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In this blog, we’ll look at in a post-pandemic era and outline the best ideas for converting B2B leads into long-term loyal customers. how to use webinars for B2B lead generation As the dust settles and businesses adapt to the new normal, the power of virtual gatherings has proven to be for B2B organisations seeking to connect, educate, and engage with their target audience. an indispensable tool The Webinar Evolution Webinars have been around since the end of the 80s. In that time, webinar platforms have evolved, but essentially, the technology hasn’t enabled webinars to become as engaging as they should have been. But with COVID-19 running rampant across the globe, it became a necessity as a part of and forced the tech to keep up. wider marketing strategies It also meant that to keep ahead of the industry trend, presentations needed to be upped a gear or two with sharp presentations, interactive elements, better sound and better lighting. And despite many presenters executing in an attempt to kill off their audience, the popularity of B2B webinars continued to grow. death by PowePoint So before we get into the nitty-gritty of the benefits and how to put on a successful webinar, let’s start by addressing – online fatigue. the elephant in the room We‘re Sooo Over Webinars! Webinar fatigue – it’s like being stuck in a never-ending Zoom meeting that you can’t escape from. OK – we all felt webinar fatigue during the pandemic. The never-ending invites to virtual conferences and in-person meetings, with the voice in the back of your head saying, “ “ Oh shit, here we go again! But there were many positives that came out of the almost excessive use of virtual events and webinars. As a way of creating a with prospects and existing clients, for business owners and marketing teams to reach as many prospects as possible in multiple locations for a fraction of the cost of a physical event. sustainable marketing impact B2B webinars proved to be a saving grace What worked well were product reviews, demonstrations, and educational and online social events. And overall, despite how we felt about virtual events, webinars not only survived the pandemic but also to acceptable audience attendance to help generate quality leads. continued to be an invaluable and cost-effective way Just take at look at some of these stats. 5 Webinar Facts You Should Know 1.  According to , 73% of B2B marketers say webinars are the best way to generate high-quality leads. GoToWebinar 2.  A study by the found that 57% of marketers have used webinars as part of their content marketing strategy. Content Marketing Institute 3.  Research by found that webinars have an average attendance rate of 44%, which is much higher than other digital marketing tactics like social media and email. ON24 4.  According to Report, 76% of buyers are willing to register and share basic information in exchange for content such as webinars. DemandGen 5. reported webinars having the highest engagement rates of any type of content, with an average viewing time of 57 minutes. BrightTALK Webinars are like a first date – they allow you to make an impression to woo your audience in a way other digital marketing activities simply can’t Like a magnet, the great thing about hosting a webinar is that they attract prospects , who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. through a funnel A recent survey by found that 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders said webinars were the best way to generate high-quality leads. That’s like hitting a hole-in-one on a mini-golf course! GoToWebinar But now that we’re emerging from the pandemic, what’s the future of webinar marketing? Well, it looks like it’s here to stay, with a few provisos. 6 Steps For B2B Lead Generation Whilst virtual events still have their role to play in a world that’s emerging from the pandemic, with careful planning, consider the following: 1. The Headline First and foremost, you must . A compelling title and description for your webinar will work wonders. Be the Obi-Wan Kenobi of your field, and they’ll happily follow you on your journey. capture their attention like a cat chasing a laser pointer 2. Keep It Short and Sweet In a post-pandemic world, people have a newfound appreciation for brevity. So, . Get to the point and avoid long, drawn-out presentations that can lead to viewer boredom and disengagement. keep your webinars short and sweet 3. Interactive Experience A webinar doesn’t have to be a one-way street. Make it by encouraging audience participation through Q&A sessions, polls, and surveys. This keeps viewers engaged and involved in the presentation. an interactive experience 4. Engaging Content If your webinar is boring, no amount of audience participation will save it. So, and valuable to the viewer. Offer something unique and informative that they can’t get anywhere else. make sure your content is engaging 5. Variety is the Spice of Life Don’t rely solely on webinars to connect with your audience. by offering other types of content, such as videos, podcasts, and blog posts. This keeps your content fresh and interesting and prevents webinar fatigue from setting in. Mix it up 6. Timing is Everything . Obviously, lunch hours or times when people are likely to be busy with other activities is a no-no. Be respectful of your audience’s time and schedule your webinars accordingly. Consider the timing of your webinars In general, aim for the midweek days for hosting, with Thursday being the best