put the pie in front of you let you smell it, maybe even nibble the corner then scoop it away until you hand over X amount of dollars.

    Good for the seller, bad for you.

    I have yet to watch a webinar that actually taught something new or at least teach me something in a different way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Big Al
    I used to like them but agree... they've been done to death.

    Where I didn't mind watching a webinar every few weeks or so now I just wait for the replays (and won't be staying up 'till 3am UK time anymore).

    No replay -- oh well there'll be another one soon
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    I do a fair number of webinars, and so I'm partial to them. But I want to point out that some who have commented here seem to think they're always just pre-selling venues with an offer at the end. Not so. Look, a webinar is just a means to an end, but that end can be any number of things. I like webinars because they're like a PDF, audio, and video all at once. If you record them for replay and download, they can be great training tools. I sometimes even set up private one-on-one "webinars" with my coaching students because it's far better to show AND tell vs. just showing or telling. And because it's interactive, the trainee can ask in real time and then I can show them what I mean online as I explain it.

    When used solely in the traditional marketing way, yes, webinars can get tired and boring. But there's no question they convert at a high rate. Try it once and you'll probably become a believer, if you can handle the stage fright. 20%+ conversions are not unusual, as long as your offer is solid.
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  • Profile picture of the author LoriSnyder
    I usually register for a webinar only if it offers a downloadable transcript and materials then pass on the webinar itself and wait for the downloads. I've found the webinars take far too much of my time and the one or two helpful things I would have learned will be in the downloads. I can get in ten minutes what would have cost me an hour. That doesn't mean I won't buy the product, though, so I appreciate people who leave their special offers online for a couple of days after the webinar.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    It depends. I really dislike webinars (and teleseminars, for that matter) that promise real content and only give lip service to the subject. What I've seen is about a third of the time devoted to "credentializing" the seller by recounting his or her life story, every accomplishment since preschool, etc. Then a few minutes of actual content to set up a problem/solution scenario. The remainder of the webinar is devoted to the product description and offer, "unsolicited" testimonials, etc.

    After most 60 minute presentations, my only thought is 'there's an hour of my life I'll never get back'...

    About the only exception I've experienced in recent years is Ken McCarthy's System Seminar previews.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Douglas
    Maybe I think a bit differently, but I love webinars. They rock.

    - I like seeing what other people are selling and how they present their offer
    - I like to see how experienced marketers close the sale at the end
    - I like hearing success stories of how people achieved great things
    - I like to critique a presentation to determine what they did well and what they could do better. I apply the lessons to my own marketing

    I usually learn something good from practically every webinar I watch. Even if it's just confirming a strategy that I already knew works. Plus, you can usually get your questions answered towards the end of the webinar.

    Not all webinars are to pitch a product. On JVMastermindNetwork there is a no-pitch training webinar everyday of the week from real 6 and 7-figure marketers showing you what is really working for them.
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  • Profile picture of the author feodor24
    I personally hate 'em since, as it's been mentioned by someone before, it makes you feel that you're doing something useful while you simply stick to some guy who made his own decision to broadcast his mug at some certain time.

    Why oh why can't all these "professors" just make some videos instead?..
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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    I like, attend, and use them.

    I do view most of them as a sales tool, and so when
    I tune in to one I acknowledge that. If they actually
    teach me something that I value, then I consider that a
    fair exchange.

    So, I look at what I'm actually going to learn from the
    webinar, take notes, and roll what I learn into my
    processes... provided it passes the logic test.

    I do see a lot more webinars lately, which tells me that
    in hosting my own I may need to "raise the free line,"
    so I have put on a couple lately that were totally packed
    with content.

    On some of the replays, I didn't even require the opt-in.
    I considered it more important on those to prove the
    expertise of my guests, and then share their url. I realize
    that in doing that, I took away the ability to follow-up,
    but in some markets, it seems to work better.

    Willie
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Duncan
    I usually wait around for the replay, because most of the time it's not at the right time because of some type of scheduling conflict.

    One nice benefit of this is that if the webinar recording used slides, you can quickly skim through them to determine if the entire webinar would be worth listening to, or just touch on the best parts.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    I do webinars almost exclusively as product delivery for my classes. I'm a fan of them because it's true scarcity. When the class is over, it's over.

    I'm currently experimenting with them in one of my niches and it's actually doing well. But like everything else, I've seen them done badly.

