Live webinars have been around for years. The pandemic has (as it did for many other digital-only channels) given it a huge boost. Reports show that live webinars have showcased three-digit growth in almost all countries.

It is a great way to engage with your target audience. Some might argue that webinars are much more effective than a stage speech, and they are right! But how can you, as an online educator use webinars to sell courses? Let’s find out. 

Benefits of hosting live webinars

The following are the many benefits of live webinars for your online course business. These will eventually allow you to better sell courses by attracting, engaging, and nurturing the right audience. 

Helps to build an email list

People interested in your webinars will have to register using their email addresses to save themselves a seat for the event. This gives you the opportunity to communicate with them both before and after the webinar. You can send a recording of the webinar to people who could not attend the webinar. You can keep nurturing them by sending relevant content that gives them value. A certain percentage of them are bound to become your students after a while. 

Attract quality leads 

Anyone who has registered to attend your webinar can be classified as a qualified lead. Why else would someone willingly sign up to spend an hour or more to listen to a webinar – the intent is high!  Use event registration software to make the process easier.

Connect with your audience 

Webinars are a great way to build meaningful relationships with your audience by interacting with them in real-time. You can answer their questions during the session, or you can dedicate a Q&A session. This helps build trust and also helps you learn about the needs and concerns of your audience. 

You don’t have to be a tech wizard 

You can successfully run a webinar even if you don’t consider yourself to be tech-savvy. There are many software platforms that can help you host your webinar and using them is very straightforward. There are many webinar software platforms that can help you host your webinar and using them is very straightforward.

Keep costs low

Unlike a live event, attendees from other geographies don’t have to incur exorbitant total costs to attend your webinar. Most webinar platforms can host over 1000 attendees simultaneously. This means that your costs are also kept to a minimum excluding the cost of marketing and other costs. The total costs will be only a fraction of the cost of organizing a live event. 

Educate before selling

One of the best ways to sell a product is to give the prospect massive amounts of value before you even start pitching. When you help someone for free, they are psychologically inclined to give you something back. This is the principle of reciprocity. Webinars give you this opportunity to present your content before you even introduce your course. 

Further Reading: How to create video lectures?

Registration and Thank You Page 

Before you can start promoting your webinar, you need to build a registration page that explains your webinar, who is hosting it, and other important details. The following are the important information to be included: 

• Compelling headline 
• Summary of topics covered 
• Information about the host 
• Time and date of the webinar

You will also need a registration confirmation page (also called a Thank You page) that tells people what to do and expect after they have registered for the webinar. The important information to be included on this page include: 

• A genuine message thanking registrants 
• Social share options
• Other relevant links to blogs, videos, etc. 

How to maximize sales from live webinars

Turn on the webcam before you start

A great way to gain the initial trust of your attendees is to show them that the webinar is presented in real-time by an actual person and not a recording. You can use this opportunity to chat with people, thanking them for attending and getting to know them better. Little actions like this can go a long way in building fruitful relationships.

Offer a satisfaction guarantee

After introducing the course and its price to your audience, offer a guarantee (For example, a 30-day money-back guarantee). This removes any risk associated with buying the course from you. There is no denying that some people will take advantage of this and ask for a refund after quickly completing the course. But the vast majority of buyers will be genuine. 

Present your offer page during the Q&A session 

After you present your course and move on to the Q&A session, make sure you keep presenting the slide with the link to the course checkout page. Some people may decide to buy your course during the Q&A session, and you should make sure you are able to do so without any confusion. 

Offer time-sensitive bonuses

A proven way to encourage people to buy your course immediately after attending the webinar is to offer a time-sensitive offer or bonuses. These can be monetary and non-monetary benefits. For example, the first five registrants can be entitled to a private coaching session with you. If you are offering them a deadline to purchase your courses, make sure you honor your promise. 

Offer a payment plan

Most of the time, there will be people who have attended your webinar, sat through your sales pitch, is genuinely interested in your course but cannot afford to pay the entire fee upfront. You can remove this pain point with a simple option that allows prospects to pay for the course in installments over a few months. 

Offer a coupon code

If you don’t have any non-monetary bonuses to present a better deal to your prospects, try your luck with a discount. For example, you can create a coupon code that can only be used in the next 12 hours. Only try this as a last resort since you will be making less than you would be making selling it for full price. 

Record the webinar

Recording your webinar and subsequently sending it across to participants and non-participants is important because a large portion of your sales will come from people who re-watch the webinar. Most webinar hosting platforms including Zoom Video Webinars have the recording feature. If needed, you can use third-party applications. 

Enjoy presenting

People love those who radiate positivity and fun. Keep the mode lively and make the whole session enjoyable. Showcase your personality. Keep attendees excited by sharing stories. Most of all, enjoy presenting the webinar because if you aren’t, your attendees won’t be either. 

How can Learnyst help?

Ever since we entered the online education industry, we have empowered thousands of educators to establish and grow their online education businesses using our end-to-end solutions. 

Learnyst is a platform that can seamlessly integrate with platforms like Youtube Live that are needed to create your course content and sell them. This includes Webinar hosting platforms. 

To know more about how we can help you, get in touch with us now!