Following up on our initial law firm webinar post in early September, we'd like to recommend a toolkit recently published by MarketingSherpa entitled: "How to Produce a Webinar Program" for law firms interesting in launching a webinar program. A subscription is required to access the toolkit so we'll provide a summary of the content so you can decide whether it's worth the investment (eLawMarketing also offers webcasting services to law firms that require assistance in this area).
Briefly, the MS toolkit walks marketers through all of the steps necessary to produce and promote a successful webinar, including a sample timeline and cost calculator. Among the steps discussed:
#1: Selecting a Topic and Presenter: for law firms, the typical goal of a webinar is to establish one or more of their attorneys as experts in their field. This objective will drive the topic selected and the presenter.
The topic should be tailored to the audience's level of expertise. That is, don't cover basics if the target audience is already well versed about the topic.
The presenter should have an effective speaking style. Someone knowledgeable about a topic may not always be able to present it in an engaging and interesting manner. Speakers don't need to be techno-wizards, but should be comfortable working with basic technology - e.g., flipping through Powerpoint slides.
It's also a good idea to have a moderator to join the presenter to keep things moving along smoothly.
#2: Preparing the Presentation: most webinars are presented using Powerpoint slides. So you'll need either an outside vendor or internal staffer skilled at creating visually appealing Powerpoints. Our own experience shows that attendees prefer slides with a minimal amount of text presented in bulleted, outline form. This allows attendees to digest your content in bit-sized chunks as they listen to the speaker. Also, avoid blatant sales pitches, and instead focus on conveying knowledge of high value to your audience.
#3: Selecting a Vendor: a good webinar provider will handle all of the technical aspects of your webinar. This includes setting up a teleconference line for the audio; recording the webinar; and hosting a web interface for displaying the slides. Ideally, the interface should include interactive elements such as polls and Q&A forms.
Vendors typically charge a fixed fee "per minute" per attendee for audio and web connection time. There may be additional fees for a support person to address technical issues during the presentation, and for creating and providing a recording.
#4: Practicing the Presentation: it's critical that all participants practice the webinar in a "dry run" at least one time prior to the live webinar. This will help pin down timing issues. For example, no single speaker should talk for more than 10-15 minutes or so without interruption, which means you need to figure out where to transition from one presenter to another (if you have multiple speakers - a good idea), and/or where to insert interactive polls or Q&A to break things up.
#5: Promoting the Webinar: webinars are best promoted via email to your existing clients and other contacts who may be interested in the topic. The emails should be visually appealing and include both graphic and text links to a well-designed registration form for capturing sign ups.
A promotional email campaign might consist of an original invitation, a reminder, and a "last call" a day or so before the event (remember, because a webinar is presented remotely, individuals can sign up as late as the day of the webinar!).
The firm's website and any blogs should also promote the webinar. Issuing a press release via one of the online PR services can also drive registrations. Make sure to use the right keywords in the title and body copy of the release.
#6: Post-Webinar Followup: once your webinar is completed, it's a good idea to send a survey to all participants with a couple of short questions designed to elicit feedback. This will help you improve future webinars.
For helpful checklists, a cost calculator, sample timeline, and list of webinar providers, download the MarketingSherpa webinar toolkit. (subscription required for access). Or contact us about our webcasting services for law firms.
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