    If you're going to do a longer one, be sure to deliver a lot of info in exchange for the time. Otherwise, the pitchfest leaves a bitter taste.
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  • Profile picture of the author AdFocus
    it depends on the webinar

    there are a few keys to a good webinar:

    - New information is being acquired by the viewer
    - Speakers communicating answers to questions by the viewer
    - Open discussion on current & updated techniques (too often I see rehashes of the same old techniques)
    - Actually useful and viable tips & tricks
    - Giveaways

    If a webinar is solely for the purpose of converting users on a product, I think it is not worth it (especially if it's a business opportunity product). Software webinars are typically really insightful as they give you a first-hand look at the software.
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    • Profile picture of the author onemorewarrior
      In the beginning they were used to get out valuable information to clients and customers and they were a great way to learn in lecture type setting without having to go to a lecture hall.
      But as of late they have become a marketing technique to give a perceived value and raise the price of the product. Every wanna be Guru and their brother offer a free webinar with them as a bonus to buy what they are promoting.As a matter of fact there have been many products that teach this method.

      get a cheap $7 ebook with plr
      add pages to the book
      sell the book for $10
      read the book out loud make audio sell $17
      have a free Q&A webinar with customers record it
      Package whole thing together sell $97
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  • Profile picture of the author deannatroupe
    I truthfully despise webinars. I prefer teleseminars because at least this way, if my baby needs me, I can listen in with a headset and still tend to her. I despise gotomeeting because they make me download stuff to my computer. I'd honestly prefer it if you posted a video that I could watch when I had some free time or recorded an audio that I could download to my mp3 player or listen to on the bus. I even still read PDFs. The point is, if you are going to try to sell me something on this webinar have another option for me to consume the information if I'm not available to attend the live webinar. Now it's cool to have some special incentive for people that are live, but to not even offer a recording just doesn't make sense. IMHO, you lose people that way.
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    • Profile picture of the author thenowsqueezer
      I like any thing as long as I can make contact! and share info!
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  • Profile picture of the author Honest Abel
    I agree with others that they are often way too long. When I listen to them, I ALWAYS multi-task... and if they don't capture my interest in the first 15 minutes or so, I turn them off. However, I do have to say there have been a couple of them where I got some very valuable information.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    Putting aside the fact that most are used to promote an upcoming launch or paid event, I think they suffer most because the presenters don't know how to keep the attendees interest.

    As one who spent years in the offline seminar world, it's disappointing to see how little preparation many webinar hosts seem to do.

    Events start late, lots of time is wasted thanking other participants for showing up, lots of backslapping, bloated introductions that eat up 25% of the time allocated for the whole webinar, more time wasted telling attendees what they will be taught, presenters who appear to have not PRACTICED the material, technical glitches, "second dialogues" going on with emails questioners as the planned presentation continues, boring dry presenters who make little effort to display any range in their voice, SLOW talkers,
    and many more.

    Despite all that, I do attend many, because occasionally you will get a good one.

    I don't begrudge the presenter for pitching at the end. Why would they go to all the trouble, otherwise? Overall, the idea of webinars is a good one, the execution is often bad.
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    • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
      Originally Posted by brucerby View Post

      Overall, the idea of webinars is a good one, the execution is often bad.
      That's it in a nutshell. Also, we're all marketers. We're not necessarily the target audience. Think like a consumer, not a producer, and you'll have to agree that a webinar offers a fairly unique way to deliver online content in real time that engages multiple senses. There's a reason webinars convert so much better than virtually any other online medium.

      I guess what I want to convey here is that if you're reading this, do not take the few negative comments in this thread as any kind of proof that webinars are not effective. They absolutely are (when done well). I encourage any of you so inclined to at least try it. If you can speak reasonably well and don't get too balled up over stage fright issues, you can crank out some sales, even with relatively few in attendance.

      RE: GoToWebinar (GoToMeeting), go into your settings and change the default to record in regular WMV format. It takes up to about an hour to convert it, but then anyone can watch the replay without having to download the GTM codec or worry about using a PC vs. a MAC. Also, you can convert the file to .flv and stream the replay from your blog or site quite easily. Pick up a copy of a free converter, like Any Video Converter. You literally push 2 buttons to convert the file. No technical knowledge of any kind needed.

      John
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  • Profile picture of the author sbissonz
    I really like webinars because they usely teach you many things in the World of Marketings... I always try to attend to any webinar.
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  • Profile picture of the author LiamElliott
    You have to really attend a good webinar in order to get the full experience. Nobody wants to sit and watch someone trying to sell them something for an hour.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    I have never been to a webinar but I am thankful for all of you that shared here. I just think I don't have the scheduling for a webinar but I want to try one sometime. I will keep an eye out for ones that seem interesting to me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
      Originally Posted by Mike McAleer View Post

      I have never been to a webinar but I am thankful for all of you that shared here. I just think I don't have the scheduling for a webinar but I want to try one sometime. I will keep an eye out for ones that seem interesting to me.
      Hi there Mike,

      There are plenty of webinars that would
      be of interest to you. I guarantee that pal.
      If you have some free time, I'd recommend
      checking out TalkMarketingNow.com. George
      runs a tight ship over there and it's for sure
      an information pool.

