Webinational Webinar Podcast with Joe Daniel

GoToWebinar is the most popular webinar hosting platform out there for internet marketers. So I should probably give it some time. This episode is a review of the features for GoToWebinar.com. At least, what they are as I see it. We talk about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. What works, what doesn't.  GoToWebinar is the most reliable webinar hosting service I have used. It just plain works.  Plus it is a fully contained system. Host the webinar, host your recordings, build your registration page, send out your reminders, send out your follow-ups. It's all here.  You can say that for some of the other services, too. But none of them are quite as intuitive as GoToWebinar. It's great for your first time through. The big issues are that there is no chat room for your guests. They can message you, but not each other.  I used to not care about that. But I love the idea of Social Presence and have pushed for more interaction in recent months.  GoToWebinar does not integrate directly with your mailing list, either. But there are some solutions. I'll present a couple in the podcast.  The conclusion of the GoToWebinar review? If you want a reliable service for webinars... GoToWebinar is for you.  But if you are bootstrapping, the costs can be prohibitive. Still, your 30 Day Free Trial is worth using anyway.

You don't need to be afraid to host a webinar. You just need to be prepared. Do you have an audience? If not, you have to find one. Your first webinar will be better if you host it for an existing list.  If you have that audience alreaddy? No more excuses. Time to host a webinar! In Episode 47 of The Webinar Marketing Podcast, I'll take you through the 6 step checklist you need to follow to get your webinar out there.  Click here to download the 6 Steps To Awesome Webinars Checklist! When you finish this podcast, you're going to know exactly what direction to go in right now.  Let's get started! Show Links The Webinar Formula List Building For Webinars Amy Porterfield Show Notes [05:00] Step 1 - decide on your purpose for the webinar [11:28] how to choose your webinar title (headline) [13:11] Step 2 - where is your traffic going to come from? [19:11] Step 3 - choosing your webinar host [20:40] Step 4 - building your registration page [25:49] Step 5 - create your presentation [27:57] Step 6 - time to shine!  

I'm the last person (if you are, you need to change that). I finally took the time to listen to Robert Cialdini's book, Influence.  And it is great. I already knew the concept of triggers. But there's another world in this book.  In this episode we look at: Reciprocity Commitment & Consistency Social Proof Likeability Authority Scarcity What does each of these triggers mean? How can you use it in your business?  I'll provide some explanations and examples for you today. Check it out! Show Notes [00:45] Intro to Influence by Robert Cialdini, and triggers [02:50] The Mouthwash Tangent...  [04:00] The 6 triggers for greater influence [05:20] Reciprocity trigger - give value to get value [08:20] Commitment & Consistency trigger [11:45] How I use Click To Tweet to get a commitment [12:50] Social Proof Trigger and testimonials [16:42] The Testimonial Cruncher, how to get plenty of testimonials [24:40] Likeability trigger - don't be a corporation [27:20] Authority trigger, how to be an important person to your audience [31:00] How you can get interviews that will increase your authority [33:32] Scarcity trigger, "Don't miss this amazing opportunity!" [37:00] Best practices for using triggers Show Links Robert Cialdini's Influence on Amazon [affiliate link] Michael O'Neal's Solopreneur Podcast at Solohour.com Click To Tweet at ClickToTweet.com  

I recently read a great article from Ken Molay that centers around one answer, to one question, from the CMO at ON24. And it really illustrates what you need to be looking for in your webinar hosting. In fact, this article tells you all you need to know about your actual webinar presentation. Basically, it is this - can you connect with your audience? ON24 is a webinar hosting service - and not one I recommend for you or me, since I don't think they're in our price range - that's looking forward. To creating new problems for you, and solving them.  Remember my podcast on how to be a problem solver? OK, so the deal is this. Ken Robinson from ON24 (there's two Ken's in this story, no Barbie... hang with me) basically says that his company's biggest issue is that webinars are old technology. And they need to find a way to make it seem new. To solve a new problem.  I get that. Telephones were old technology. Someone had to make them new. 20 years (or much more) later, we're walking around with an iPhone.  I don't know where that takes Webinars, but it's not coming up with a bunch of shiny add-ons. We need simple. We need "get out of my way so I can connect with my customers!" technology.  Alright well shiny add-on's worked for iPhone. Bad example. Music would be a better example. Remember records? CDs? Now we have MP3s. No wrappers or special inserts. Just music.  So listen to Episode 45 and tell me what you think. Is your webinar host 'too shiny'?

