Are you getting all "webinar-ed" out? Do you love 'em or hate them?

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Now that every man and his dog is putting out a webinar what are your thoughts?

I have been on some excellent webinars but I now get about 4 webinar invites a day from various marketers and although I am sure there will be some great info I honestly don't have time to attend them all.

Then when I DO attend by the time they have done the sound checks, introductions and pre-selling and get into the webinar I have sometimes been there 2 hours later. I sometimes glean some gems from them but more often than that it is 2 or 3 hours out of my working day that I can never get back.

I know that they are effective but I would much rather have the information on good old fashioned pdf and read it myself.

Some presenters and webinar guests are incredibly tedious and speak in such a monotone voice that I start to comatose and am willing them to 'get to the point'.

Am I the only one or does everybody else love them?

Gary
#minority #webinared
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

    Are you getting all "webinar-ed" out?
    I'm not - I've actually never seen one at all. Doesn't appeal to me. And reading your description above certainly does nothing to change that.

    Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

    Am I in the minority?
    I don't know, but I'm guessing that as Warriors go, I'm in a smaller minority than you, for never seeing one.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Hi Alexa

      Ha ha you ARE in a smaller minority than me.

      Don't get me wrong...they are not all bad but even the best ones can be very long and go and on.

      Much of the info could be condensed into a ten or 15 min video.

      The purpose of the 99% of webinars is a sales pitch to a semi-captive audience where the host of the webinar gets a commission.

      I was just wondering if they are losing their appeal though hence the question.

      Gary
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I'm not - I've actually never seen one at all. Doesn't appeal to me. And reading your description above certainly does nothing to change that.

      I don't know, but I'm guessing that as Warriors go, I'm in a smaller minority than you, for never seeing one.

      Same as Alexa and Joe ... never been to one and not in the least bit interested in hearing marketers go blah blah blah for several hours. Very time consuming.
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    • Profile picture of the author robestrong
      I never really understood the allure of webinars. I've gone to 1 or 2 just to see what all the buzz was about, but they all seem to be just one guy rambling on and on with very little to no actual working material. I don't really get the point.
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    • Profile picture of the author sadneck
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I'm not - I've actually never seen one at all. Doesn't appeal to me. And reading your description above certainly does nothing to change that.



      I don't know, but I'm guessing that as Warriors go, I'm in a smaller minority than you, for never seeing one.
      17000 posts and you have never been a part of a webinar? WOW! hahaha

      We are thinking of doing one, interested in joining ours?

      Cheers!
      Andrew
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        I love a good webinar.

        IMO, the problem that a lot of the "webinar-ed out" people are having is the same problem people had with membership sites just a few years ago.

        That is, people are doing webinars when a webinar isn't warranted.

        Not too long ago membership sites were all the rage and people were trying to make a membership site out of things that were naturally suited to be an ebook/guide/etc. and should have been delivered all at once.

        Since then, people seem to have figured out that membership sites don't work in all instances. However, the truly good membership sites survived the era of "make everything a membership" and are thriving to this day.

        If you ask me, webinars are just going through a similar cycle at the moment. This cycle will also pass, and in the end there will still be instances where webinars are a natural fit.

        When used properly webinars will continue to be both valuable for the audience and profitable for the presenter for years to come.
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        • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
          I would rather take a beating.

          I guess I watched too many of them when I first started, but I never sat through one that gave me anything to take away, except one I saw by Brad Gosse - but it was about Twitter, and I wasn't that interested...
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    Same as Alexa, I simply don't attend Webinars. Aren't they often glorified sales pitches anyways? I'm quite happy with the Skype rooms I'm already in, and the Saturday night chat that I watch every week.
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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    Out of curiosity, I tuned in to one that was by a famous marketer. It was a total trainwreck, completely unorganized and difficult to understand. Never again.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

      Out of curiosity, I tuned in to one that was by a famous marketer. It was a total trainwreck, completely unorganized and difficult to understand. Never again.
      I might have been to the same one

      Gary
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
      I only tune in live if it's someone I respect highly AND /OR if the content is new / groundbreaking.

      Otherwise, I MIGHT listen to a recording of it, but usually never get around to it.

      Our focus should be on making money and learning from those who are doing it or who have done it, not just filling our minds with new knowledge.

      Dave
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      • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
        Originally Posted by Dave Espino View Post

        I only tune in live if it's someone I respect highly AND /OR if the content is new / groundbreaking.

        Otherwise, I MIGHT listen to a recording of it, but usually never get around to it.

        Our focus should be on making money and learning from those who are doing it or who have done it, not just filling our minds with new knowledge.

        Dave
        Good point Dave

        I never get a chance to listen to the recordings either.

        .............So do others agree that a pdf report would be more effective than a seminar?

        Have the webinar guys got it wrong?

        The response hasn't been in the webinars favour yet.

        Gary
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        • Profile picture of the author fin
          Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post


          .............So do others agree that a pdf report would be more effective than a seminar?

          No, I think people make more money with webinars.

          I was listening to a interview with Lewis Howes recently and they had webinars converting at 25% for a new product they had, and there was over 200 in each one. I think most of them were recorded.

          Show me someone who offers a pdf and has 25% conversions.
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          • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
            Originally Posted by fin View Post

            No, I think people make more money with webinars.

            I was listening to a interview with Lewis Howes recently and they had webinars converting at 25% for a new product they had, and there was over 200 in each one. I think most of them were recorded.

            Show me someone who offers a pdf and has 25% conversions.
            I agree but if a lot of people don't attend them as indicated here would a report or book actually convert more overall?

            It seems that they are losing popularity not gaining.

            To get the 200 attendees they must have had a large mailing list. A larger proportion might have responded with a different medium.

            Just saying

            Gary
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            • Profile picture of the author fin
              Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

              I agree but if a lot of people don't attend them as indicated here would a report or book actually convert more overall?

              It seems that they are losing popularity not gaining.

              To get the 200 attendees they must have had a large mailing list. A larger proportion might have responded with a different medium.

              Just saying

              Gary
              Most people can't get someone to come to their webinar because they provide no value. They are a cowboy. They probably use a squeeze page and swap solo ads.

              The people that I mentioned and folks like them will always have full webinars.

              Just saying
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        • Profile picture of the author mojiden
          Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

          Good point Dave

          I never get a chance to listen to the recordings either.

          .............So do others agree that a pdf report would be more effective than a seminar?

          Have the webinar guys got it wrong?

          The response hasn't been in the webinars favour yet.

