The rise of webinars has caused a revolution in the way we disseminate information and connect with our communities. Thought leaders can now build relationships, influence, and grow their audience through this medium.
What is Thought Leadership?
Thought leadership is a marketing strategy that builds relationships with your audience by providing them with valuable insights, information, and the knowledge to solve their problems. .
To be a true thought leader in your industry, you need to not only be an expert in your field, but you must also become a trustworthy, engaging resource for others in your space.
If you want to become a thought leader or expand your current audience, the following tips will help get you started.
Begin With the Basics
Before you begin your journey to thought leadership, you should find out what else is out there. When it comes to webinars, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel—you need to gain an edge over the competition in your industry.
Find out what some top and sought-after thought leaders do that set them apart. Discover what they’re doing well so that you can make sure your webinar stands out.
Moreover, webinars can help you attract new clients and improve brand recognition among your target audience. Using webinars to effectively build thought leadership allows you to:
- Reach a wide audience through live streaming.
- Cut down costs – webinars are affordable and easy to host.
- Customize for different audiences.
Make Sure Your Content Creates Excitement
You’ve got a great webinar strategy in place. Now, it’s time to get people to attend your webinars. Design your strategy for webinars to generate interest among your target audiences.
Your thought leadership strategy needs to create a buzz. For your webinar to be successful, you must ensure that the content is exciting and relevant. That way, people will want to come back for more.
A few good tips to remember when creating your content include:
- Ensure that your content is timely and relevant.
- Incorporate trending topics or current events in your industry into your webinar.
- Talk about new products or services available in the market.
- Discuss ways your industry can improve processes and make the lives of customers easier.
Delivering new content to your target audience about topics of interest can help raise awareness for your brand among potential customers. It should also help them understand more about what you do and why they should attend your webinar.
Stay Real
Authenticity is important. Engaging your audience requires more than high-quality, thoughtful content. You must also allow your prospects and customers to get to know you.
Personalize your content by weaving in stories that support your point of view. Show attendees why you are the right person to offer them the products and services they need.
A storytelling approach helps you connect with your audience while setting your content apart from other brands.
People crave meaningful connections, and webinars offer a way to forge those bonds. Even if your strategy is brand-based, invite industry experts to provide their insights and add an element of personal connection—it makes all the difference.
People turn to a brand for answers. Creating and consistently executing a thought leadership strategy puts your brand at the forefront of discussions around key topics.
Sales will follow when you identify your target customers’ needs and provide them with the necessary information.
Make Your Webinar Sessions Interactive
The great Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me, and I forget, teach me, and I remember, involve me l learn.”
Webinars are all about participation. Once your content is ready, get feedback from your target audience.
Ask them what they want to see and know about your upcoming webinar. Planning your content around their pain points helps you better understand their needs and ensure that your webinar meets those requirements.
Additionally, if you want your audience to buy in, ensure your webinars have an interactive element. Turning on the private chat feature for attendees makes them engage with one another during the presentation.
Follow Up
A good presentation is step one for taking your webinar event to a higher level and gaining maximum exposure for your business. Afterward, continue pursuing those relationships to support your original goals.
Here are some suggestions:
Ask for Feedback
After concluding the event, learn what attendees thought about the webinar and whether or not they have any additional questions. Ask them to complete a quick survey during or immediately after the event.
Thank Your Audience For Coming
Send a follow-up email after the event and thank attendees for coming. Include additional information, such as related articles, to provide more information. Such information will show people that your business is an authoritative source in the field.
Provide Continuous Accessibility
Allow attendees to access and view the content again, and enable new users to see it. Also, let the attendees know they can access the webinar anytime via your thank you email.
Start Your Thought Leadership Journey Today
Sharing your experiences through high-quality content such as webinars allows you to effectively reach, educate, and engage with your audiences. Many thought leaders are now turning to webinars as a quick, easy, and effective way to do just that.
Not only can they effectively market your product and connect you with potential customers, but they show prospects how your services can solve their problems, which in turn, leads to brand trust, loyalty, and repeat business.
That’s a win/win.
So what do you say?
Are you ready to create a showstopping webinar that positions you as the thought leader you are?
Watch the eboov demo video to learn more and get started today!