How do you become someone your audience can't live without? How do you make your webinars become a 'Must-See Event'? You listen. Understand. Find out what the unique frustrations of your audience are.  Then, you come up with solutions. And deliver them.  Download my Free "How To Be A Problem Solver" Work Flow [01:05] What does it mean to be a problem solver? [04:12] Get the Problem Solver Work Flow [04:46] Step 1: Ask Questions to find out what the probelm is  [11:32] Step 2: Empathize with the person who has this problem [15:08] Step 3: Come up with a list of possible solutions [18:55] Step 4: Present your solutions... and give them away for free

I honestly thought it was just a job. Paying the bills til I could get back to doing what I loved.  But years later, I can tell you that working for the customer service department of Capital One for a few months was an incredibly valuable experience. I learned so much about how to handle people. In this episode of the Webinar Marketing Podcast, we're talking a little customer service. Listen to the episode to hear my 5 tips on better customer service... Make sure you both understand the problem Be empathetic to the customer's problem Avoid using the word "YOU" or "YOUR" If it's a little thing, let it go. Keep your customers in the loop These are just a few little tips that can help your customer service. What's your best customer service tip? Leave a comment!

There's so much information out there today on selling. It's easy to lose your way. There are some pretty sweet tips and tricks that work. Once. Then the person you 'tricked' realizes it. And you never make the sale again. In a well-run business, most of your sales will come from repeat customers, not first time buyers. That's because you build a relationship with your newest customers. You even build relationships with people who are NOT your customers. They may not buy, but they may spread the word to someone who WILL.  So when it's time to close the sale in your webinar... don't be a salesy sleazebag! In Episode 41 of the Webinar Marketing Podcast, I'm giving you 7 tips on how to NOT be sleazy when you sell... Give huge value. Alway over-deliver on the education. Don't make your webinar all about you. Don't use a pre-planned 'act' to get yourself over. Be proud of your offer... but not surprised. Think long-term. Build relationships. Only make claims you can back up. Ask yourself, would I be happy if my mom bought this? And don't miss my upcoming Live, Free Webinar Event - "Launch Your First Webinar". Visit http://joedaniel.com/launch to sign up!

Want to maximize your next webinar's impact? You have to show people you know what you're doing.  That means confidence. Not overbearing confidence, of course. Just knowing that you are the right person to help the people in your audience.  Here's 5 tips for making sure your audience knows you are the Expert! Believe in your own product. Don't sell it if it isn't great. Rehearse your presentaion. Not to the point of being robotic, but make sure you aren't reading off your slides. Meditate before the event on how much you will be helping people. Ask some questions and answer some questions from your audience before the presentation gets started, to get into a natural flow. Don't look at the attendance. Present as if whoever's there, is important. The number does not matter. Want to launch your first webinar? Check out http://joedaniel.com/launch to sign up for my Live, Free Webinar that's coming up!

The New Year is finally here! And we all want to grow our businesses in 2015. Whether you're just starting out, or your business is bursting at the seams... more sales are probably a part of your plan. Check out these 7 Tips I'm discussing in this episode of the Webinar Marketing Podcast... Research Your Customers Lower Your Price Raise Your Price (yes, they both work!) Offer Special Bonuses Offer a Little More of You Sell From a Position of Power Bundling! Ready to make a big splash in your market in 2015? Jump on board with The Webinar Marketing Podcast!

You want more leads. No, you NEED more leads.  After all, you can't make a sale if you don't have a lead. And in the world of Online Business, leads come down to one thing... email addresses. The holy grail. More email addresses. Could you pay someone for a big list? Sure. It wouldn't be worth a crap to you. You need highly targeted leads.  Your tribe. Your people.  And you've heard all about Webinars, right? How awesome they are. How people come flocking to webinars. It's the hot thing in internet business right now.  You can get more leads with Webinars. But that needs to be your objective. It's different than a sales webinar.  First, there's a longer time period involved in launching your webinar. There's more work involved. You've got to create a buzz, get people talking. Get people sharing.  Then you have to make them share even more. Their friend. Their mom. Their cousin they haven't seen in 6 months.  An old business partner. A new business contact. Maybe their entire email list for their business. There's some grind involved here. Some elbow grease. This is not easy. Webinars are not a magic bullet.  There may even be a little luck involved. But if you hold your mouth right, Webinars can be a great tool for increasing leads for your business. Growing your email list. Getting things going. Listen to Episode 39 of the Webinar Marketing Podcast and see how Webinars can be used correctly to create new leads for your online (or offline!) business. 