          Gary
          Yes, I think some of them have got it wrong--in terms of duration (do we all really have and extra hour or three?), purpose (sales pitch to captive audience), format (I strongly prefer written material I can consume or discard quickly and efficiently) and timing (if they're not recording it, there's darned little chance I can tune it at 2 or 3 p.m. eastern time!). Even with replays, I'll tune in only if I can watch it from the corner of my eye while doing something construcive.
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  • Profile picture of the author wkathome
    I'm with you guys, webinars are way too long. When they started, it was just an hour and you were done, but now, they drag on and on. Most are just a glorified sales pitch posing as a training session.
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  • Profile picture of the author xxxJamesxxx
    I haven't attended one for years. Most give you very little content (if that) then it's a massive sales pitch with tons of scarcity.

    James Scholes
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      All a webinar is, is a teleseminar (conference call) with a PowerPoint or whiteboard app bolted on. I lost my appetite for those years ago.

      The original training I got from Alex Mandossian called for 45 minutes of content in a 60 minute seminar. These days, it seems the ratio is reversed.

      Unless, of course, you consider the host's and product seller's life history and the pitch itself 'content'. I don't.

      Don't love 'em, don't hate 'em. Just ignore 'em, and don't care enough to have any strong emotion either way.
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      • Profile picture of the author fin
        I've watched a few over the last couple of weeks.

        Only because it was Danny Iny and Derek Halpern. They let everyone know there would be a pitch at the end, but both webinars offered fantastic advice.

        Much more than any WSO I've bought.
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        • Profile picture of the author TheArticlePros
          Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

          .............So do others agree that a pdf report would be more effective than a seminar?
          Amen. I will not buy or even look at something that's video-only. I read 10-20x faster than most people talk, and I can't stand listening to someone who talks and says the word "ummm" all the time. Since 99% of IM'ers, telemarketers, and salesmen are not trained public speakers, they always say "umm." I don't pay for "umm."

          There are very few people on the planet whom I will stop everything I'm doing and watch: Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan. There are a few more, but none of them practice Internet Marketing. I don't even stop and give my mentor 100% attention...we always talk through a chat window, and we're both working on things while we talk. It suits both of us better than stopping and having a conversation.

          If you gave me a choice between a 5 page PDF or a 30 minute video, and you promised me the video gave me 10x the information that the PDF did, and you priced the PDF 5x higher than the video, I'd still take the PDF.
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        • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
          Originally Posted by fin View Post

          I've watched a few over the last couple of weeks.

          Only because it was Danny Iny and Derek Halpern. They let everyone know there would be a pitch at the end, but both webinars offered fantastic advice.

          Much more than any WSO I've bought.
          They are definitely not all bad and you do get some gems but sometimes they are hidden way too deep in the webinar (at least the ones I have been on).

          I thought that it would be an even split or that the majority of people loved them and that is why there are so many but judging from the results so far, they are not very popular.

          Gary
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          • Profile picture of the author shane_k
            Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

            I thought that it would be an even split or that the majority of people loved them and that is why there are so many but judging from the results so far, they are not very popular.

            Gary
            There are probably two reasons why there are so many of them

            1) Because most poeple have heard Guru X say that he does webinars and sells a lot from them so most people copy that.

            Unfortunately, most of the people copying are probably not that great of presenters.

            and 2) Because they still convert.

            You can ask as many people on this forum if they like them or not, but if your numbers and split tests are telling you that you are getting great conversions and making good money off of them then continue to do them.


            There is only two guys who's webinars I will watch. One is Joe Lavery and the other is not in the IM niche at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnes4th
    I will download webinar replays so I can watch the actual content and skip the rest - but I definitely won't spend the time to watch them live
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  • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
    I definitely can't sit through them either. Way too much small talk and set up going on "live" before the actual webinar.

    (Uh..UMMM... Lou D'Alo)

    I also prefer reading the content on PDF's but I know some people love webinars and like to sit back and absorb the information.

    I'm probably not in the webinar target market but I would pay to see someone's dog give one!
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      I've had many invitations to webinars in the past but have never actually attended one. I just never have the time to do it. I am so busy with my own business it is hard to take time out for things like this.
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  • Profile picture of the author retsced
    The only webinars I attend are the ones held for our private community of marketers. Webinars are mostly useless. They're just a big drawn out sales video IMO. Never again
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I attend webinars from only a few people. Mainly from this one guy named Dave Dee.
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
    Eh, just because everyone's doing it doesn't mean everyone's been watching in the first place

    It's like website creation, I feel that everyone in the world should know what WordPress is and how to use it, but almost every single person I talk to in real life doesn't have a clue.

    As for webinars though, I would attend one by someone that I really admired. Other than that, nah.
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    • Profile picture of the author Evolve91
      Years ago when I first started watching webinars, they were started on time, and lasted about 25 to 45 minutes.

      Then they started going over an hour long. Now most of them are over 2 hours long. My time is to valuable to me to sit on a webinar for more than 2 hours.

      If I know for sure I need to hear what's on the webinar, I will download the replay and watch it on the VLC player at 2 x the speed. If I can't download it, I don't bother.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
        Originally Posted by Evolve91 View Post

        If I know for sure I need to hear what's on the webinar, I will download the replay and watch it on the VLC player at 2 x the speed. If I can't download it, I don't bother.
        Wow, what an awesome idea! I use VLC and didn't know I could do that.

        Thanks!

        Dave
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      • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
        Originally Posted by Evolve91 View Post

        Years ago when I first started watching webinars, they were started on time, and lasted about 25 to 45 minutes.

        Then they started going over an hour long. Now most of them are over 2 hours long. My time is to valuable to me to sit on a webinar for more than 2 hours.

        If I know for sure I need to hear what's on the webinar, I will download the replay and watch it on the VLC player at 2 x the speed. If I can't download it, I don't bother.
        Thats a good tip.

        I absolutely agree though, they ARE overlong now and rarely start on time so watching them again at twice the speed is a much better alternative.

        Gary
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  • Profile picture of the author John Rogers
    ***BIG YAWN***

    I've never liked webinars. Ever. They remind me of the old network marketing conference calls.
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  • Profile picture of the author DavePalermo
    I agree with Evolve 91
    You sit through a 2-3 hour webinar only to be sold on a $997 product that no one has the cash to buy anyway.
    I hate them, don't watch them and wish I could pause them or skip to the end to see the sales pitch.
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  • Profile picture of the author Yadira Barbosa
    I also receive several webinar invitations, In some of them I subscribe if the subject sounds interesting, but I really prefer to wait for the webinar reply, so I can forward all the introductions, just go to the meat... some times almost no meat at all... but I think I never bought something from a webinar.
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  • Profile picture of the author capitalalchemy
    I can't stand them. A few years ago they were short (45 minutes to 1 hour), consisted of 90% powerful and useful information, and only 10% selling. Now they are all "let's talk about this 1 little thing that you already know about for 10 minutes, and then I'm going to keep talking about my product for the next 80 minutes".

