Why brokers should be hosting webinars

Originally Published on 19/11/2020

Have you attended a webinar this year? Studies show that you probably have, as it’s becoming an increasingly popular way for businesses to share their expertise and engage with existing and prospective clients.

So why should brokers be hopping on the webinar train?

Affordable

Hosting live events can be costly. But so can attending them. The benefit of hosting a webinar instead is that you can achieve much of the same lead generation or client delight through them as you can from hosting an in-person event.

Aside from the cost of the event on the day (food, venue, staffing, marketing collateral), webinars also have the perk of costing less in time. You’ll only need around an hour of spare time to host and the run-up to a webinar can be much shorter and less extensive than with a live event.

Read more: How to build relationships as a broker

Easy

Now that much of the world has transitioned to digital working, webinar platforms are more accessible than ever before. In fact, you probably use one already. 

Video conferencing software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams are excellent platforms for hosting a webinar. Because many businesses already have these in place, the tech set-up is easy (and cost-efficient). To make your webinar look especially professional, try these tips:

• Use well-designed, engaging slides
• Practice ahead of time
• Have a clear, distraction free background
• Use headphones and a mic if possible
• Pay attention to lighting - natural light is the most flattering (and it’s free!)

Deliver better value

As a business, delivering value is the key to continued success. This can come in many forms, but it should be tailored to specific audiences. You should be delivering value to both prospects and existing clients. The first to get them interested and the latter to keep them happy and likely to refer your services.

Webinars can be an excellent string in your bow in this regard. They help you deliver valuable, in-depth content in an easily digestible way.

Establish authority in the sector

Hosting webinars can be a good way to establish your business as an authority and thought leader in the mortgage sector. Not only can you share your own valuable insights with clients and potential clients, but you can also invite industry leaders to speak with you and share their knowledge.

Both can be helpful in raising your profile and establishing your business as a well-informed and engaged authority. 

In addition to hosting your own webinars, appearing as a guest for other businesses is another great way to set yourself up as a leader in your field. This will also expand your reach and introduce you to new potential leads. You can even use these appearances as a way to test out this format before creating one yourself.

Read more: Top 5 Ways to Attract New Clients

Generate new leads

You can also set up your webinar as a lead generation tool. To do this, create webinars about topics that you know your ideal audience would be interested in. As part of the sign-up process for this webinar, ensure that the form to be filled out by prospects has everything you need to consider someone a lead. 

If you’ve done both of these, everyone who signs up will be somebody that you know has interest and is contactable. It’s a great way to generate leads that are high interest.

Gain audience insight

One of the things that makes webinars feel so valuable to attendees is the Q&A section at the end. They love being able to speak directly to an expert and get their specific questions answered. But the value of this isn’t one-way.

When you host a webinar, make note of the questions that your audience is asking. Particularly those that come up often. These questions can make for exceptional guidance when creating content in the future because you know for a fact that they are something your audience wants to know. They could even be your next webinar topic.

Reusable

Another huge benefit of webinars is that they are reusable. From a single webinar recording, you can create dozens of new pieces of content. To start, you can host the webinar video on your website and provide the video to people who sign up after it originally aired, for additional lead generation. 

You could also break it up into smaller pieces to share across social media or in emails. Another idea is to turn the content from the webinar into a series of blog posts or a downloadable guide.

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