option. How to Convert Your Attendees Welcome to a realm where possibilities unfold and opportunities abound. As the curtains close on a compelling webinar, there’s true potential of converting leads and transforming them into lifelong customers. Post-event, keep the attention of both attendees and registrants as if you were a skilled magician. by sending them a personalised email, keeping the conversation going and making them feel valued. However, this is where many will fall by the wayside, as it’s not what you say but the tone to use when saying it. Follow up with them promptly It’s important to be , and not scare them away with aggressive sales tactics. Instead, use the softly softly approach and offer them something of value, like a free consultation or a discount on your services. And then, let them make the choice on their own. subtle, like a ninja You want to who gives recommendations but ultimately lets the customer decide what to drink. And just like that, with some charm and finesse, you’ve turned an unknown prospect into a potential customer. be like a friendly bartender OK, so let’s break this down further. Webinar Follow-Up So, you’ve hosted a B2B webinar and want to turn those attendees into customers. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to convert those webinar attendees into loyal customers: Step 1 – Post Communication Follow up by sending a l or message thanking them for attending the webinar. Include a link to the recording of the webinar and any additional resources that were mentioned. personalised emai Also, consider providing additional resources or answers to their questions. This shows that you value their time and are willing to go the extra mile. You can also use this opportunity to and invite attendees to continue the conversation on social media or through email. This is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and build long-term relationships with your audience. ask for feedback on the webinar Step 2 – Give Back Give them the goods – offer a . This lets them see first-hand how your solution can solve their pain. free trial or demo of your product or service By giving potential customers a chance to try out your solution, you increase the likelihood of them becoming paying customers. According to a study by HubSpot, . companies that offer a free trial or demo have a 25% higher conversion rate than those that don’t Step 3 – Be their BFF When it comes to proposing a to address a potential customer’s requirements, it’s like asking them out on a date. However, instead of dinner and a movie, you’re offering to wine and dine them with your expertise and solutions. consultation or meeting A consultation or meeting is like a tailored suit – it’s made to fit the potential customer’s unique needs and pain points. It shows that you’re not just looking for any ol’ customer; you’re looking for the perfect match. By conversing with a prospect, you have a much better chance of establishing a relationship long term. Every customer is a potential brand evangelist! Step 4 – Sprinkle In The Magic Social proofing – the art of , service and brand. It’s like the marketing equivalent of “everyone’s doing it, so why aren’t you?” It’s also an opportunity for potential customers to see that other businesses have taken the leap and have come out successful on the other side. customers advocating your product . Used within in your digital media or as a review on a third-party review site, a testimonial is like having your best friend vouch for you. It provides credibility and reassurance that your solution works and has helped other businesses like theirs. Testimonials are worth their weight in gold Although requiring more effort and planning, gaining a case study from a customer is one of the best forms of social proofing, particularly in the B2B space. . By sharing the success stories of other businesses, you’re creating relatability and showing potential customers that they’re not alone in their struggles. Like a good book – it tells a story Step 5 – Seal The Deal It’s time to seal the deal with a potential customer after they’ve viewed your webinar. But how can you turn that into a sale? Let’s take a look at some tips for bringing the deal over the line. Follow up and . If the attendee expresses any concerns during the webinar, make sure to address them in your follow-up communication. address any concerns Finally, don’t be afraid to . While you don’t want to come across as pushy, staying top-of-mind with the potential customer and reminding them of the value your product or service can provide is essential. be persistent in your follow-up communication Remember, converting webinar attendees into customers is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time, effort, and a little bit of charm. Step 6 – Result Analysis Measuring and analysing your results is critical to understanding the success of your webinar and making improvements for future events. Consider tracking metrics such as attendance rate, engagement rate (questions asked, polls answered, etc.), conversion rate, and revenue generated. Use this data to identify areas where you can improve, such as increasing attendance or engagement rates or optimising your follow-up process to improve conversion rates. Quality over Quantity, Every Time Apart from using webinars to make announcements of products and services or to educate, you can also use them to harness relationships with existing customers, suppliers and prospects within more intimate online settings. As a real-world example, due to the pandemic, I took (Account Based Marketing) campaign by inviting several key account customers and a couple of prospects to a virtual wine event. social influencing online as part of a wider ABM Within 10 days and as a result of that event, one of our . If you’re wondering what the drop-out rate was for that virtual event, it was 0% and a cost £4.5k to host the event, returning an . As a marketer, I’ll take that every day of the week! prospects signed a deal worth over £300K ROI of 6566.67% When executed well inline with a clear and defined strategy, utilising a webinar platform for smaller social events keeps the connection alive with the people your business depends on. And in the above case, within a social environment, either online or offline, , resulting in great gains in lead gen conversion rates. using social proofing is where the magic happens Marketing is all about building relationships. Final Thoughts From a B2B perspective, I’ve always believed that the more you connect with your audience, the better. And this goes beyond digital marketing. Yes, all that nurturing along the way through emails, social media, PPC, SEO etc, has its role to play, but at the end of the day, if you’re looking to secure a big commercial deal, you have to be able to . It’s not rocket science, but it is about building long term relationships. look that person in the eye and shake their hand Although not the be-all and end-all of securing a deal, online events allow you to engage with your audience more intimately and provide a great introduction to your brand and content. Webinars are more effective in generating leads than email and social media. In fact, it’s not unusual for webinars to generate an average of 5 times more leads compared to other digital marketing channels. By starting with a clear goal, choosing the right topic and format, promoting your webinar effectively, engaging your audience during the event, and following up with attendees afterwards, webinars can deliver real results. The final point I want to leave you with is to use webinars as just another part of a bigger campaign. . Life is about balance, and so should it be in marketing as well Sources ON24’s Webinars Benchmark Survey (2022): https://www.on24.com/resources/asset/ebook-on24-webinar-benchmarks-report-2022 HubSpot’s Webinar Marketing Stats & Best Practices (2021): https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/webinar-stats Also published . here

The Best Way To Use Webinars For B2B Lead Generation

Unlock the power of AI to transform recruitment from a cost center to a strategic driver of business success. Recruitment has always been a crucial aspect of business operations, and companies have been employing various methods to find and hire the right talent for centuries. From placing ads in newspapers to working with recruiting agencies, they have tried everything to attract the best possible candidates. However, with rapid advancements in technology, the recruitment industry has also undergone a massive change. In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in particular is notable, as it has come a long way since its inception. In fact, the global market for AI is expected to reach an impressive market growth rate of . $521.3 billion by 2028 Recruitment is just one of the industries that AI has successfully revolutionized. According to a report by Facts & Factors, the global AI recruitment market size is projected to increase to . $890.51 million by 2028 The increase is mainly due to companies adopting AI recruiting tools in their hiring processes. Today, AI-based recruitment has enabled companies to automate many tedious and time-consuming tasks associated with the hiring process. This automation is rapidly becoming a game-changer in the industry. So, let’s delve into why and how AI is driving this automation and revolutionizing the recruitment industry as a whole. Time Is Money - The Cost of Elongated Hiring Processes Every company focuses on hiring the best workforce to scale and expand its services. But building a team takes a toll on the company’s finances. The human resources department of any organization is in a constant struggle every day to find the best candidates. From spending hours on end sorting through resumes, scheduling interviews, and conducting background checks, the time to screen employees can sometimes take forever. According to LinkedIn, the average length of a hiring process is . 36 days Moreover, the costs associated with finding the right candidates are enough to leave a dent in the company’s revenue targets. A reveals that the average cost of hiring an employee can be as high as $4,000. Glassdoor study Hiring a new employee can be a time-consuming and expensive process, but AI-based automation in recruitment is successfully helping companies combat these problems. Not only does AI-based recruitment automation help companies reduce costs, but it also reduces the time taken to successfully screen and hire candidates. With the help of AI, many of the processes involved in recruitment can be easily automated, allowing recruiters to focus on more strategic tasks. AI-powered automated application tracking tools and resume scoring and ranking can make life easier for recruiters. The technology can also significantly reduce a recruiter's time spent reviewing nontechnical aspects of candidates, such as communication skills, through the use of virtual reality-based dialogue systems or virtual recruiters. Unconscious Bias - Improving the Quality of Hires