    As one member said, it's time you can't get back. I started out dropping out of the webinars after about 10 minutes so that I could get real work done. Now I just delete the emails as soon as I see that dreaded word.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan David
    I have never, ever done webinars. There's no way I'm going to waste my time calling in to hear some kind of sales pitch.

    I used to listen to recorded teleseminars and all that, but don't really even do that any more. Maybe it was because i was more of a newbie back then but I used to eat it up. I kinda feel like that's how a lot of people were back then, but it seems definitely more fragmented these days.
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  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    I love webinars if they are by people I know are actually planning on giving good information. Lisa Stoops recently did a great webinar about product creation. It is all about who is actually presenting. If I find that someone drags on and on or pitches more than teaches, I leave and don't watch their webinars anymore.

    The big thing for me is that I need to have a connection with the marketer BEFORE I go to their webinar, otherwise I will likely ignore the invitation.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      HI Amanda

      At last....somebody is in support of Webinars

      Picking the right webinar and presenter is very important but with so many people jumping on the bandwagon with overlong sales pitches and inept presenting skills they can be incredibly tedious and a drain on the the working day.

      My point in asking the question was to find out if webinars really are the best platforms or if they could reach a wider audience with a different medium.

      It seems that MOST people are disillusioned with webinars (at least from the response that we have had so far) so I wonder how long presenters will persist on doing them?

      Gary


      Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

      I love webinars if they are by people I know are actually planning on giving good information. Lisa Stoops recently did a great webinar about product creation. It is all about who is actually presenting. If I find that someone drags on and on or pitches more than teaches, I leave and don't watch their webinars anymore.

      The big thing for me is that I need to have a connection with the marketer BEFORE I go to their webinar, otherwise I will likely ignore the invitation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Noonaa
    Hi
    I quite like Webinars but it does depend on who is doing it. I recently attended a 4 week coaching programme in webinar format and enjoyed the content, but it was all content and no sales pitch. I also like the fact you can listen to a replay and there is no pressure to actually be there. If used properly they are a great marketing tool especially if you as the presenter are giving value for money but as you can see from the above comments many people don't feel they are getting value for money and they are being overused by the internet marketers. However, in other niches they're still fairly new and are a good way to promote yourself whilst building a list, giving away value and building your reputation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vladi Vasilev
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Vlad

      Is it a good marketing method if you are alienating your audience and presenting the material in a format that they don't particularly want?

      I don't doubt that from a marketers point of view they can work really well, especially if the webinar is well presented but judging from all of the comments in this thread so far, they are trying to force feed the material (or sales pitch) in a medium that is not very popular.

      The webinar as it stands now has to change as too many are rolled out and most people don't have the time or inclination to watch them (see above).

      Gary







      Originally Posted by Vladi Vasilev View Post

      OMG
      How can you not like webinars and be a good marketer?

      Of course you don't attend all of them. Most of them are meant to sell (If not all). And this is how it's supposted to be.

      And of course they are long. It's stories that sell, not 5 min webinars you play when you brush your teeth and use as background noise.

      This is an awesome marketing method. Any good marketer should know how to make webinars, and more important- how to get people to them.

      -Vladi Vasilev
      The businessman
      who knows marketing.
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      • Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

        Is it a good marketing method if you are alienating your audience and presenting the material in a format that they don't particularly want?

        The webinar as it stands now has to change as too many are rolled out and most people don't have the time or inclination to watch them (see above).

        Gary
        And still, a good webinar converts more of those "alienated" visitors (as you put it) into happy paying customer than the best of the sales pages. Interesting, isnt it?
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

          And still, a good webinar converts more of those "alienated" visitors (as you put it) into happy paying customer than the best of the sales pages. Interesting, isnt it?
          AA, the keyword is "good webinar"...

          Seems like too many presenters have delusions of competence.
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        • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
          Absolutely! I am not denying that they can convert

          However, they are not the alienated ones are they? The alienated ones are the thousands of others on the mailing list who choose NOT to go on the seminar (again....see above).

          Gary

          Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

          And still, a good webinar converts more of those "alienated" visitors (as you put it) into happy paying customer than the best of the sales pages. Interesting, isnt it?
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          • Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

            Absolutely! I am not denying that they can convert

            However, they are not the alienated ones are they? The alienated ones are the thousands of others on the mailing list who choose NOT to go on the seminar (again....see above).

            Gary
            Uh?! Just like there are alienated people who would not read a long sales letter, so what is your point? Not everybody will convert into a sale, but webinars still convert more than anything else.

            The fact is that statiatics prove that they convert more prospects into happily paying customers than sales pages, thus there cannot be much alienating going on, can it?
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            • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
              Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

              Uh?! Just like there are alienated people who would not read a long sales letter, so what is your point? Not everybody will convert into a sale, but webinars still convert more than anything else.

              The fact is that statiatics prove that they convert more prospects into happily paying customers than sales pages, thus there cannot be much alienating going on, can it?
              I think you are missing the inital point of the thread.

              I asked if people are webinar-ed out and the answers so far is a resounding yes.

              I don't doubt that once people are on them they convert but as you can see from the comments people are less inclined to listen to them and they are not very popular.

              I am glad that you like them though

              Gary
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            • Profile picture of the author RyanLester
              I've never attended a Webinar before but would love to. I heard they are all the new rave
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

        Vlad

        Is it a good marketing method if you are alienating your audience and presenting the material in a format that they don't particularly want?

        I don't doubt that from a marketers point of view they can work really well, especially if the webinar is well presented but judging from all of the comments in this thread so far, they are trying to force feed the material (or sales pitch) in a medium that is not very popular.

        The webinar as it stands now has to change as too many are rolled out and most people don't have the time or inclination to watch them (see above).

        Gary
        Gary, I should clarify that my disillusionment with webinars is based on the current level of execution, not the concept.

        Within the IM space, you have marketers pushing the envelope, looking for the limits. I think from the comments above that we are finding them. When you have this many people jumping on a bandwagon, playing the "Joe Guru does webinars, so I will, too" game, you're going to get many with delusions of competence.

        I think if marketers step outside of the IM/MMO space, where the webinar calendar is too crowded, into niches where the webinar is still a novelty, they'll be better received. Especially if the presenters take the time to actually learn their craft.
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        • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
          John

          I with you all of the way

          Jason Faldien and Wil Mathos are webinar masters (but they are waaay to long sometimes ) and they make great use of webinars.

          There are other marketers who are ruining the webinar experience and damaging the whole webinar concept hence my reason for the thread.

          Gary



          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Gary, I should clarify that my disillusionment with webinars is based on the current level of execution, not the concept.

