Are you getting the most out of your webinars?

Corine La Font, Contributor

If you ask someone if they know or have heard of the word 'webinar', they may have an idea of what it is or may have even been an attendee. Webinars haven't taken hold in Jamaica and the Caribbean, as they have in the United States and other parts of the world.

Perhaps individuals or companies do not have the necessary skills to plan and manage one, or are unsure of what it does or how to use it, or even how to really leverage the mass potential of such a tool to build a following, increase engagement and interaction, and create a sustainable business.

Today I will point out three main reasons why webinars is one of the most effective tools out there in marketing for anyone who wants to start or build a business.

1 For those who are more aware of webinars, the most immediate platform that comes to mind is Gotowebinar. It has, under the Citrix brand, built a name over the years. Another alternative, popular on the market, is Instant Teleseminar. It is a great platform, user-friendly with easy-to-manipulate features. I have used both of these platforms and they have worked well but both require a monthly fee and limit you to the number of attendees.

When you are in the business of planning virtual or online events in your business or for clients, like I do, you want more, especially if you are paying a monthly subscription, but more so to be able to calculate your Return on Investment. You want the analytics that can be generated before, during and after the event so that you can make an informed decision and tweak the necessary areas to improve the next time.

While Gotowebinar and Instant Teleseminar are great platforms, they do not offer that main feature of providing analytics, and when you are in business, it's the statistics that, speak volumes. You should also know that there are many free platforms that, can be used, though without the analytics and they come with advertisements that, in my professional opinion, looks tacky when you want to really leave a good and lasting impression on your prospects to encourage them to return and feel confident in what you offer, but hey, if that's what you can do now, then go for it until you have built up the funds to be able to afford something that can really take you to the next level.

2 On the topic of prospects, many brick-and-mortar businesses, start-ups as well as established businesses tend to forget that their customers are the ones who keep their doors open. As such, they should not be ignored or taken for granted for there is always choice and in this information age, people are always looking for where they can get the best value for their investment, whether it be time or money. Webinars are a great way to build confidence in your business and brand and allow engagement like none other. Questions can be answered live and direct, you can connect directly with senior members of staff or top executives. Create that know, like, and trust factor from the get-go and you will have loyal customers for life.

3 The business world is filled with competition, and like we say in the Caribbean, 'if yuh slip, yuh slide'. What will help to define and distinguish you from the rest of the competition? Webinars! Supported by social networks and other marketing tactics, you are able to have a wider reach and greater impact on your audience, their choices and decisions.

While traditional face-to-face conferences and seminars may still have a place, like traditional publishing, it is becoming the old way of doing things in a new age where meetings-on-the-go is in vogue and access via mobile responsive devices is commonplace. No longer are executives crazy about the idea of spending companies' funds to send staff on training, locally or abroad.

Massive savings can be gained from using webinars in any business at any stage. To name a few, I know of webinars being used by educators, business and sales professionals, meet-up groups, personal trainers, ministries, network marketers, affiliate marketers, adoption agencies; you name it, webinars will work for you.

Commercial licence

Launch a product, teach an audience and build a thriving online community with webinar technology. I recently invested in a commercial licence platform that offers me everything I always wanted in webinar technology all in one place, including those analytics I mentioned above and more. It even allows me to set up webinars for my clients or anyone who needs webinars, teleseminars or even telesummits as part of their business model with their own branding. Isn't that awesome? Want to give it a test drive? Check it out here, and if you like the experience and want to get the platform for yourself and/or business and you have the capacity in-house to plan, coordinate, and manage the process, then the same link below will get you there: http://easywebinarplugin.com/go.php?helpdeskja&1.

That will be the same platform I will be using for my upcoming webinar, '10 Things Authors do to Sabotage their Book's Success' on February 28, 2014 at 11 am EST. Want to join in for FREE? Come on in via this link http://bit.ly/1fg0CLI and get a FREE gift when you register and share the event. Look out for a schedule of topics that would interest you, and if you don't see what you need, then just send me a quick email to let me know.

A number of persons have signed up for my newsletter since posting the previous article and I encourage you to continue to do so at this link http://bit.ly/KtnkCx. You won't regret it.

Also, don't forget the US-based book competition, the Small Business Book Awards nominations are open. Try to enter if it fits your profile at http://bookawards.smallbiztrends.com/about/. More competitions are mentioned in my newsletter. See you at the webinar!

Corine La Font is a self-publishing, online marketing and virtual events specialist and consultant. She is also an award-winning publishing resource in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Get a copy of her book at http://amzn.to/TFHQka and Tune in to her radio programme at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/helpdeskja. She can be reached at corine@helpdeskja.com.