Webinars: A Staple of Content Marketing

Webinars are a valuable piece in a content marketing strategy. Time-consuming; yes but the rewards can be amazing. Webinars with targeted, relevant content can generate qualified leads for your business development efforts and it can lead to other types of content like blog posts, white papers, etc.

The key to success is to create content that interests your target market. For example an e-commerce company would find a webinar on the best ways to target users in the customer lifecycle interesting and usable in their day-to-day operations; whereas other industries might not. This type of webinar could lead to blog posts on how email has gained a place in the modern digital and direct marketers' plans. It could also lead to a white paper on how the collection of new email addresses is vital to the growth of an email database. The opportunities are endless.

Topic is very important. If it doesn't interest your target marketing no one is going to waste time listening to it. Be sure to outline the deliverables and the value that will be obtained by attending. In the case of my customer lifecycle webinar example your deliverables could look something like this:

·         Discover how to send successful email campaigns by prioritizing quality not quantity when building your email list

·         Identify useful sources for capturing email addresses

·         Learn how to effectively encourage users to register for mailings

·         Understand how to collect the right data with the right permission

When promoting your webinar, steer clear of the sales pitch. This should be an educational approach that establishes your company as an industry leader. But it is a good idea to have your sales team on board. The webinars I have created were delivered by the sales staff with them engaging in conversations with participants during the Q & A portion.

In closing, webinars are an important part of a content marketing strategy. Remember to select a topic that resonates with your target market, make sure the content is valuable and steer away from the sales pitch. If you do all of this you will gain valuable qualified leads.

The Importance of Email Relevancy or I'm Not a "Belieber"

Everyday inboxes around the world are filled with messages that brands want you to see. There are not enough hours in the day to read all of them. So what do you do? You read the ones with relevant messaging.

Relevance is a simple concept. Send me messages I want to read and I'll read them. Case in point; iTunes. After using their services for many years you'd think they know better than to send me messages about performers like Justin Bieber. It leaves me shaking my head. I am not a "Belieber," never have been and never will be; especially after the negative press he has been getting lately. iTunes is not listening to their customer. Kind of ironic isn't it? Makes you want to grab your mouse and find that unsubscribe link as soon as possible.

Behavioral email marketing can fix this.  Brands can use an automated email system that collects data from purchases and interests to target specific campaigns to a specific person. Tracking behavior and providing a relevant message to the email recipient will do a lot for those overcrowded inboxes. Thus driving more orders/revenue. The key here is to know what the customer wants and deliver it to them. This leads to more relevant emails arriving in your customer's in box and keeping them away from the dreaded unsubscribe link. Brand synergy at its best.

The more relevant the email the more effective it will be. Relevance is key and helps translate to a better customer relationship and the brand's opportunity to improve on ROI. Remember, the more relevant the message, the more likely the customer will buy. People who receive irrelevant content will either delete the message unread or click unsubscribe; and brands don't want that.