          Within the IM space, you have marketers pushing the envelope, looking for the limits. I think from the comments above that we are finding them. When you have this many people jumping on a bandwagon, playing the "Joe Guru does webinars, so I will, too" game, you're going to get many with delusions of competence.

          I think if marketers step outside of the IM/MMO space, where the webinar calendar is too crowded, into niches where the webinar is still a novelty, they'll be better received. Especially if the presenters take the time to actually learn their craft.
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          • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
            The fact that Webinars have proven to convert well for many marketers makes them a great marketing tool for people with quality products to sell.

            But when you have a thread that starts with a title:

            Are you getting all "webinar-ed" out? Do you love 'em or hate them?

            You will tend to attract a larger number of people who are "webinared-out" and mostly get those types of responses.

            However, just because you get a lot of negative responses in one post with a slightly slanted title, does not mean that there isn't a whole 'nother segment of the population that likes webinars, sees them as a valuable source of "live" information or where webinars are still a "novelty" to them.

            I don't attend a lot of webinars, but I don't hate them or even dislike them, either - James Malinchak talks about "The principal of slight edge" and how just one idea can help you move along towards success. I totally agree with that and that's one of the reasons I find the occasional groundbreaking webinar to be really helpful.

            (Sometimes, you'll want to study a successful marketer's sales process, too and that means sitting in on their webinar. It's the same as if you saw a live seminar presenter kicking butt in "back of the room" sales - I'd want to sit in on their presentation and take notes as to HOW they were getting so many sales!)

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            • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
              Hi Dave

              Thanks and great point

              I am not sure if the subject title was too slanted as it gives the ones who love webinars a chance to say so which was really the purpose of the thread.

              In fact the whole thread is a great opportunity for people to say how much benefit they get from them and how much they love them but as you can see not many people have for all sorts of reasons.

              For the record I am not anti-webinar as I acknowledged earlier (I have attended a number of Jason Fladien and Wil Mathos webinars) but a lot of them are overly long and poorly delivered hence the reason why I (and other people) are webinar-ed out.

              Gary







              Originally Posted by Dave Espino View Post

              The fact that Webinars have proven to convert well for many marketers makes them a great marketing tool for people with quality products to sell.

              But when you have a thread that starts with a title:

              Are you getting all "webinar-ed" out? Do you love 'em or hate them?

              You will tend to attract a larger number of people who are "webinared-out" and mostly get those types of responses.

              However, just because you get a lot of negative responses in one post with a slightly slanted title, does not mean that there isn't a whole 'nother segment of the population that likes webinars, sees them as a valuable source of "live" information or where webinars are still a "novelty" to them.

              I don't attend a lot of webinars, but I don't hate them or even dislike them, either - James Malinchak talks about "The principal of slight edge" and how just one idea can help you move along towards success. I totally agree with that and that's one of the reasons I find the occasional groundbreaking webinar to be really helpful.

              (Sometimes, you'll want to study a successful marketer's sales process, too and that means sitting in on their webinar. It's the same as if you saw a live seminar presenter kicking butt in "back of the room" sales - I'd want to sit in on their presentation and take notes as to HOW they were getting so many sales!)

              Dave
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        • Profile picture of the author shane_k
          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          I think if marketers step outside of the IM/MMO space, where the webinar calendar is too crowded, into niches where the webinar is still a novelty, they'll be better received.
          This is so true!

          I remember last year there was this post where one of the warriors was talking about how he doesn't like it when the list owner sends you an email that starts with your name. You know where you can get aweber to autofill the person name into the body of the email.

          Something like this.

          "Hey shane how are you today.
          Just wanted to tell you about this new product I saw today... blah, blah"

          he said it was so common that everyone and their mother was doing it and it pissed him off because it he felt it was just a false strategy to try and get rapport.

          However, two days before I read that post my brother signed up for this cooking list and he recieved an email with his name in it like above.

          He was so elated and was so amazed because this was a famous celebrity chef and my brother felt that this famous celebraty chef personally sent him a personal email thanking him for joining his email list. He thought that this was the coolest thing ever. I mean he showed my mother, father, his friends, he was so happy about it that a celebrity actually took the time to send him something personally. I didn't have the heart to explain what actually happened.

          I think that this is something that us marketers need to really be careful of.

          We are around strategies such as these and it is possible to become so bombarded with them that we become jaded towards those strategies.

          And we forget that there are people outside of the IM niche that aren't bombarded with these strategies and in other niches they are like you said novel, unique, and create a nice personal touch, and elicit the responses in the ways they are supposed to.

          Even if you are jaded against them, you still want to do your split testing to see if your numbers say they are working or not.

          I mean you could be jaded against them but in the end it's not really what you want but what your market wants.
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  • Profile picture of the author brookman12
    The thing with webinars is that you get an email saying watch this webinar and you will discover a strategy that can make you rich and all webinar does is talk about how good this so called money maker is. I'd say pretty much all free webinars are like that and suck people in with this strategy. The only webinars that I've found useful are ones that I've had with my mentor Alex Jeffreys who is a 7 figure internet marketer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Onora Oz
    Any good marketer should know what marketing method is the best one for them and their audience.

    Mic is simply not for everyone. Some marketers do really sound ridiculous, make me feel sorry for them, and then I can't really follow their advice anymore
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  • Just like anything else, there are good webinars and bad webinars, just like there are good sales pages and bad sales pages.

    HOWEVER, a good webinar will always outperform a good sales page (it's more engaging). I have a humungous amount of hard empirical data to back that claim up.
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    • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      Just like anything else, there are good webinars and bad webinars, just like there are good sales pages and bad sales pages.

      HOWEVER, a good webinar will always outperform a good sales page (it's more engaging). I have a humungous amount of hard empirical data to back that claim up.
      I agree and would hit the thanks button, but apparently, I have thanked my quota of people for the day.
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  • Profile picture of the author repstein
    I prefer looking through the written content I find in the War Room here than looking for webinars- it's much faster, and what one report leaves out you can often fill in with other content already in the War Room.
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  • Profile picture of the author bigslamgyrl
    I too don't like webinars as much as I like webinar replays, there's always a hook, which I understand because we all need to make $, but I don't like to commit to an hour of hype for a product that doesn't really help my biz. With a sales page you lose what, 5-10 mins? With a webinar you lose a minimum of 45 mins - no thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Barrs
    Gary, I don't have time to read all 40 replies above mine... just like I don't have time to watch a sermon-long webinar.

    I'm with you - if I know the darn thing would be caped at 30 - tops 45 mins, I MIGHT be interested. But without having ANY CLUE, I don't even start.

    I've only ever sat through 4 webinars from go to woe... and that's because I was speaking on them!

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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    I have had enough of them to be honest.... In fact I am fed up with pitch fests....

