I hate webinars!

I don't mind webinars. I tend to listen to them while i am washing the dishes or doing other stuff in the kitchen or in the house, such as folding socks . I just set up my laptop computer in the room that i am working in and then let it go. Sometimes i might get 1 good point out of it.

This rings true big time.

Whatever happened to common sense? :rolleyes:

I respectfully must disagree Alexa, it is not fashionable, the conversion rate on a webinar is powerful.Granted this year has seen a sudden influx of webinars but they do work and work much better and much much faster than any other campaign you could do.

cheers
-WD

Following the followers? Maybe that's one of the key reasons so many fail. Clearly it's directly related to the shiny object syndrome!

i also don't like webinars. with webinar automatically comes more BS, and even if you have recorded copy, and try to skip any part, you can't be sure that you don't skip info that you are looking for. becouse during webinar, person who doing webinar are more distracted, not always are straight to the point.
i like only one type of video material. not longer then 10-15 min. straight to the point videos, which shows exact step, or manual how to use software, or something like that.

Paulius

Very true, that's another reason I don't like webinars. They invariably contain an upsell which you can't get away from. I hate being upsold too unless it really makes sense so I tend to skip this when I'm reading but might come back to see what it was about at a later date after I have processed the information that I wanted in the first place. The worst kind of webinars of all are those that don't have any controls (no pause, forward or reverse) - I saw one recently for a a really HUGE release by a well known marketer that had no controls at all on the squeeze page. So even if you are interested in the product and you go off to think about it, then come back to check up on something you have to look at the entire 5 minute pitch again (before you even got to a purchase link!). Needless to say I didn't buy it and it seems that the release has also flopped.

I too hate videos and especially webinars. Some videos I will watch, depending on the person but others I will pass up entirely.

I have to say, I've passed by your signature because sure, I'd LOVE an extra $100 a day, but it's video. Most of my IM 'education' is done on my tablet while I take my kid to the park or play with her outside. It will play some video, not others but I can't listen on headphones while making sure my kid doesn't take a nose dive off a slide or wander off!

Took the words out of my mouth, I agree with every word

I've never once attended a webinar. I have signed up for a few but they're often at times that don't really suit me in the UK. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to stick listening to one for 1+ hours anyway because I'm not a big fan of video or audio either.

I sometimes download the recording after a webinar has taken place - I prefer those because at least you can fast forward to the interesting bits.

most dont do this because it is not in the sellers best interest to do so. the webinar is about controlling the sales process.

its about essentially forcing the user "read" the entire long sales letter.

thats why the conversion rates for webinars are so high, they force people to listen to the whole sale pitch.

I totally agree with you JB! I can't stand webinars unless, as you say, they are showing you how to do something on screen that can't be easily explained in print or still shots.

What really burns me is the low quality webinars where you hear two guys talking (and you wonder if they're drunk) with lots of ums, uhs, and laughs (like some inside joke is going on between them).

It's like they have NO respect for anyone else's TIME!

Some of them sound like they have no agenda, no script, and no idea of any points they should be making for their audience. They're just BSing and we have to listen to them in hopes of learning something... not likely, though.

I'm really glad you posted this and I HOPE some of these "lesser informed humans" who produce this crap will read this and change their approach.

Sometimes all the new technology can be seriously abused. Sad.

Chris

True! I clicked because I thought 'boy, I hate webinars too!' so I doubt we're representative of the market.

Timing is everything though and webinars are not ever well timed for me. They are at dinner time or bed time for my child. They are when I might be having dinner with friends, or a cup of Starbucks when I do occasionally get to get out of the house.

So, they are simply not my cup of tea.

i never said they didn't work. they work great (for the seller) which is exactly why i never watch them.

anyone who attempts to force me into making an emotional decision has no chance at getting any money from me. i have realized over many years that sellers by in large do this to compensate for the lack of real content and information.

these webinars are not how to use a product, or how to do skill. most of them are running the users through a series of very well documented emotional triggers to get people to take the desired action.

they work very well. however, i would bet a good bit of money that if you polled people on this, you would find a direct correlation where people with more experience find them more annoying (from a users perspective).

