Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Teleseminars - How To Use Them Effectively

By Jason James

If you run an online business, have you considered using teleseminars before? If not, you are missing out on a way both of reaching new prospects and of interacting with your current customers.

In the Internet marketing industry, people are used to being marketed to via more traditional means such as email marketing or paid ad listings. By hosting a teleseminar, you introduce a touch of personality to your marketing. Regardless of whether you're trying to generate leads, generate sales, or trying to create a product, hosting a teleseminar will make you stand out as an expert in your field.

You'll need more than just the technology to host a teleseminar though, you'll also need something of value to broadcast. If you're a brilliant speaker then you can of course simply broadcast yourself talking about whatever it is that you specialize in. However, for the most part, a better option is to conduct an interview with an expert or fellow marketer, as most people find it preferable to listen to a conversation than a 'lecture'.

Chemistry between the speakers really goes a long way towards making the teleseminar easier to follow and more interesting as well. For example, if two marketers who were also close friends hosted a teleseminar, they would find it very easy to keep the flow of the call going because there would be some impromptu dialogue. On the other hand, hosting a teleseminar with someone you've never spoken to on the phone before could get awkward or boring for your listeners. Nothing would be worse than a few seconds of complete silence on your teleseminar; a few seconds of silence during a teleseminar can seem like an eternity to all parties involved and will not reflect well upon you as the organizer.

Another thing that you need to make sure you do is to check all your equipment prior to the call. If you are recording the call for your own use or for distribution, then you'll want to make sure that the proverbial red light is on, or else you'll have to redo the call. Make sure to also check your telephone or microphone for any problems. To ensure that your call goes smoothly, you'll want the sound to be as clear as possible and free of any echoes or distortions.

Having worked out the content for your teleseminar, found someone to co-host it with you, and checked all of your equipment, your last concern is keeping listeners interested. The best way to do this, aside from offering high quality content on the call, is to keep them engaged by having them ask questions. This draws listeners into the show and keeps them paying attention in case their question is read out next. Another method of increasing interaction is to offer bonuses and hold competitions, with listeners being able to win free products or at least earn discounts on them.

About the Author: