WOW eNewsletter

Vol 1 Iss 7 Dec 2006

Quote of the Month

Understand that you need to sell you and your ideas in order to advance your career, gain more respect, and increase your success, influence and income.—Jay Abraham

Teleseminars and Audio/Video Conferences: Are they a good fit for your business?

Anyone who has a business and has toyed with the idea of sharing their product or service in a large group setting eventually comes to the topic of public speaking. With the advent of the Audio/Video (A/V) capabilities presentations are now being given from the comfort or our homes and offices. If you are considering how to take advantage of this marketing trend for your business but don’t but don't know where to start a quick search on your favorite search engine could be the quickest way to begin.

Text chat rooms are fine for some businesses and come at a nominal fee, but if you have the financial resources to rent an online A/V chat
room pr teleconference service your marketing dollars could end up bringing a two-fold benefit. Perhaps it is time you considered offering online A/V presentations or teleseminars.

A/V chats and teleseminars are fast becoming the hot new marketing trend. A well thought out promotion can be organized in a short time and with very little effort. If you have a customer base that you have developed from offering an ezine or newsletter you can create a simple email to let them know when and where and how to access your presentation. If not I recommend you begin to compile your list today.

Once you know who your target market is you next need to decide on a topic that will interest them enough to set aside time from their hectic schedule to attend. You might want to offer them an incentive to join you such as a product sample or information source. As an example, when I began my ezine, you may remember, I offered you a Resource & US State Abbreviation List. Also, presentation notes or audio copy of your presentation given after the fact can increase your credibility as well as your customer base.

Don’t feel like you have to provide this service free. Your customers know that there are fees involved with hosting a teleconference, just like there are for hosting any conference. Figure out a reasonable fee that will cover your expenses and confirm the value of the information you will be providing. You might even surpass your expectations and earn a profit from your teleconference.

Recently I read a testimonial from Barbara Thompson, the author of a weight loss book. She states, "I sponsored my first teleseminar called 'It's All About Food' and 114 people signed up at $19.95 each. That's $2,274.20 in revenue. I recorded it, so I have a brand new product that will go into my shopping cart. I couldn't have done it without you!" There you have two good reasons for considering adding teleseminars to your list of marketing plans.

Deciding on the conference host can be the most important decision you will make when planning your teleconference. Be sure to select one that fits your intended audience number. Don’t over extend yourself here; limit your available ‘seats’. This will do two things for your marketing efforts, first it will keep you within budget and most importantly it will give your target market an incentive to register early, to say nothing of the perceived value it will garner.

Also, be careful that you hire a company that offers several choices of available services. You will need to decide if your presentation and your pocketbook can afford the use of a moderated A/V chat room or teleconference line or an un-moderated one. Don’t skimp on quality; free is not always cost-effective. When selecting your provider a poor quality connection can do more harm than good. One company, e-Teleconferencing (http://www.e-teleconferencing.com/), charges $75.00 for a one hour conference with 100 lines. This includes recorded mp3 file. They also have lower end services that run about $35 for 10 lines. An un-moderated A/V chat room can be secured for the modest fee of $15 per hour from companies such as Secret of Prosperity (http://www.secretofprosperity.com). This environment offers the additional advantage of video which can add tremendously to even a modest presentation. Check around, do your research; there are plenty of companies available.

If you are unsure how to put together a presentation that will demonstrate your product or service in a way that will prove valuable to both you and your audience, you may want to pick up your copy of Presentational Skills for the Next Generation, available now at www.lulu.com.

© Copyright 2006 Ginger Marks

Ginger Marks is the founder of DocUmeant, Your writing & design assistant and co-owner of Nibroc Marketing Solutions. For more information, visit http://www.documeant.net and http://www.nibrocmarketing.com Currently she authors a column on business development and personal growth at ArticlesOn.com http://www.articleson.com/Category/Business-Development-Personal-Growth/289). Mrs. Marks has recently released the second edition of her book Presentational Skills for the Next Generation available through Lulu.com. She also offers insight into marketing solutions through her ezine, Rock Solid Marketing, available at her marketing website.

 

Tip for Success

Marketing

Marketing online can be both economical and effective. Know your audience. Gear your marketing efforts to make the most advatage of your time and resources. Not only is the college grad spending more time on the internet but the big news for 2007 is that affluent working women who take advantage of the internet and it plethora of information and services is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. However, if your target market is local, after 30+ years in business I can assure you that your marketing efforts and dollar are best spent on yellowpages advertisments.