I Googled the word “webinars” the other day and came up with 8,270,000 results.  What in the world are all of these webinars about?  Who’s going to these and why?  I was fascinated and decided to dig a little deeper.

While most of the webinars I looked at were high-tech related, there are an increasing number of different industries using webinars as a way to reach their audiences.  So, in a very unscientific study, I tried different key words with webinar, just to see what would come up.  Here are some selected results:

• Plastic Surgery Webinars:  88,500 results
• Real Estate Webinars: 386,000 results
• Retirement Webinars:  144,000 results
• Finance Webinars: 399,000 results
• Construction Webinars: 325,000 results
• Gardening Webinars:  366,000 results

 Well, it seems there are webinars out there for almost any interest.  Keep in mind that the number of results in no way represents the number of webinars.  For example the entry “love webinars” brings back 262,000 results.  However, many of them include terms such as “I love webinars”, so take all results with a grain of salt.  Still, I can’t help thinking that webinars as a means of communicating with a far-reaching audience is spreading across category boundaries. 

What are the characteristics of webinars that make them so appealing to such a broad population of users?

• They’re convenient.  One can log into a webinar from the privacy of their office and instantly be connected to a group of like-minded individuals ready to listen to an expert in their field – all without travel expenses.
• They’re informative.  While webinar registration might be open to all, it’s always still feels like I’m getting the “inside scoop” by attending a well designed webinar with a title that promises information that appeals to me.
• They can be both anonymous and participatory at the attendee’s discretion.  Sometimes it pays to just silently listen.  Other times you may wish to jump in and ask questions or enter into a discussion while you have an expert on hand.
• They’re easy to attend (and to exit).  The latest webinar software has made it quite painless to attend and leaving is as easy as hanging up.
• They’re revealing. Thinking of purchasing something from a vendor?  It pays to attend a webinar to see what they’re all about.  While many webinars are scripted (some terribly overly scripted), most of the time the speaker’s true personality and that of the company is bound to come out.  I actually think the Q&A portion of most webinars is the most revealing.

 In all fairness, is there a down side to webinars?  Well, yes there is.  Since no good things in life are free, you will no doubt be the recipient of at minimum an email inquiry or perhaps a phone call from the sponsoring vendor of the webinar attempting to gauge your interest in their product.  In my opinion, this is a small price to pay if you’ve gained some valuable knowledge from the event.

In my final search of unique webinars, I happened to be watching TV when an ad for a new kind of mop came on.  On a lark I googled “mop webinars” and sure enough, there are webinars given to explain the many benefits of a certain type of mop.  My mop search garnered over 2,700 results, but come to find that MOP is an acronym for many different things besides what you drag across your kitchen floor (Meta Object Protocol, Millionaire On Paper, My Own Prison).  However, I can verify that at least one of the webinars was about the floor variety.

Do you have an interesting story about an unusual webinar topic?  I’d love to hear about it.

I’ve often worked with technology professionals who have been called upon to participate in business-orientated webinars.  I frequently am impressed by not only their innovation and capabilities, but the passion with which they convey their developed services.  However, as any technology marketer knows, it’s a long leap from a deeply technical presentation to one that can be easily digested by a business audience.  I’m loath to use the term “dumb-down”, but I’ve heard that phase applied many times to this situation.  I prefer to use the term “cross-convert” to refer to transforming a technical presentation for the business audience (frequently the buyers and decision makers for the service).

Previously, I would start the process by asking the tech person to create a draft presentation, usually from a multitude of slides they had previously developed.  Then we would work to whittle the slide deck down as well as the voluminous content on each slide.  After a few painful experiences using this method, I’ve found it’s more productive to engage in a discussion first with the tech presenter prior to producing a single slide.  Points for this discussion are as follows:

•  Understand the Target Audience:   This is the first step in gaining an appreciation for the level of detail to be presented.  It helps to discuss the prospect’s business, their challenges and the pain points they might be experiencing.
•  Focus on the Benefit to the Client:  While it’s wonderful to create ‘cool’ technology and I am the first to appreciate elegantly written code, it’s the perceived benefits that will drive the client to a purchase decision.
•  Remember the Primary Goal of the Presentation:   Before beginning any webinar preparation, I always determine with the client the primary goal of the event.  In other words, after the webinar, what is the one thing you want the audience to carry away in their heads?  Communicating this to the tech presenter is key to helping them understand the mission at hand and how that translates to their presentation.  I challenge them on every slide to understand how that slide contributes to our primary goal.
• Outline the Presentation:  It’s tempting to place slide after slide with capabilities in a presentation, but a presentation is like a story – it needs a beginning that builds tension, a body with the majority of content and a big finish.  Putting together an outline with the tech presenter will make a smooth transition to a finished product.
•  Use Graphics and Text Wisely:  Typically technology presentations have one of two flavors:  large complex diagrams or long lists of bullets with very small text.  Neither of these bode well for a business oriented presentation.  Explaining the role of well chosen supporting graphics with the spoken word filling in the details will ensure a quality presentation.
•  Apply Effective Speaking Techniques:  It doesn’t matter if you’re on the technology or the business side, speaking in general can be unnerving.  Speaking online can be especially stressful, so it’s best to be prepared using some simple speaking techniques.  (See Chocolate Vine white paper entitled “Into the Void:  Techniques for Speaking to an Online Audience” at http://www.chocolatevine.com/Webinar_Resources.html for more information.)
• Handle Q&A with Confidence:  Once the presentation is complete, the webinar is not over.  I find it useful for everyone to set some simple guidelines ahead of time around the Q&A portion of the webinar.  Topics include what should and should not be said about the company’s revenue goals/progress, new product plans, expansions (or reductions) and other sensitive items.  Additionally, for a tech presenter, it’s especially important for everyone to understand what constitutes the “secret sauce” that should not be revealed about the technology during the webinar.

 Once armed with this orientation, the tech presenter usually has a firmer handle on the level of detail to provide and a more confident approach to the webinar in general.  It also helps to review the attendee list with the tech presenter ahead of time to fully appreciate the titles/departments that will be represented at the event.  Most business buyers of technology services want to understand the mechanisms behind the scene, but only in a way that reinforces that their pain points will be relieved after they start to use it.

If you haven’t already made social networks part of your 2008 plan, it’s understandable.  Confusion reigns on how to use these venues for B2B business advantage.  However, I’m sure you’re experiencing a nagging feeling that you’re missing the boat somehow and the rest of the business world, including your competition, is out there making fast and furious work of social networks.  First, there are two questions you ask about how your company will use social networks:

•  What can I hope to gain from participation in social networks now?  It pays to be realistic about the potential for business impact using social networking in its current state.  If you hope to use it as a major lead generating mechanism, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.  Social networks can currently be used to connect with constituents and colleagues, collect valuable client feedback and establish a rapport with your buying community.
• Which ones?  There are a dizzying array of social networks springing up, some more general business and others dedicated to specific audiences.  The answer lies in the service you’re offering and the target audience you’re attempting to reach.  For business, I’m partial to Linkedin, but am hearing so much buzz around Facebook becoming more business-friendly that I think it’s worth checking out. (Gaining personal information about a prospect with whom you are about to meet is a definite advantage to Facebook.)  If, however, your products/services are geared to a very specific audience, I would recommend finding the most trafficked networks for that community.  Here are just some samples of social networks that I’ve come across and their associated participants:

• Information technology:  http://www.ittoolbox.com
• General business: http://www.xing.com/ , http://www.linkedin.com/ , http://www.jigsaw.com/ , http://www.facebook.com/ , http://www.viadeo.com/en/connexion/
•  Marketing b2b community:  http://www.beetoobee.com/
•  Health Care:  http://www.dailystrength.org , http://www.patientslikeme.com , http://www.sermo.com/ , http://www.organizedwisdom.com/Home , http://www.revolutionhealth.com/ , http://www.sermo.com/
•  Finance:  http://community.dynamics.com/ (sponsored by Microsoft), https://www.cakefinancial.com/app/pubHello.do   

Once you’ve chosen the right social network for your business and buying community, here are some actions I’d recommend taking now to leverage your participation.  These are relatively low in resource consumption, but will allow you to test the social network waters with an appropriate amount of effort.