      Jake Gray
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  • Profile picture of the author James Campbell
    Originally Posted by Eric Louviere View Post

    Like them?

    Hate them?

    Ever been on one offered by marketers who sell to other marketers? Overdone? Prefer it? Wait for replays? What says you?

    feedback and opinions on webinars requested:

    ~Eric Louviere
    Used to love them.

    Now I hate them.

    I'm all webinar'd out to be honest.

    James
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    • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
      I can see how you guys can get tired of the same old 1 hour long sales pitches couched as "webinars"....

      Which usually start like this

      "I'm going to make you a bold promise. I'm going to give you great content tonight and I WILL offer you something at the end - BUT I ONLY WANT YOU TO BUY, IF YOU ACTUALLY LEARNED SOMETHING TONIGHT"
      (lol)

      C'mon guys!

      A lot of presenters are afraid of actually making a webinar interactive (they're afraid it will cut down on conversions)


      How to make webinars MORE INTERACTIVE?

      1) Poll and question your specific audience - BEFORE THE WEBINAR. If there are going to be 100 people on the call, come on presenters - work your buns off BEFORE THE CALL to make sure you are going to give SPECIFIC ANSWERS, to SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (this becomes hard to do if you have a pre-scripted, telemarketing-like sales pitch designed solely to close a sale at the end)

      2) Unmute the call and let your audience interact.
      Don't be afraid to answer questions live. We humans are social and like to know we are participating in something big with other people

      3) Give someone in the audience actual "control".
      Did you know that with gotomeeting, there are advanced functions that let you actually hand over control to someone in the audience?

      Instead of being so anxious to get the "script" right, why not actually let a student from the audience "try" out something.
      As an example, if you're showing someone how to use the New Youtube keyword tool, why not pick a student from the audience and let them do it themselves?

      Remember how in school you only "got" something by actually doing it?

      4) FOLLOW UP!
      It takes time and sometimes money but we actually give out our Skype info and Phone Numbers on our calls so if people have questions we can answer them.


      Folks are really excited when they can hear a LIVE VOICE on the other end and actually ask questions...

      A recorded video can't answer a question....
      An ebook can't answer a question....
      An mp3 can't answer a question...

      Webinars when done right can speed up learning for the participant (WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING NOT JUST SITTING THERE PASSIVELY)

      Not only that, they present the producers/presenters an unparalleled opportunity to HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THEIR TARGET MARKET.....

      Shameless pitch:
      If you're a newbie product and want some tips on how to create a really interactive webinar, that connects you deeply with your audience, feel free to skype me...

      PS
      If you love the webinar style of learning but don't like the pitching, you should consider attending premium webinars.

      A good premium webinar provides hundreds of dollars of value. At the risk of giving too much glory to one of our competitors, I encourage you to check out the pioneering work Jonathan Aspatore has done at Execsense.

      It's geared more to the B2B crowd but so what?

      I know it terms of our ambitions, we want to bring the same level of professionalism and value to the small business community that Jonathan has done for the C-level (CEO, COO, CFO, etc) over the past 10+ years with Execsense (the world's largest webinar publishers for business executives and legal professionals).


      Finally, there's enough "room" for everybody when it comes to Webinars. Some people will like your learning style - some won't.

      Lastly, if you are new and starting out, you might consider doing webinars outside of IM circles where they are still rarely used - they are FANTASTICALLY POWERFUL when it comes to generated leads, sales and lifelong customers....
      Signature
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      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by moneykws View Post

        I can see how you guys can get tired of the same old 1 hour long sales pitches couched as "webinars"....

        Which usually start like this

        "I'm going to make you a bold promise. I'm going to give you great content tonight and I WILL offer you something at the end - BUT I ONLY WANT YOU TO BUY, IF YOU ACTUALLY LEARNED SOMETHING TONIGHT"
        (lol)

        C'mon guys!

        A lot of presenters are afraid of actually making a webinar interactive (they're afraid it will cut down on conversions)


        How to make webinars MORE INTERACTIVE?

        1) Poll and question your specific audience. If there are going to be 100 people on the call, come on presenters - work your buns off BEFORE THE CALL to make sure you are going to give SPECIFIC ANSWERS, to SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (this becomes hard to do if you have a pre-scripted, telemarketing-like sales pitch designed solely to close a sale at the end)

        2) Unmute the call and let your audience interact.
        Don't be afraid to answer questions live. We humans are social and like to know we are participating in something big with other people

        3) Give someone in the audience actual "control".
        Did you know that with gotomeeting, there are advanced functions that let you actually hand over control to someone in the audience?

        Instead of being so anxious to get the "script" right, why not actually let a student from the audience "try" out something.

        As an example, if you're showing someone how to use the New Youtube keyword tool, why not pick a student from the audience and let them do it themselves?

        Remember how in school you only "got" something by actually doing it?