    I have unsubscribed from a lot of mailing lists as most of them are just spouting the same crappy WSO and offer very little value....

    I was taught to "Mind my own business" and that is exactly what I am doing.... simple really
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  • Profile picture of the author MaxPowers
    I have great personal contempt for webinars as a selling tool, but they work so well that I've built my own webinar software for clients.

    I have personally never bought from a webinar, I've learned very little (and seen hundreds of webinars from dozens of gurus), and it is a major time-suck... but from being on the other end of the webpage, the numbers that come from webinars have been awesome for years and even with a reduced effectiveness compared to 5 years ago, they still work well at separating money from wallets.

    What I think is 'rude' is doing a webinar-only promotion without a long salespage that I can scroll through and ignore along the way. With a webinar, I am captive for every painful detail of the speaker. On the salespage, I can skip the personal stories and testimonials and gauge the technical points of a product/service that matter to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
    I think you are missing the inital point of the thread.

    I asked if people are webinar-ed out and the answers so far is a resounding yes.

    I don't doubt that once people are on them they convert but as you can see from the comments people are less inclined to listen to them and they are not very popular.
    I think other "marketers" around here are sick of webinars because a lot of them are on various IM lists that offer a lot of webinars. So it would make sense that they are "webinar-ed out."

    And also why they aren't popular among people here.

    Whether or not they work on converting the appropriate target market is another question entirely.
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  • I think the mistake is you are on the wrong end of webinars, you should be the one making the money, then you would probably like them. I love doing webinars they do 2 things for me and my webinar JV partners:

    1. It builds a list (gets 2nd best posible leads on the list )
    2. Generates sales

    It also is a great way to build a relationship with the webinar JV partners!

    So webinars are great when you are the one making money, plus I attend them as well but I pick the 1 per week and that's it. I know people who attend 2 per day that is stupid.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Originally Posted by HelpingYouBeAnExpert View Post

      I think the mistake is you are on the wrong end of webinars, you should be the one making the money, then you would probably like them. I love doing webinars they do 2 things for me and my webinar JV partners:

      1. It builds a list (gets 2nd best posible leads on the list )
      2. Generates sales

      It also is a great way to build a relationship with the webinar JV partners!

      So webinars are great when you are the one making money, plus I attend them as well but I pick the 1 per week and that's it. I know people who attend 2 per day that is stupid.
      It's great to have your input...thanks for posting

      I am really interested to hear what you think of the comments on this thread? Does it concern you that so many people are negative about webinars?

      I totally understand that if you are a marketer and people attend your webinar you will make money and you build up a great relationship with your webinar JV partners but I would be slightly concerned that you could be losing your target audience judging by the comments here.

      Your comments seemed to be just from the marketers point of view and didn't focus much on the actual listener.

      Thanks again for posting and giving us another angle to the discussion

      Gary
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      • Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

        It's great to have your input...thanks for posting

        I am really interested to hear what you think of the comments on this thread? Does it concern you that so many people are negative about webinars?

        I totally understand that if you are a marketer and people attend your webinar you will make money and you build up a great relationship with your webinar JV partners but I would be slightly concerned that you could be losing your target audience judging by the comments here.

        Your comments seemed to be just from the marketers point of view and didn't focus much on the actual listener.

        Thanks again for posting and giving us another angle to the discussion

        Gary
        I love webinars, I think the problem is people go on to many. The solutions is not to tell us to cut down on webinars but to take responsibility for yourself.

        In any case my webinars are 99% content I do a small pitch at the end. I can tell you that some people have been on my webinar like 20+ times! So I don't think they are webinared out.

        Now that being said I have been on webinars with 0% content, guess what, I dont' go back and I don't try to tell them not to do it. I HATE REGULATION I think people should do whatever they want and should not be prevented if their webinars suck let them do it, it's their liberty. In any case I try to keep my webinars good and I will keep doing them (I do about 3 to 4 a month).

        I know people will be upset to read this but I love webinars. Sorry.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nancy656656
    It feels like I'm being forced to waste my time if the only way to get information is through a webinar.
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanMagin
    I like to sit in and watch hpw the presenters deliver the content and preset their pitch.

    A lot can be learned by studying others marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author murphyslaw
    I've attended a few webinars. I've only finished 1. I just wait for the recording to become available and listen to that while I'm doing some other tasks. That way I can pause and rewind at my leisure.
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  • Profile picture of the author michaeljcheney
    Next time you attend a webinar don't do so as a prospect or a potential customer. Do so as an UNDERCOVER AGENT - see WHY the webinar is structure in the way it is, how the slides flow, the language that is used and how the offers are constructed. Then do your own and you will fall in love with them, trust me! :-)

    I've made literally 7 figures with webinars over the years but I don't just pitch, I go 90-95% content, you have to help people even if they don't want your offer.

    Gary - I know you'll probably be on mine on Wednesday, I'll say hello :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Originally Posted by michaeljcheney View Post

      Next time you attend a webinar don't do so as a prospect or a potential customer. Do so as an UNDERCOVER AGENT - see WHY the webinar is structure in the way it is, how the slides flow, the language that is used and how the offers are constructed. Then do your own and you will fall in love with them, trust me! :-)

      I've made literally 7 figures with webinars over the years but I don't just pitch, I go 90-95% content, you have to help people even if they don't want your offer.

      Gary - I know you'll probably be on mine on Wednesday, I'll say hello :-)
      Hi Michael

      Thanks for your input and suggestion. If more marketers did as you do webinars wouldn't get the reaction that they do as indicated in this thread.

      Yes I WILL be on yours tomorrow and know without a shadow of a doubt that it will be worth it (even though it will be on at midnight here in the UK so I will be high as a kite on caffeine )

      I'm looking forward to tomorrow

      Gary
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  • Profile picture of the author Lee McIntyre
    There's no doubt that when done correctly webinars can be a fantastic sales tool.

    I actually initially signed up to use Infusionsoft AFTER watching one of their webinar sales pitches a few years ago.

    I was weighing up the pros and cons of all the different e-commerce solutions that were available in the marketplace, but then Infusionsoft got me on a webinar and made a killer offer with some immediate scarcity, and I was SOLD!
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    • Profile picture of the author jlynch401
      Originally Posted by Lee McIntyre View Post

      There's no doubt that when done correctly webinars can be a fantastic sales tool.

      I actually initially signed up to use Infusionsoft AFTER watching one of their webinar sales pitches a few years ago.