1.  Listen to your constituency: If there are groups already dedicated to your particular product area, assign someone in your organization to read postings, engage with readers and really understand the needs of your target prospects.  As with all interactions with prospects and clients online (including personal blogging and blog responses), I would recommend producing a company communications guideline that outlines acceptable behaviors, such as no discussion of products in development, no competitor bashing, no discussion of revenue plans/goal, etc.
2. Challenge your management team: Social networks are all about connections between individuals.  Let’s face it – B2B sales are all about relationship building with your prospects.  It’s a natural fit, but sometimes cumbersome to execute on a grand scale.  Here’s an idea to put the two together.  First, challenge your management team and Board of Directors (if you have that type of relationship with your BOD) to complete their profiles (I recommend starting on Linkedin).  Second, ask sales to create a Top 50 list of prospects that they’ve been trying to penetrate.  Finally, review the list in light of their new connections to find any opportunities for introduction.  It’s amazing how many 2^nd level introductions can be accomplished if the effort is made.
3.  Sponsor a group:  Companies are beginning to sponsor groups with their company names to engage customers and prospects in an open dialog.  Yes, it’s risky.  Someone may enter an uncomplimentary posting to which you will have to respond.  However, the benefits of hearing what your clients have to say directly should outweigh the risks.  Just be sure to have a mature (read:  someone not likely to fly off the handle and who is familiar with company’s public relations messaging) person be responsible for monitoring and responding.  Once you’ve established this trusted forum, you can use it to garner new product ideas, announce product enhancements, promote company events such as webinars, local meet-ups and trade shows, launch new products or use as a recruiting tool for the company.  Don’t forget to market the group’s existence across other venues, such as on your web site, at customer events, and in company literature.
4.  Answer questions in your category:  Make sure that your company is known as an expert in your field.  This might require time and effort on the part of your engineering staff or product managers to produce quality responses that jive with the company message.
5.  Ask questions in your category: Want to know what your audience would like to see in new products?  Ask them!  Along with more structured surveys and focus groups you might be conducting, social networks might yield some surprising results for product enhancements.
6.  Learn about the competition:  In the same way that social networks are an open forum for discussion, they are as well an open book for information.  Take advantage of this and assign someone to perform regular competitive analysis. 

I hope these suggestions are helpful.  They represent a minimal effort, but potentially a big cultural shift for your organization, so don’t forget to garner buy-in at all levels prior to launch.  Establishing your social network presence could also be a cause for celebration for your company and should energize employees and customers alike.  After all, it represents an exciting entry into the new media world that holds more and more promise daily.

  Over the last several months I’ve been reading about how new media might apply to B2B Marketing.  With the announcement of Open Social support from Linkedin (http://blog.linkedin.com/blog/2007/10/linkedin-open-s.html), it seems every day there are leaps and bounds towards creating new interactive environments for professionals and thus, for companies engaging to reach those individuals.  Still, it’s not always clear how to leverage these new ecosystems for clear return on investment.

 There are a few sentiments that seem to commonly weave their way into almost every posting/article on the topic of new media and B2B marketing: 

• Social networks, community email groups and independent blogs are the first in a long list of tools that individuals will use to form their own communities to pull information, rather than be the victim of push by marketers.  Some industry experts are predicting that smart filters will enable users to avoid unwanted information altogether (see http://www.conversationagent.com/2007/11/web-30-artifici.html )
• Marketing efforts are generally perceived to be evil (see bullet one) due to the constant and annoying push of promotions.
• Marketers must change their way of thinking to engage in a two way conversation with their constituencies in order to both offer value, resolve customer service issues and glean product requirements.

 So what’s a B2B marketing exec to do?  Warnings abound about waiting to jump into the fray of new media.  No doubt these execs are struggling to resolve serious cultural and practical issues around control of messaging, resource allocation and a fundamental strategy change that will have ripple effect on every function in the company.  If I was running a B2B marketing organization right now, here are the questions I’d be asking myself about integration of new media techniques in my 2008 marketing plan: 

• What new media venues are my clients and prospects using and which are the most trafficked?
• By starting a direct and open dialog with my constituencies online, what risks do we incur and how can we mitigate these risks?
• What resources should I allocate to new media as opposed to traditional marketing efforts?
• What new media are my competitors using?
• How can I measure the success of new media efforts?
• Do I have the talent on my staff to manage new ways of communication and promotion?
• How might my proposed changes effect the sales organization and processes?  Product development? Customer support? Other groups?
• What consensus do I need to build with my peers, my CEO and the Board of Directors for any significant changes in marketing strategy using new media?

 I thought I’d outline what I’d recommend for B2B companies to do right now about new media, starting with participation in social networks.  Check back here in a bit and I’ll compile a list of actions that I think you should take in early 2008.  How aggressive you will be will depend on your style, your audience and the tolerance of company for such changes.

What new media activities do you have in your 2008 plans?  I’d love to know.

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I’ll admit what everyone else is doing.  Yes, I do other work while attending webinars. 

