Hold off on that webinar.
Yeah, I know your marketing team wants to produce content and “thought leadership,” but if you don’t utilize your real experts and fail to ensure their preparedness, you’ll simultaneously burn resources and do brand damage.
A few weeks ago I attended a webinar on PR and communications ROI methods. I was really excited to learn some new tricks of the trade. But after 5-10 minutes, I quickly realized both speakers were not prepared, and most certainly not experts.
The speakers represented two brands. One brand I knew a little about and had a neutral opinion of. The other brand, I had massive amounts of respect for. By the end of the call however, both brands were tarnished in my mind. Both brands spent resources and precious time all to convince me they were unprepared and clueless.
Had they not done the webinar at all, I would have more respect for their brand today. Webinars can reach new audiences, BUT CAN ALSO crush your reputation. If you can’t do it well, your brand is better off not doing it at all.
Preparing your brand for a webinar
To prepare for a webinar, your team needs to follow a simple checklist before you decide to potentially shoot yourself in the foot. Assuming you represent your brand professionally, with great lighting and audio, make sure you are utilizing actual experts and make sure those experts are prepared.
Utilizing actual experts for the webinar
Who is the right expert for your webinar? It’s not the person you need to amplify as a “thought leader,” but instead a real expert who has intricate knowledge of the issues being discussed.
Webinar attendees like to learn, and learners see through fake expertise. The risk for your brand is high if you utilize a webinar to build a brand of an executive. You’re better of using a no-name than a big-name.
Think of it this way: if Jeopardy hosted an industry specific show and invited your company and your biggest competitor to the stage, who are you sending? That’s your expert.
Preparing your webinar experts
Now that you’ve selected a real expert who can answer even the most difficult questions, that doesn’t mean they are a naturally gifted communicator. Webinars are educational, but it’s a requirement to engage people so folks remember what they actually learned and build positive brand perception.
Preparation is key, even for a 10-year podcaster like myself.
Preparation looks like a short outline with a few key points your expert needs to touch on. I prefer 3-4 big points, each with 2-3 sub points to hit on but the format will depend on your goals. Importantly, the outline should be light on detail, serving as a guide, not a script—no one wants to hear your expert read a script!
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A webinar, just like other PR tools such as events, earned media, and digital content, is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. It’s about quality, not quantity.
If you can’t do a webinar that is professional, entertaining and educational, your brand is better off not doing it at all.