      I was weighing up the pros and cons of all the different e-commerce solutions that were available in the marketplace, but then Infusionsoft got me on a webinar and made a killer offer with some immediate scarcity, and I was SOLD!
      Is this really THE Lee McIntyre?
      What are you working on currently?
      Not posted on your blog since June 2010
      Just discovered you and looking for "current" stuff.
      Bloody IM niche is "total pants" without ya!
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  • Profile picture of the author NathanConner
    I have become more and more disenchanted with Webinars. They are usually 70% training, 30% sales pitch. I prefer to just buy a course that has 100% pure value, without messing with a pitch.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
      Gary, we're definintely in agreement that GOOD webinars are harder to find.

      I agree that there is a let-down factor when you attend a webinar and the person does not know how to present very well. It sucks - even if they have something good to say.

      Some are very hard to listen to.

      I've been on both sides - attending and presenting webinars - and, generally speaking, the people who've attended my webinars have been enthusiastic.

      Another way to look at it is that the people who are most likely to buy from you will attend the webinar and those who aren't likely to buy from you won't bother.

      Here's one more thing I do as a consumer of webinars...

      I am an active unsubscriber.

      By that, I mean that I am not on very many email lists. (I only stay on the email lists of people who give great value on a consistent basis - and if they don't, or if they start to veer off the original topic, I unsubscribe to that email list)

      This ensures that only the best emails come in and also reduces the number of webinars that come across my field of vision.

      Dave
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  • Profile picture of the author ImWendy
    Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

    Now that every man and his dog is putting out a webinar what are your thoughts?

    I have been on some excellent webinars but I now get about 4 webinar invites a day from various marketers and although I am sure there will be some great info I honestly don't have time to attend them all.

    Then when I DO attend by the time they have done the sound checks, introductions and pre-selling and get into the webinar I have sometimes been there 2 hours later. I sometimes glean some gems from them but more often than that it is 2 or 3 hours out of my working day that I can never get back.

    I know that they are effective but I would much rather have the information on good old fashioned pdf and read it myself.

    Some presenters and webinar guests are incredibly tedious and speak in such a monotone voice that I start to comatose and am willing them to 'get to the point'.

    Am I the only one or does everybody else love them?

    Gary
    I used to enjoy webinars but not anymore. For one, they usually take place at night and I work nights. Secondly, they are nothing more than pitch fests with products that cost well into the three to four figure range. Webinars are a dead give away to me that the product being pitched is not going to cost anywhere near $7, $17, $37, $97 etc. LOL!

    I remember when webinars were beginning to be all the rage and it was such a novelty that everyone wanted to be in one and you would be lucky if you managed to wiggle your way into one. Nowadays, just like you stated above, everyone and their dog is doing a webinar. I get about one or two a day, every day now! :rolleyes:

    Yes, I'm sure you can pick up a nugget here & there but it's usually not worth the time spent and yes, I'm sick and tired of hearing the presenter struggle with G-T-W and also go on about their life story. Especially if it's a well known marketer. This leads me to multi-tasking and the ensuing shock/outrage when they announce how much they want for their wiz bang course.

    The only webinar I would "attend" is if I paid for it and that is a very rare occurrence. Even then, the presenter would have to guarantee that it will be recorded because of my work hours. Usually I turn it into an MP3 and listen to it while at work the next day. Great way to pass the time!

    Overall, I do not love webinars anymore. I avoid them as much as Amway reps. So to answer your question Gary, you are not alone in this. Cheers!
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  • I have been doing webinars longer and more them then 99% of you on the warrior forum over 300+ (probably way more). I have people who have been clients for years and they can in on webinar and they come over and over again.

    I know there is nothing I can say to change the tide but I don't care. The truth is it's a fantastic tool! I love it, I give content, People get know who I am, if they like it they become clients if they dont' they dont'. It's fantastic! To me people who don't use it are missing out but it's their liberty!

    There you go I said it I know most of you don't care I'm ok with that!
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      That is a bit of a strange reaction.

      "I know there is nothing that I can say to change the tide but I don't care"

      I realise that you are doing well with webinars but judging from the reaction on this thread I think that you SHOULD care about changing the tide.

      Surely as a marketer you want to aim at a wider audience but you seem content to aim at just a few and are dismissive of the others who are not listening to what you have to say.

      I don't know if that is good marketing sense at all.

      I was just going to let the thread go as the overall opinion is that people for one reason or another don't like webinars but I just found your post quite strange one.

      You made good points in your other posts though

      Gary



      Originally Posted by HelpingYouBeAnExpert View Post

      I have been doing webinars longer and more them then 99% of you on the warrior forum over 300+ (probably way more). I have people who have been clients for years and they can in on webinar and they come over and over again.

      I know there is nothing I can say to change the tide but I don't care. The truth is it's a fantastic tool! I love it, I give content, People get know who I am, if they like it they become clients if they dont' they dont'. It's fantastic! To me people who don't use it are missing out but it's their liberty!

      There you go I said it I know most of you don't care I'm ok with that!
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  • Profile picture of the author Carol_A
    I suppose I'm in the minority!

    I love them!

    Of course, I am VERY choosy as to who I spend my time with, and if I determine that I've made a mistake, "click" on the big X in the right hand corner of GoToWebinar! lol

    I've learned SO much and can honestly say I've purchased some of the best pieces of software and other stuff by being live on the webinar (great "pre-launch" deals) and have gotten lots of good training.

    I'm a picky snooter.......so, I don't hesitate to quit one early if I'm disappointed...

    Time is Money, but Knowledge is Power

    Just my 2 cents...
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    • Profile picture of the author garyfromdurham
      Originally Posted by Carol_A View Post

      I suppose I'm in the minority!

      I love them!

      Of course, I am VERY choosy as to who I spend my time with, and if I determine that I've made a mistake, "click" on the big X in the right hand corner of GoToWebinar! lol

      I've learned SO much and can honestly say I've purchased some of the best pieces of software and other stuff by being live on the webinar (great "pre-launch" deals) and have gotten lots of good training.

      I'm a picky snooter.......so, I don't hesitate to quit one early if I'm disappointed...

      Time is Money, but Knowledge is Power

      Just my 2 cents...
      Carol

      That is the key, to be very choosy.

      I am attending a webinar tonight at midnight my local time ( ) and even though it is very late for me I know that this will be a good investment of my time and worth staying up for.

      I think that the bad and woefully boring webinars are giving the good ones a bad press.

      Thanks for your views. It is good to be in the minority sometimes

      Gary
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    • Originally Posted by Carol_A View Post

      I suppose I'm in the minority!

      I love them!

      Of course, I am VERY choosy as to who I spend my time with, and if I determine that I've made a mistake, "click" on the big X in the right hand corner of GoToWebinar! lol

      I've learned SO much and can honestly say I've purchased some of the best pieces of software and other stuff by being live on the webinar (great "pre-launch" deals) and have gotten lots of good training.