I know it’s heresy to say it.  After all, the webinar ‘how to’ white papers will give you tips on keeping the audience completely engaged.  Webinar hosting vendors have tools to show you how many attendees have left your presentation to do other things.  Taking polls during the webinar is supposed to keep your audience glued to the screen.

And yet… the truth is that we are all so busy that having the opportunity to listen to an interesting webinar while we try to get other work done is simply too appealing.  I believe it’s one of the reasons that webinars work so well as a marketing vehicle.  Being able to garner nuggets of good information and still make the deadline for that press release?  Now that’s a winning combination.

One could argue that Webcasts are the answer and I would agree that the flexibility of choosing the date/time I receive information is the ultimate new consumption method.  However, there is something intriguing about a live event, if nothing other than I get to ask my question and receive a live, human response.

Recently while attending a webinar, I drifted back to my email, when I discovered that the speaker at this particular event was so compelling, I found myself switching back again and again to see his fantastic slides and to hear more.  It occurred to me that this was the secret to keeping audience attention:  keep it relevant and persuasive and you’ll keep ‘em coming back for more.

Does that mean I’m giving up my mult-tasking ways?  No way!  But a webinar’s ability to pull me back in will be a true measure of its success.

Any new venture deserves at least one defining moment and writing the first blog entry of Chocolate Vine feels like such a moment.  The tagline for Chocolate Vine is “Growing Business with New Media Marketing”.  So I think it’s fitting to explain what is meant by New Media Marketing to the B2B Marketer and how Chocolate Vine envisions a role therein.

To be clear, there is no consensus on exactly what constitutes “New Media”.  Wikipedia has one definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media ), Whatis (http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci213507,00.html ) has another and the hundreds of marketers caught in the middle have still others.  However, I believe that most would agree that the primary goal of New Media is to reach communities of users where they live online, rather than through other traditional media, such as print, outdoor or direct mail.  The hype is furthered by the use of the “Web 2.0” term which has been described as “a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.” (source: Wikipedia).

The following could be considered “New Media” vehicles: Webinars, Podcasts, online paid advertising (especially using behavioral targeting), search engines (and associated optimizations), email marketing, online video advertising, social networks (communities), social bookmarketing (news sites), blogs, Wikis and RSS.  I’m sure there are more than a few I’ve left off the list, but my point is that it’s a bit daunting for a B2B marketing executive to understand if and how venues can be used.

The shift to open communications and an emphasis on the individual represents a change in how B2B companies will be communicating with their constituencies.  An open exchange of opinions and information is rapidly becoming the norm.  It’s frightening to essentially give control away of branding and product messaging, but the benefits of engaging in value-based exchanges with prospects and clients can out way the risk.  However, even if a company accepts and embraces this new form of engagement, there are so many new media opportunities, there is a real danger of fragmentation such that one’s messages may become lost.Still, statistics bear out that more and more marketing dollars are going to reach audiences online. 

-     Jupiter Research recently reported that 48% of brand marketers plan to use social marketing tactics in the next year, a 10% increase over the past year.

-        In February of this year, the American Advertising Federation issued a press release from a survey that stated “Seventy-three percent of respondents said that one to 20 percent of their budget is reserved for experimentation and new media properties. Significant, however, is the finding that 12.37 percent of respondents list 21 to 40 percent of their budget as reserved for these items.”

-        Another Jupiter Research study for iProspect found that the top reasons for placing content on social networking sites include driving traffic (51%); creating brand awareness (32%); direct selling (25%); and influencing a purchase decision (15%). 

-        A study by MarketingSherpa found that free trials, webinars, white papers, blogs and podcasts topped the list of the most effective lead generation tools used by business technology marketers

  Let me circle back to Chocolate Vine here and address the vision for it’s participation in this New Media wave.  First, as a marketing professional, I’ve never been afraid to try new things, but prefer to put most of the eggs in my basket into the tried and true.  Hence, the first services offered by Chocolate Vine are Webinar Services.  This is because, if executed properly (and that means with highly valuable industry informative content), webinars are a proven method to attract qualified prospects in an online environment.  I believe that offering this content through some of the New Media venues can be one way to create a valuable interchange between a company and it’s target audience.

 Chocolate Vine is committed to using New Media venues in a socially acceptable manner, with best practices and non-intrusive methodologies.  I will be happy to share my experiences using New Media venues and encourage you to provide comments here as well.  Together we can crack the New Media nut for B2B companies and marketing professionals.