        4) FOLLOW UP!
        It takes time and sometimes money but we actually give out our Skype info and Phone Numbers on our calls so if people have questions we can answer them.


        Folks are really excited when they can hear a LIVE VOICE on the other end and actually ask questions...

        A recorded video can't answer a question....
        An ebook can't answer a question....
        An mp3 can't answer a question...

        Webinars when done right can speed up learning for the participant (WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING NOT JUST SITTING THERE PASSIVELY)

        Not only that, they present the producers/presenters an unparalleled opportunity to HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THEIR TARGET MARKET.....

        Shameless pitch:
        If any newbie is reading this and want some tips on how to create a really interactive webinar that connects you deeply with your audience, feel free to skype me...

        PS
        If you love the webinar style of learning but don't like the pitching, you should consider attending premium webinars.

        A good premium webinar provides hundreds of dollars of value. At the risk of giving too much glory to one of our competitors, I encourage you to check out the pioneering work Jonathan Aspatore has done at Execsense.

        It's geared more to the B2B crowd but so what?

        I know it terms of our ambitions, we want to bring the same level of professionalism and value to the small business community that Jonathan has done for the C-level (CEO, COO, CFO, etc) over the past 10+ years with Execsense.


        Finally, there's enough "room" for everybody when it comes to Webinars. Some people will like your learning style - some won't.

        Lastly, if you are new and starting out, you might consider doing webinars outside of IM circles where they are still rarely used - they are FANTASTICALLY POWERFUL when it comes to generated leads, sales and lifelong customers....



        It's the largestwork that A good premiuAt the risk of giving to much attention to a compet
        These are excellent tips to elicit interaction from the audience. I'm pretty sick and tired of the "bold promise" pitch which has been overused one too many times, and without being able to interact in some way, many webinars end up being snooze fests that put me to sleep in front of the computer (usually by around the 15-20 minute mark!)

        Without interaction and audience involvement, many webinars are going to end up being nothing more than glorified infomercials...but at the end of the day, if webinars are anywhere near as profitable as infomercials (I'm guessing they are), then they'll continue being prevalent and ubiquitous.

        Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    I think a lot depends on the presenter and the material shared on the webinar. Did real planning and forethought go into the presentation? Also, is there really some valuable and actionable content shared that could be utilized even if the inevitable product/service offered at the end isn't purchased?

    If the webinar's just a pitching and pre-selling exercise that amounts to nothing more than a glorified infomercial, then it is most likely going to be an utter waste of my time.

    Paul
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author shurets1
    Due to their interactivity using video and audio, webinars is a highly effective method to connect with people. Anyone can receive immediate online training by sitting at their computers from any part of the world. One can easily download an application in order to listen and watch from the comfort of their home of office.
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  • Profile picture of the author Traffic Eagle
    Webinars can be informative and instructive but in the most part they are far too long and then there's the sales pitch which takes for ever. I used to really like them when they first appeared but now every guru, wannabee guru, and folk with something to sell is doing webinars so they have lost the sparkle they once had. Someone mentioned the time - 60 minutes and above - and I agree, this is too long. I could build a website in the time it takes to watch a webinar these days.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Eric Louviere View Post

    Like them?

    Hate them?

    Ever been on one offered by marketers who sell to other marketers? Overdone? Prefer it? Wait for replays? What says you?

    feedback and opinions on webinars requested:

    ~Eric Louviere
    Not interested at all in webinars or video sales pages for that matter. You want to send a pitch, a well written sales page or email if I am subscribed will do the trick. The rest just bores me.
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  • Profile picture of the author badal4u
    I would it is great way for product owner to get huge sales in short time and for attendees it is a great way to clear their doubts with product owner. This helps other attendees as most of them are having same question in minds and the product owners knows that he has to put satisfying answer in front of all. Unlike just flashy sales pages where only product owner speaks out, here it is like one on one communication..
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    I can take them or leave them. It really depends on the subject and who is giving the webinar. I have found in a lot of them they are created as one huge way to lead up to the selling of a product. So even though they can be somewhat useful, I think they are more of a sales tool (at least in IM) and some of them can be very shallow when it comes to good content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    Did anyone else get sucked into Mike Filsaime's latest "webinar"?

    An event which was promoted as a webinar. Could not be "guaranteed to be recorded for replays"..yadayadayada....

    The entire event was a pre-recorded presentation which was supposed to last 90 minutes and went on and on.....some good info..but..IT AIN'T A WEBINAR IF IT IS RECORDED!!!!
    Signature
    Brain Drained...Signature Coming Soon!
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  • Profile picture of the author TrumpiaTim
    I like them as an optional supplement to videos and tutorials, since this gives the consumer the option to either learn about the product and offerings themselves, or if they need additional assistance and would prefer to attend a webinar, they also have the option to do that also.
    Signature

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