      I'm a picky snooter.......so, I don't hesitate to quit one early if I'm disappointed...

      Time is Money, but Knowledge is Power

      Just my 2 cents...
      I love them 2!
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  • Profile picture of the author malia
    I love webinars. I listen on my phone while I drive or work.

    1- I hate when people waste 20-30 minutes getting set up or worse ask stupid questions like who here wants more traffic for their websites? Really? Come on!
    2- I hate replays that remove the controls (pause etc) won't watch them
    3- I hate when people think they can "freestyle" a webinar. Respect your audience and prepare, you aren't good enough to do it off the top of your head.
    4- cut the unnecessary banter. No one likes to hear you talk as much as you like to hear yourself talk

    But overall I do like them. There are some whose webinars I watch faithfully and others I will skip because of one or more of the above reasons.

    I think they are a great sales tool if well executed but then someone who is poorly executing a webinar probably poorly executes everything else.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sum1
    I have joined some webinars and I have learned from them. That said, there appears to be a common problem with knowing when to stop.

    They will be very popular with IM because they offer a captive audience to promote products to. If you join a webinar you must simply assume that there will be a sales pitch somewhere along the way. Just remember - you are entitled to say no if you want to.

    There is some evidence that those giving webinars are presuming that they are meeting all the needs of the audience, so don't need to bother with correspondence outside of webinars.

    They are useful but they are not the silver bullet that some would like to promote them as.
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    I've done well over a thousand+ live webinars (I'm on track to do over 170 this year alone; did 104 last year), since 1999, back in the pre-voice text box days.

    Most webinars are awful. I try and tune in to my competitors' webinars but tune out after 5-8 minutes. Most even start late. How unprofessional. And they're not professional presenters, so they're boring, they use verbal "ahs" "ums" and other rookie stuff.

    My free saturday webinars now I've cut down to 30 minutes (w/10min Q&A), for brevity and speed, and have over 820 registered attendees; many of whom actually show up lol. I like using gotowebinar best; I also like omnovia and adobe connect.

    Professionally done webinars are a rarity. Most are long, amatuerish, boring, dull, repetitive, and often 30%+ sales pitch. How lame. I do webinars for a living, and I should put out a "how to do webinars" info product but my competitors would buy it, and use what I'd teach, so I won't.

    Keys to success: learn professional speaking skills first. It takes decades to get good. At least keep webinars brief, fast paced, to the point. Be fun. Not joke-time, but at least enthusiastic, knowledgeable, confident and a pro. Move the free line, I like showing "what" to do, sell the "how" to do it, so there's reason to buy. I also give away a few valuable "hows" to establish credibility and impact, with proof elements.

    Ok gotta go I've got another one in 13 minutes to do. (really). Nowadays I don't attend hardly any webinars, I wait for a replay link and fast forward/skim watching like 5 minutes total if that, from the 60 minute lame pitchfest webinars my competitors do. That's the main tip; learn to become a professional speaker (go to toastmasters, read books on presentation skills, practice hundreds of hours etc).
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  • Profile picture of the author eugenedm
    I've gone through a lot of webinars and some are good and some are crap. While I was going through the webinars, I guess I filtered those details that I don't need and use or practice those that I think are good information.
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  • Profile picture of the author Madrona
    Banned
    For me, forums like Warrior is really good learning place and I don't use any webinar to learn..
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  • Profile picture of the author affiliator
    Dear Fellow Warriors:

    Webinars are unique tool for mass user engagement because of the interactive (Q&A) component- if structured properly..

    Probably the best webinar maker online is Shane MeLaugh and Jason Fladlein offers enormous value in his webinars too.

    Another thing to bear in mind is the "event" aspect of a webinar. Suppose this is why super stars like Dan Kennedy and Frank Kern use them.

    People buy via event like atmospheres, think of auctions and the power of crowd psychology.

    I'm not saying this should be misused but if you can show your true value in a webinar people will sign up to pay you for more of it.

    The question is: are webinars better than or equal to videos when it comes to know, like and trust?

    I don't know the answer to this one because I have not found statistical comparisons but

    I believe most worthwhile webinars have a content portion before the pitch portion while most product pitch videos do not-..Dave Guindon and some others being the exception to the rule.

    Personally, I prefer to watch webinar replays so I can fast forward to cut down the time spent per webinar to 30 minutes max.

    Some marketers like Michael Cheney have figured this out and don't make replays available.

    And then there are the "canned" webinars which amount to one extended video. The only advantage to this is you are able to schedule viewing more easily to your time zone.

    I've watched hundreds of webinars and thousands of videos over the past four years and have joined webinar swaps.
    .
    At the end of the day webinars are a superior way to bond with your autoresponder lists while enabling you to reach out to joint venture partners and extend your online reach/reputation.

    I'm sure Dave Cowles and Chris Farrell have seen good results from their webinars as they provide valuable education and tips as do Dave Guindon and Chris Guthrie, Spencer Haws ...I could go on and on.

    To wrap up: If you see yourself as a "presence" marketer a la Brendon Burchard or Ryan Deiss or someone of that ilk then being able to deliver premier cru webinars would be a great tool to have in your marketing magic bag.

    If you don't see yourself as the coaching type but more of a campaign manager type then you might not need them.

    Webinar fatigue has hit the im marketing niche recently to be sure and the cost of Go To Webinar is highish.

    I'm thinking along the lines of small group interactive 20 minute Skype calls featuring deep experts in narrow specialties supported by a pdf share driving to an offer.

    I'd also like to explore scheduling say 10 speakers a week using a forward looking calendar so attendees could pick and choose their marketing poisons.

    All the best,

    PV
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  • Profile picture of the author Mary Davis
    Hate to break it to all of you marketers but I no longer attend webinars either. Here is my list of "Top 10 Reasons Why I No Longer Go to Your Webinar(s)":

    1. First, too many of you prattle on.
    2. You do not keep on topic.
    3. You are not organized in your presentation
    4. You invite too many non essential guest presenters to participate (only to miraculously partner with them in a week or two later so you can hit me up for yet another launch.)
    5. I know you'll send me the link (ad nauseum) after the fact, to watch your "great webinar replay from last night!"
    6. It used to be I"d get an invitation to attend a webinar, and perhaps a reminder. Now I am inundated with reminder after reminder, countdown after countdown. Guess what - for those of you who webinar spam me, I either ignore you completely or delete you altogether.
    7. Some of you do not include a timer in your replays. Bad marketer, bad bad! It is MY time, not yours -- please respect that.
    8. You spend too much time trying to sell or talk me into something, instead of educating or informing.
    9. You focus on YOU (and your ultimate agena), not ME (and my needs)!

    ... and the last of the "Top-10 Reasons I No Longer Attend Your Webinars" is ...