This is a great post. The key point is that the feedback on this thread is most likely going to be from people who hate webinars because of the thread title (my bad I suppose!). That said, it would be interesting to see how many of us have purchased something as a result of a webinar. Personally, I have but it was for software so the webinar showed a functioning walk through with voice over - it explained and more importantly showed how easy it was to use. I have never purchased anything else from a webinar.

I received a pre-recorded webinar last night from one of the "big guys". I usually minimize them and listen while I'm working.

He said to try and arrange a webinar with an authority in your niche ASAP and keep contacting authorities using the top down approach until you find one who agrees because webinars have the highest conversion rate of any marketing method.

I save important points in notepad and many times there are only a few that I add to my docs.

However, info from a webinar has been very useful i.e. (Britany L's ) It's how I began online.

You never know what you will find or where you'll find it!

Seems like people are talking about 3 separate things in this thread:

There are webinars, which are usually video presentations sold under the premise of teaching you something, but are usually a structured sales pitch for a product/service, although some are purely content with nothing for sale (at least not directly).

Then video sales letters, which usually skip the pretense of teaching information and are just a sales presentation. These were cool before the novelty wore off, but now I'm significantly LESS likely to buy a product from a video sales letter than from a written sales letter. Why? Sales letters are scannable, so I can just skip ahead and find out what the offer is and if I want it. With video sales letters, I usually don't even bother watching them because I know I'll have to sit through a presentation just to find out what the offer even is. I realize that I am not everyone, but there ya go.

Then video info products. These (hopefully) are actual content that teaches you how do something. I dislike video info products unless there's an actual REASON for the product to be in video, such as something that needs to be visually demonstrated. I'd much rather have a written manual or transcript, either as a main product or included with audio/video.

The reason people buy information products is to get information from them, so whatever makes extracting information from the product the easiest for the user is best. Video/audio only isn't the most efficient way for most info products, so at least have a written manual or transcript available if you want to make more customers happy (Even more so when you have hours and hours worth of content).

Of course, video/audio has a higher perceived value than just a pdf, and it's easier and quicker for most people to make a video than write a report or have it written, so people use video even when a written report would do the job. Which is fine, but at least have a transcript or manual to go with it.

In webinars people all ways try to give out some good quality information and at the end they try to sell there own stuff to all the webinar participants.

What are the thoughts about webinars in the non-IM niche?

I personally LOVE webinars.

They are great for giving an interactive sales presentation.

They are great for teaching a topic.

They are great for just getting a message out.

Many that I tune in to are too long, poorly structured,
and too much backslapping.

Webinars are gaining popularity simply because they
work better than many alternatives.

Especially when you get into higher priced products,
you need greater interactivity. Webinars are the
next best things to face-to-face presentations

Willie

I am with you Ninja I hate sitting through a very informative webinar that I enjoyed and all the time knowing that I am going to asked to buy something 3 different ways... I hate when they reframe the way the are trying to sell you stuff.

I'm actually surprised at how many people here dislike webinars. thats interesting considering that most people prefer watching some sort of video than reading. takes left effort and its passive.

I'm alright with them if they are good. if they're crap, then i hate wasting 1-2 hours of my life

but having said that, they do sell very well, so if u're a product seller where the price point is high (over $100), webinars are much more effective.

I totally agree!

That has been my experience in corporate training as well.

I think the difference that makes it significantly more fluid and successful for us, and, obviously for teachers, is that we have to be "in the spotlight and on stage" daily, as an integral part of the job. So, naturally, it's going to be more polished and professional than the ones trying to escape their day jobs, who probably haven't done anything remotely like public speaking or delivering a presentation since their last oral book report for English in high school.

It's usually the featured guest who carries the bulk of the responsibility. The host can be on the brink of a nervous breakdown from anxiety and stage fright, and no one will even notice - provided the guest delivers.

In time, though, I think we'll see tremendous improvement from marketers as they adapt to the technology and master the essential skills and production standards. Those who do will be richly rewarded; and those who don't will be abandoned in their wake.

Add me also to the "I hate webinars" and video sales letters list. They tend to be too time consuming. Sometimes I will have one playing while I am doing something around the house and not really be engaged. I would rather read and get to the point, especially if I don't know how long they are.

Do people say webinars convert well because they have a higher conversion rate or because they produce a higher number of sales? It seems to me that you would be losing a lot of potential customers doing a webinar as opposed to a sales letter (if you are choosing one of the other, of course).