When is the right time to host your next (or first!) webinar? Timing can be everything when you want to turn your web event into a big time conversion tool. The simple answer is always the same. Test! You need to test.  Even with the ideas in today's podcast, you'll need to do plenty of testing. It is always about testing and figuring out what works best for you.  You never know when you'll find new ideas, either. After a year of hosting webinars on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, I tried something new.  My first Sunday afternoon webinar was huge! And it was during a football game. Remember, my business is coaching football. We're going to look at the right time of year, the right time of the month, the right time of week and the best time of day for you to host your webinars.  This is all about finding a reason to host your webinar on a specific day. It is NOT about finding excuses to postpone your webinar longer.  The big key to webinars is getting out there and doing it. Making things happen. Take control of your life and your business. Don't use these timing ideas as a point for procrasination! Show Notes GoToWebinar recording was very smooth when I did a recent webinar. You can sign up for a free trial with GoToWebinar through my affiliate link or visiting GoToWebinar.com.  Everything has moved to JoeDaniel.com! Change your bookmarks for your favorite episodes. If you have links from your site, they'll redirect automatically. Have a question or feedback for the podcast? Click the Contact button! Webinar Marketing on The Flipped Lifestyle I forgot to mention it on the podcast. This past week I was a guest on The Flipped Lifestyle Podcast with Shane & Jocelyn Sams.  The interview was tons of fun and I think you'll find some great stuff there. Shane and Jocelyn do an amazing job helping you launch a new business from the ground up and I was really excited to be a part of it. Listen to the interview here

What's the secret? What are the real tools of the trade for profitable webinars?  Not much, really. Some hosting, a cheap mic and an internet connection.  You could do this thing for practically nothing. At least when you get started. But when you get rolling, there are a few more tools you can add. The toolbox gets a little bigger when you start to really focus on webinars. In this episode, I'll tell you 8 tools (more really, but that's OK) that I'm using for my webinars right now, including... WebinarJam for hosting larger, free web clinics GoToWebinar for hosting private, paid webinars PowerPoint for... well, powerpoints. Infusionsoft for all of my shopping cart and mailing list needs Logitech USB Headset for a microphone, because nothing else works here since the aliens came Bamboo Tablet for drawing diagrams (particularly in football webinars) Facebook for my advertising... and my thoughts on some other platforms LeadPages to handle my opt-in pages. I should have mentioned, I use it for my sales pages as well!  Are these all the tools that I recommend for you? Probably not. Depending on where your business is, and how many alien invasions your house has had, there are probably better tools. You can find out exactly what I think you need to have to when you download my 5 Must-Have Tools for Creating Webinars (it was what I was using, at time time). You're also going to get a T.M.I. re-cap of one of my most recent webinars. It's not the 6-figure blowout you hear from the top gurus, sorry. But it's a pretty good profit for a few hours of work! I really want to hear your feedback. What tools did I leave out? Which tools seem a little intimidating to you? Leave a comment below!

You've heard the promises! Webinars will change your life! They can and they will, if you dive in and really put a ton of effort it. But this isn't some magic bullet. So listen to find out how webinars will NOT change your life (without a lot of effort!)

There just isn't a short cut to success in online business. There's no shortage of people willing to sell you one, though. Here's what you should buy into... the Mailing List is the single most important component of your business success.  Not just a big mailing list. A highly targeted mailing list is much more valuable. Webinars are no exception to this rule. If you want to have an outstanding webinar, you need to have an outstanding mailing list.  Yes, you can do webinars without having a mailing list. They won't be as big, and they won't be as successful though.  Webinars do work for a lead generation strategy, they just are not your best lead generation strategy.  And your best webinars are going to be the one's with a group of people that already have a sense of community with you. They already know, like, and trust you.  Hosting a webinar when you have a mailing list is like having half the battle already won.  So even if you're eager to jump into webinars without your list, make sure you capture email addresses. Chances are that down the road, it will be the most valuable piece of property you have.  Convinced? Listen to Episode 35 here and find out all about mailing lists for your business.  Not convinced yet? Then listen closer... you will be! 

Of course you want to make sales. We all do. But if that's all your after... be prepared to head down a bumpy road.  It's tough to swallow, but the goal of your webinars cannot be simply to get everyone to click the "Buy Now!" button. No, you need a deeper purpose than that. You have to be genuine in that purpose, too. Webinars are different from a 500 word blog post, or a 3 minute video on YouTube. What you offer in a Webinar is really and truly a product.  A good webinar is something you could record and sell at a reasonable price without any hesitation. But you're giving it away for free! The goal of your webinar should be to get your attendees, whether they purchase from you or not, to learn enough and be motivated enough to accomplish a task.  What do you want your highly targeted attendees to do when the webinar is over? What's the next action they should take to reach their goal?  And an they do it without you? If you're really genuine in your training, your webinar will show your expertise by getting your prospects to take action now.  With, or without, your paid products.

You've been to some webinars. You know they work for some people. But can webinars really work in your industry?  Everyone wants to talk about making money online with webinars. What if that's not your gig? Do they still work? The answer is yes. You just need the right topic, the right audience, and the right product. Episode 33 is aimed at getting your creative juices flowing. We'll discuss several major industries and how you can use webinars in each. Didn't hit your line of work? Don't worry. Visit http://webinational.com/33 to get a list of 35 industry webinar ideas, your free download!

You're an expert in your field. Charismatic. Charming. You have a great product, and a big list. Tons of people are registered for your next webinar. How can you possibly mess this up? Well... there's a few ways. Listen to Episode 32 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast to find out the mistakes you need to avoid.  For starters, get a calendar. Nix that, just send a reminder on your phone or in Google Calendar. Don't be late. Be prepared to give more than you think you should. That's always the rule. Making sales is a value for value exchange. Don't skimp on the value. You got 'em registered, but when you set up that registration email sequence... did you set up the reminders too? You should. Most people don't set a reminder in their calendar. Make sure you deliver on your promises. If you advertise a topic, you better be focused on that topic. No bait & switch tactics, time share guy. On that same note... you better be able to back up everything you claim. Don't tell someone it's going to be easy, if you know it isn't. Be sure to capture email addresses. Not every will buy.  At least, not at the end of the webinar. But you can hit them up again and again with your awesome, valuable content. You just need an email address. We hate to do it, but you have to sell at some point too. A common mistake is to keep spewing value for 2 hours. There's a significant drop off in most webinars after one hour of content. That means people are enthralled by you enough to sit and listen for one hour.  Then they leave, and you never deliver the pitch. Big mistake. Ask for the sale if you ever want to get it! Finally, do not insult your audience. This is your tribe, your people. They believe you have something positive to offer to the world.  More importantly, you have something to offer them. And, of course, you hope they'll want to offer you something (money). So take care of them! Don't be a jerk. That's a general rule in life. Want to deliver a killer webinar to boost your business? And do it in about a month? Check my training course, Webinar Countdown.

Webinars should be a piece of your marketing platform. They're just too valuable to not be. But you're finding it a little intimidating to jump in, right? That's OK. Here's a few slivers of advice for anyone looking to dive into webinars. It doesn't have to be scary. It should be exciting. Webinars are fun!! Join me for Episode 31 when we talk about Launching Your First Webinar... and announce the upcoming webinar by the same title! 

You can spend all day looking at numbers. You can spend all day wasting your time in lots of other, more exciting ways too. So quit wasting time. Here's the 6 Webinar Metrics that Matter. The one's you need to be looking at to determine if your most recent webinar was a success.  It all comes down to who showed up and who made a purchase, ultimately. But to make continual improvements, you have to dig a little deeper.  Listen to Episode 30 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast to see exactly which metrics to spend your time on, and what you can learn from each.

The Online Education community is way ahead of us in webinar research. They don't call it that... but the research is there. And that doesn't mean they're better at it than the internet marketers out there. They just look at different metrics. Like, we look at dollars and cents - they look at increased knowledge. Tests. GPAs. To give a truly great Webinar, you need to educate your audience. Educate them like no one else can. And you do not have the be the most knowledgeable, to be the best teacher. In Episode 29 of the Webinational Webinar Podcast, I'm looking at research from the world of education into how we can improve the learning experience in our webinars. It's all about Social Presence Theory and creating a feeling of being there for your webinar attendees. Plenty of actionable advice for you this week. Hope you enjoy it, and please leave your feedback in iTunes or email me at joe@webinational.com!