Avanti: Webinars can help grow your business

Business is not static and any successful business owner will tell you that they have had to make changes to their approach or business model to evolve within their chosen industry.

Consider Darwin’s theory of evolution – Survival of the fittest. This applies to business too, you need to be prepared to change to meet the needs of your target market, and to ensure the growth of your business.

It’s easy to stick to tried and tested methods, but if you’re not seeing real growth in your figures, is your ‘business as usual’ approach really working?

It can be hard to see what might need changing from within, so don’t be afraid to do some market research, ask your staff or fellow networkers to complete an anonymous survey, thus providing you with unbiased information.

Not all feedback may be favourable, so take it on board with an objective view – you are after all looking to make changes.

It can be daunting setting yourself goals for growth and demoralising if they are not achieved. Instead of focusing on where you want to be in a year, break it down into manageable financial or converted prospect  targets.

Taking this approach, you are able to see what is really working for your business, and react quickly to something that might not be having the desired impact.

How can you grow your business?

Different things will work for different people, businesses and industries, but there are tried and tested, easy to action routes to growth. Here we explore the advantage of webinars as part of your marketing strategy….

Webinars, what’s the fuss?

Webinar – a seminar conducted over the internet. If you see 40 people attend a local seminar that you conduct, imagine the power of internet reach……

E-Commerce has created a disconnection between businesses and consumers in a world where it should be easier than ever to connect. As business is increasingly done online, we tend to find ourselves increasingly tucked away behind a screen, so why not make this a pro instead of a con?

Consider the value of live webinars, getting yourself in front of your industry peers, your clients and social media followers.   Instead of the regular blog post, by doing a live webinar you can be YOU, and your personality can shine through to a captive audience.

Consider using the Facebook Live function to draw your audience in to a webinar. You can build up the audience, and once you feel confident that you have a following for your content, launch your webinar. Keep it brief, informative, and lively, focus on one key tip- perhaps follow it up with a blog so the two link but you now have some personality behind your text.

Every day is a school day! Remember, you don’t need to be an ‘expert’ to hold a webinar, you just need to know more than the people you are teaching. If you are in a field experiencing legislative changes, be ahead of the pack, and put your webinar together with the limited information available. You’ll be seen as proactive, progressive and forward thinking even if you have ‘holes’ in your information.

To pitch or not to pitch?

It’s early days, so do you pitch a product or service straight away. It’s a good idea to focus solely on providing a value content webinar and leave the pitch to your website and follow up marketing and/or surveys. Removing the sales element can also help to alleviate the added pressure caused by pitching. Your audience will be much more responsive and engaged with the content if you are not using it as a direct sales opportunity.

Avanti Networking Member Business Coach, Suzanne MacDonald- Carr adds…

“If your business isn’t growing its dying.. ..sounds harsh but it is true”  

As a business coach we always start with the end in mind, and work backwards in small bit sized steps and get real clarity of what needs to change in the next 12 weeks, set those goals and then  deliver them.

“Where you will be in five years’ time is down to the books you read, the people you associate with in business, and the Action you take!”(Bradley J Sugars, Chairman, ActionCOACH International).

If your thoughts are excellent, and  your actions are excellent, so your results will be excellent!  So start with your Be x Do = Have.

For more information, visit the Avanti website

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