A webinar with 1000 people on it may convert at 25% selling 250 but a sales letter read by 10,000 converting at 5% sells 500. Not sure about the conversion rates. Just giving an example here.

I don't know so I am just wondering why they are so popular. More sales or higher conversion rate?

Exactly. Well put - quick and dirty product creation.

Funny .... I don't use any of those and have made a full time living online for over 12 years. So glad you're giving us the option not to use them if we don't want to. Guess some of us are mopping up the floor, picking up all the customers who hate all that stuff.

... not all banners work.

... not all pop-ups work.

... not all TV commercials work.

... not all long sales videos work.

... not all webinars work.

Sometime in 2012 we'll see the big announcement... "the death of webinars".

To the OP, don't "hate webinars", hate the presenter (hate is a bit harsh). Well done webinars are great. Don't write them all off.

Forgot one more thing we know is true.

Some sellers acknowledge that there are a lot of people who don't want to or can't spend the time viewing webinars and along with their webinars, they have someone type up a transcript. Same with products. I've bought quite a few products that were offered in both video and pdf.

Now those are smart marketers. I mean, if you're going after every dime you can get, this is the solution that will appeal to anyone.

No... apparently you have to conform.

BTW, I had no idea about where you are located, so all the more power to you and success.

There's something nice about someone who can stand up say: I'm happy being me - so screw you and your ideas.

Too many people drinking the Kool Aid and simply repeating what they're told... passed on as educated opinions.



Nice work Caliban...

As for the OP, and point being products which turn out to be webinars...

It really depends to be honest.

If you buy a product which turns out to be a webinar aka product pitch, then you've been screwed.

On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with creating a product based on real information.

In other words, if I sell a training series which is done live and with open Q&A sessions... and then record everything... I see nothing wrong with promoting this as a product.

Any entrepreneur worth their salt would do exactly the same.

If fact, it sure beats the heck out of canned videos where someone reads off a powerpoint.

Best to all.

Sal

PS: There's enough hate going around in the world... no need to add to it here.

That's just too funny. My mortgage is paid off ... so is my car. Haven't had a day job for 12 years.

There's a certain moderator here who markets with an email newsletter. Doesn't do videos or webinars either. I may be wrong about this, but I think he's pretty successful. :p

I'm glad to have bumped into this post. I never knew there were so many webinar haters.

I'm a huge fan of webinars. I try to attend them from the marketers that offer good information. I also do 1 webinar a week for my email list. I take the approach where every week I try to deliver the best content I possibly can. Sometimes I have something to sell at the end of the webinar, but there are other times I'm offering great content because I enjoy doing so.

Thank you webinar haters for speaking up. I am going to experiment with this with my email list. Do they prefer webinars or do they prefer pdf's?

There is a webinar formula that is basically the "hotbox" 1-hour sales seminar over the internet.

The key to making that formula work is to spend your first 45 minutes giving out totally free and distinctly useful information. Then you swing into the pitch without an obvious transition, and at the "back of the room" you have a $300 product.

Most people trying to do webinars on the internet completely bork this up and try to pitch their product the whole hour. The whole point of the formula is to make people happy first, so even if they don't buy they walk away with some awesome, useful information they can use to do business better or make make money.

That way, they'll come to your next free webinar with a different $300 product at the back.

I actually like webinars (and calls in general). I haven't attended many webinars recently though, mostly because I don't feel so "hungry" for information anymore and my business is doing pretty well. Back in the day when I started with internet marketing and was too broke to buy products, calls and webinars were precious to me. I've learned so much about this business mindset and how this whole thing works.

What surprises me about this thread is that most people here (maybe all) are marketers that supposedly understand the dynamics of sales and here they are complaining about "the pitch" just like the lay customer does. I understand if a customer who doesn't know anything about marketing feels betrayed when he's invited to a call or webinar and realizes the reason for the event is to sell a product. But hey, marketers bitching about it? Really?

What annoys me about video however is how video products are overrated. I don't mind webinars at all and I still find them useful to keep me motivated and in the right mindset to take action about my business. Video products on the other hand are abusive! I actually like them for what they are, especially if they come with PDFs and audios - the whole multimedia package, I love that! The problem is how it's being priced lately. No product is worth $1,997! Not even the quintessential $997! Videos actually have less information than a book, are harder to follow (at least for me, I learn better reading) and much faster and easier to produce than a well written book. This whole thing is about perception, obviously! I just don't want to be one of the dunces that think that video products are "more valuable" than a real book (or ebook for that matter).

I really miss the old days when you could get a "good" product to learn the drill and get your business going for $97. Still overpriced books, that's for sure, but still affordable for the majority of people that are new to this business. I bought my share of $997, $1,997 products when they were a novelty but soon found out that they had no more value than the old 97 dollar ebooks.

I don't hate "the gurus" by any means, but I can't get myself to purchase their products anymore, even though I can now actually afford them. Some of them have great insight, but when I'm interested I try to grasp what it is during the launch and yes, even watching the webinars, but shelling 2000 dollars to watch shallow videos that won't really add much to the basic concepts that were presented during the launch just feels wrong.

Bottom line is webinars convert and if you're watching what the best marketers in town are doing you should be integrating a webinar into your business. Thats my take anyways.

Precisely how many products have you bought at the end of webinars you attended with your smartphone?

Therein lies the answer to why nobody giving webinars cares about smartphones.

Now this is an interesting thread! I was just thinking how much I dislike video-only stuff, whether it's a presentation OR the product itself.

I'm a reader and a writer, so I very much prefer text to anything else. I love, LOVE books, or anything with the printed word. As others have mentioned, it allows me to go through something at my own pace and I read very quickly. It also allows me to skim and skip to different parts.

Next comes audio. I fell in love with my iPhone and have a BUNCH of business training audios on it which I'm constantly listening to, whether I'm in the bathtub (yes, seriously) or in my car -- or anywhere else.

Video comes in dead last. Video definitely comes first after an in-person meeting or presentation. It's the next best thing, adding a personal element which makes the person seem more real, adding value and immediacy (unless it's only a Power Point presentation with narration).

But, as others have mentioned, I HATE the inability to skim and skip for the info and the difficulty in referencing a particular point. I also dislike when I can't fast forward, or even see how long the video IS. Arrgghh! (Smart marketers at least tell you how long the video is!)

Also, as coconutcrawler said, it's especially irritating when you have to go all the way back to the beginning if you want to rewind to find a particular piece of info. Arrgghh!

And just the fact that I HAVE to be at my computer to watch a video.. I can't be in the tub, in my car, or doing anything else if I want the info.

Hence, I almost never attend webinars (sales presentations). The videos I tend to watch are usually the product itself. And that's only with people I really enjoy watching/listening to, like Carrie Wilkerson. In other words, I have to really like you to pay attention to a video beyond 10 minutes, period.

I recently purchased a list-building product from Carrie Wilkerson, which is in webinar format. But only because I really like her.

Jeff Walker's current PLF course is mostly video, which drives me NUTS! I like him though and his info is good. He DOES have some coaching calls and PDFs of different points. Which reminds me: I need to e-mail his support staff to see if they'll provide MP3s of the videos so I'm not hogtied to my computer for the info.

For me, I have to force myself to do video since I don't care to appear on camera. So I won't be doing anything with a lot of video in it any time soon. For me, video is a nice side dish, not the meat of my offerings. I'd prefer to skip video altogether, but I can't deny the power of video.

The bottom line though, is it doesn't matter what we LIKE. What matters are the numbers. Since everyone's niche/target market is different, your results will be different from others. You need to test and go with what works. If video/webinars give you a better conversion, go with it. If not, then don't.

If you're going to do video though, I'd recommend sticking with something like YouTube or another service which can be viewed on mobile phones. It drives me NUTS when I want to watch a video on my phone, but can't because it's hosted by Vimeo or some other such service which isn't viewable on mobile devices!

Ok, end rant.

Michelle

I never watch a webinar live as they can be so frustrating.

Being in the UK most webinars are not in my timezone, which works perfectly for me as I prefer to watch the recording.

I wait for it to finish loading in the background, then skip the introduction waffle, digest and take notes of the valuable bits and never listen to the sales pitch.

I have learned a fair bit from webinars and know which marketers always deliver some decent content before their sales pitch.