    10. Your agenda is quite misguided - quit trying to get into my wallet, and instead try to get into my mind (and heart). Treat me right and I'll be a loyal follower ... treat me wrong I'll never open an e-mail from you again.


    One last note: Webinars are still a useful and relevant tool in one's marketing arsenal, but they should be used like salt -- a dash will do you; too much will do you (and your marketing recipe) in!!
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  • Profile picture of the author shane_k
    One thing I am noticing is that most people are talking about webinars the way Internet Marketers use them, and that is as a sales pitch.

    There is a website that I have been a paying member, for about 3.5 years now paying $20/month.

    And once a week we all get together ("we" being me and all the other members) and this guy holds a webinar on self-help and persuasion techniques.

    It is a a mastermind group of sorts where he presents techniques and strategies and we can ask questions about them, or we will go over past strategies and explain how we are trying to use them and get help and tips from him.

    So the way he is using webinars is not in the initial phase to make a sale, but he is using them as a way to build bonds with his customers, and as a way to make sure we are applying the skills properly so we get results and because of that success it makes us more loyal to him and see him as the go to guy when it comes to that area of our lives.

    And for all the membership sites that I have ever joined in the IM field no one does a membership site like this guy.

    Maybe it's just the strategy of using webinars as a way to make a sale that is webinaring out everyone.

    But what if people were instead to use webinars like this guy as a way to provide interactive content, help improve your customers rate of success so they see you as the go to guy, and as a way to build customer loyalty.

    Just a thought!

    Shane_K
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    I feel that way about youtube videos. It's bad enough listening to the required "Here's where I came from - I did it so can you" story; it's bad enough listening to all the umm and uhhhs... but I especially find it tedious when they announce what they're about to do. For example, let's say they're going to open a box and put something in it. They'll first say:

    "Now I'm actually going to open the box and put something in it, okay? So let's go ahead and actually open the box now and put something in it." Oh good lord just do it and I think I'll catch on.
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  • Profile picture of the author thinkoutthebox
    Originally Posted by garyfromdurham View Post

    Now that every man and his dog is putting out a webinar what are your thoughts?

    I have been on some excellent webinars but I now get about 4 webinar invites a day from various marketers and although I am sure there will be some great info I honestly don't have time to attend them all.

    Then when I DO attend by the time they have done the sound checks, introductions and pre-selling and get into the webinar I have sometimes been there 2 hours later. I sometimes glean some gems from them but more often than that it is 2 or 3 hours out of my working day that I can never get back.

    I know that they are effective but I would much rather have the information on good old fashioned pdf and read it myself.

    Some presenters and webinar guests are incredibly tedious and speak in such a monotone voice that I start to comatose and am willing them to 'get to the point'.

    Am I the only one or does everybody else love them?

    Gary
    If someone I choose to
    subscribe to his/her list
    chooses a webinar as
    a medium to share
    valuable knowledge and
    pitch a product I am
    going to be on the
    webinar

    There is a lot of studying
    you must do everyday
    and a webinar is more that
    what people are imagining.
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    "EBiz Mom"s comments are 100% correct about webinar objections; how most of them are. I agree. Most customers are webinar'd out since they're bad webinars. Good webinars though, I get hundreds in mine, though it took years to get there.

    ====
    ok for example I've got another webinar I'm doing in less than 30 minutes, to hundreds... it's going to be 90% solid content, with 10% pitch at the end. The 90% solid content will be better than most of my competitors' paid events' quality. Move the free line to outcompete; because you've gotta stand head and shoulders above the rest. And the pitch, is for a relatively inexpensive continuation of what I'm teaching.

    I've got two webinars tomorrow, another Thursday and yet another Friday and then one more Saturday morning. Done properly, they can add genuine value to people's education and training lives, but the key is making them exceptionally high quality.

    For example I took over 6 hours to prepare for a presentation tonight that will be less than 60 minutes total. Lots of preparation and solid content to give my audience. That's how you earn their trust -- the right way.

    a) learn professional speaking and teaching skills (takes years; I've been doing this fulltime for over a decade)
    b) deliver solid professional training content that's world class, or close to it
    c) modestly offer some additional training that's a bargain price at the end
    d) develop and earn trust over time.

    there's no shortcuts, but that's how a professional does it for a living. at least I do.

    Tip: do some exercise before the webinar, to get energy levels up; some quick stretches or whatever
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh Monroe
    I stay away, as being a marketer myself I know the main reason your hosting this super cool 'FREE' training webinar is nit because your a genuinly nice person wanting to help people BUT to convert the prospects who are currently on the fence.

    Although Webinars are HOT at the moment, I think most people are starting to realise just what exactly these webinars are for..that being said webinar will still be here for a long time.
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  • Profile picture of the author RichWill
    HI Everyone My name is Rich Willens and I am the host of Webinarswaps, an affiliate marketing platform that does live webinars.

    I have been listening to your comments and I have taken all the good with the bad and I agree with some, disagree with most.

    Webinarswaps has a pre-show to get out all the kinks. The show is recorded without all the fluff.

    There is always a sales presentation. Usually some free training but you know going in there will be a presentation. Now, with that being said, most of the webinars on webinarswaps has quality programming. I invite you all to http://www.webinarswaps.com/webinars/archive and see the quality of information and presenters we offer.

    Your comments about legnth and content is well taken and look for some changes in the way we present our webinars. I am saying, instead of fly by night webinar producers: (anyone with a list) that will give anyone a webinar, we think we present the benchmark in quality webinars and would like you to check us out. Click on any replay and you will see the difference between Webinarswaps and everyone else.

    Thank you so much for being our associates and we welcome our new marketers/attendees as well.

    Rich WIlens
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  • Profile picture of the author gordongecko
    I never attend webinars - attended one or two and I didn't like the concept. Also, they tend to be on a time zone where I'm sleeping or unable to attend. I like to read an ebook. My pace.

    Ebooks are fine.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnhayesfc
    Webinars are great if they are value packed. Of course there is always a pitch at the end and if there isn't, then guess what you are still in a funnel no matter what. The problem with webinars today is they carry on way to long. I think if others would cut their times down to 1 hour max with say 30 minutes Q&A and tons of value, they would get way higher attendees. The thing to realize though is that some like them and will attend them and others will not. Regardless, they are in my opinion one of the best ways to monetize products period. As AA stated, they definately create happier clients and loyalty. It's more of a psychological aspect than anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author crumpet
    I've have listened to a few recorded training webinars (No sales pitch at the end) while doing other tasks - The speaker is quite well known and I got a lot of great info out of it.

    On the other hand, I wouldn't make time to sit down and watch one for a few hours - seem's counter-productive and a bit of a waste of time!
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