The Benefit of Webinars

Webinar

Guest post by Robert DeVincent, Vice President of Product Marketing, Corcentric AP Outsourcing

Web-i-nar [web-uh-nahr]

A seminar or other presentation that takes place on the Internet, allowing participants in different locations to see and hear the presenter, ask questions, and sometimes answer polls.

Thank you dictionary.com for the lovely definition. This strange sounding word – with a rather lackluster definition – could be the ticket to resounding success for your company.  Many people don’t fully understand how the power of social media tools can boost their company’s profile and create an environment that is enjoyable for their customers at the same time.  Webinars are one of the most interactive forms of social media because they have incorporated live vocal visual communication; not only can you interact with people across the world, but you can chat with them one-on-one in real-time!

Webinars allow specialists within your company to really broadcast what they are good at. They allow you to draw in audiences that you may not otherwise reach by providing specialized training that is directly linked to your service or product.  By broadcasting webinars, you show yourself to be an expert in your niche, which can make your product or service more compelling to the end user.  Not only that, but you have full control over what your consumer learns about your product and what they do with it – you call the shots.

Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other social media sites, come with an aspect of the unknown, which rightfully causes some hesitation. You can certainly use those other networks to promote your upcoming webinar – and you should!  But when it comes to the actual production with webinars, the presenter is in control of what’s being communicated.

Most companies nowadays are in the business of sales – either selling a product, a service, or an individual – and webinars are the best way for your company to warm any potential business connections you might make by first having good conversations with them. Webinars are easily linked to other individuals and can be filmed and archived, so, not only will they be good in the right-here-and-now, but they will also be good for generating leads on downloads in the future. Depending on the quality of webinar, the amount of information you are sharing, and the market you are working in, your company stands to generate a large number of good leads that are already comfortable with your product and the information you are conveying.

Inbound marketing looks to be here to stay. Older marketing techniques like television, radio, and print ads are starting to slip in their effectiveness – so it is important that you and your company stay ahead of the curve. Starting to host your own Webinars is a great way to attract individual customers while still promoting yourself in a broader sense. By getting started with broadcasting your own Webinars you are taking a step in the right direction as well as a step ahead of the competition.

THIS IS A SPECIAL GUEST POST BY ONE OF OUR ANYMEETING USERS. WANT TO WRITE FOR THE ANYMEETING BLOG? GET THE DETAILS.

AnyMeeting Helps You Meet With Class

Education

With our busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time for those important in-person meetings involving your child’s education.  Sometimes it can be hard to get around work and the other responsibilities we face, so how can you make sure you stay involved when you can’t be there physically?

This is where a free web conferencing solution like AnyMeeting comes in handy.  Even though you can’t be there in person, you can be still there online.  Here are five ways AnyMeeting can help bridge the education gap we all experience with our children.

• Parent/Teacher Conference – Meet with teachers and get the important details on your child’s progress without having to physically go to the school.
• Study Groups – Help your child set up and attend study groups with classmates to prepare for the upcoming exam, or work together on an important class project.
• Tutor Help – Get your child the one on one instructional help he needs with that awesome tutor who may live in another state or country.
• Preparation – Practice makes perfect.  Use AnyMeeting to practice, record and review your child’s important class presentation.  Send the recording link to others who can provide input.
• Testing – Help make sure they’re ready for the exam.  Use AnyMeeting to create custom quizzes and tests to help give your child the best shot at getting an A+.

Often it can be difficult to find the time and be as involved in our children’s education as we would like to be. Our lives get filled with obligations that have to be met.  However, AnyMeeting can help keep you informed and involved in your child’s education.  Even if you can’t be there in person, AnyMeeting can help you and your child make the grade.

AnyMeeting Meets Mother’s Day

Mother's Day

Have you decided what your plans are for Mother’s Day?  Do they include all the mothers in your family?  Depending on the size of your family, it can be almost impossible to connect with every mother represented.  My wife has a very large family, and a majority of the mothers live far away.

Of course we call and pass the phone around to send Mother’s Day wishes to those who can’t be there, but why not let them see your smiling face as well?  Just bring those proud moms into AnyMeeting.

With AnyMeeting, mothers who live in other states or countries and can’t join your party in person can still be there and meet with everyone on a personal level.  So this Sunday when you are celebrating Mother’s Day and someone says, “I wish aunt Edna could be here,” remind everyone that she can and bring her into AnyMeeting.  Oh and by the way, it won’t cost you a thing.

AnyMeeting Launches Improved System Test Feature

AnyMeeting System Test

At AnyMeeting, we want you to hold a successful online meeting every time, and key to this is making sure your system is up-to-date and running at its peak performance.  Therefore, we have just introduced an improved system test feature that will make sure you’re good to go.

Run the system test on your computer before your next meeting or webinar.  Simply click on the “Check your computer” button at the top of your account manager page.  You can also go to www.anymeeting.com/systemtest.  Any attendee invitations you send out automatically include this link, too.  For additional information on technical issues, please visit AnyMeeting’s Knowledgebase.

The system test checks many technical elements, from your operating system to network and JavaScript settings, to your current Flash and Java versions installed.  It will also check your speakers and screen resolution.

When the test is complete, a detailed report appears with the results, indicating that your system is good, or highlighting existing issues.  Highlighted issues will offer a clear explanation of the problem and link to a solution or suggestions on how it may be resolved.

Meet and Win in May

Meet & Win

How would you like to win a free year of AnyMeeting’s premium ad-free service and a hot Kindle Fire? All you have to do is hold an online meeting using AnyMeeting in May, and you will automatically be entered to win. The more meetings you hold, the more chances you have to win, since you will receive one entry into the drawing every time you organize and hold a web meeting during the month.

One winner will be selected to receive the grand prize of a one year subscription for AnyMeeting’s 25 seat ad-free plan (valued at over $200) and a new Kindle Fire. To be eligible, meetings must be at least 10 minutes long with 2 or more participants, and of course no purchase is necessary. Start or schedule a meeting now…

7 Tips for a Successful, Pitfall-Free, Lead Generating Webinar

Heather Butts Webinar

AnyMeeting’s “Small Business Toolkit” webinar series kicked off May with its latest guest webinar from Heather Butts, founder of L.E.A.R.N for Life Consulting.  A professional webinar consultant and frequent user of AnyMeeting, we would like to thank Heather for presenting “7 Tips for a Successful, Pitfall-Free, Lead Generating Webinar.”

We’d also like to thank the more than 200 attendees who participated with great questions and comments. Heather’s webinar provided great insight on pitfalls to avoid and tips to ensure a successful webinar that generates leads. If you were not able to attend live and would like to view the recording, just click: Recorded Webinar to Generate Leads.