Unconscious bias is a prominent problem in the recruitment industry, and it can have a significant impact on the hiring process. According to , “79% of HR professionals agree that unconscious bias exists in both recruitment and succession planning decisions." BrightTalk When we talk about unconscious bias, we’re referring to particular attitudes and stereotypes that people hold about certain groups of people, often without realizing it themselves. In recruitment, this bias can lead to hiring decisions that are influenced by external factors like age, gender, race, and education level, rather than job-related criteria. At the workplace, it can “ ” stymie diversity, recruiting, promotion, and retention efforts. AI-based recruitment tools can offer a potential solution to this problem, as they are designed to minimize bias and promote fair and objective hiring practices. They can also be used to improve the quality of hires. AI systems also do a much better job of tracking candidates, unlike traditional manual processes. This is because AI systems can be trained with large datasets to understand ideal candidate traits and can quickly identify the right candidates from a myriad of platforms like GitHub or Quora. Training and Development - Curating New Recruitment Strategies The recruitment industry faces several limitations when it comes to training and development. According to a , 80% of organizations have expressed that they are having difficulty filling openings due to an ongoing shortage of skills. Monster survey This is why companies must prioritize investing in employee development and adapt to the evolving industry landscape to stay competitive and attract top talent. AI-based recruitment can assist them with this by helping curate new recruitment strategies and improve existing ones. Once the talent needs have been identified, AI can help source potential candidates through AI-generated custom advertisements that target the right candidate pools from across the web. Not only that, but AI can also help companies upskill their current workforce. AI-powered learning management systems can analyze employee performance data and create customized training plans to help employees improve their skills and knowledge. AI can help recruiters and companies make important decisions like choosing between which will provide additional support and expertise in areas where there may be a skills gap. getting consulting services or augmenting the existing workforce AI Is Transforming Recruitment Into a Strategic Driver of Business Success By leveraging AI, companies can gain a competitive advantage in the industry by attracting top talent and building a more diverse and inclusive workforce. According to Forbes, at least are invested in recruitment automation as it will enhance efficiency and drive data-driven hiring processes. 55% of companies However, it is crucial to ensure that AI algorithms are trained on diverse data sets and viewed as a tool to support recruiters rather than replace them. As the recruitment industry continues to evolve, AI-based automation is set to play an increasingly important role in streamlining the hiring process, reducing costs, and improving the overall quality of hires. Hence, it is crucial for companies to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies and embrace the power of AI to drive growth and success. Ultimately, AI offers a unique opportunity to transform recruitment from a cost center to a strategic driver of business success.

How Artificial Intelligence Drives Automation & Reduce Costs in Recruitment Industry 

The Token Handbook

https://unsplash.com/photos/a8YV2C3yBMk Sometimes we as marketers need a little help getting our content into the right hands. Emailing our databases, pushing on social, and manually sending out content to partner sites (with no guarantee that it’ll get shared) can only go so far. Enter: content syndication. To help reach your lead goals, syndicating your content can help you reach potential customers who you may not have ever had access to. Don’t want to read the entire essay? Book a time: https://calendly.com/kamilrextin So what is content syndication? Content syndication is essentially when you give your content away to someone else to use and promote while you retain the full copyrights for the sole purpose of driving traffic or conversions to your site. A popular content syndication technique is cross-posting blog posts to sites like Medium, Quora, or LinkedIn with a tagline at the bottom such as, “This post first appeared on ___.” Conversely, publishers like Fortune & Huffington Post will grab content from Quora to use in their articles & essays. On a more tactical level, if you are scratching your head about campaigns, paid content syndication networks are worth a closer look. demand generation Content syndication networks operate by hosting your content like eBooks, white papers, or other assets on their own site and libraries and leveraging their existing network and reach to drive people to those assets. The content is gated so visitors have to fill out a form in order to gain access. Created by Quentin Zancanaro . At Uberflip, we work extensively with content syndication networks to generate inbound leads. Our major Content Syndication partner is and we also work with other vendors like Demand Works, Integrate, True Influence & Madison Logic. We also work with a Webinar Syndication network, BrightTalk, to exclusively distribute and generate leads from our webinars — . NetLine which we do of a lot Update: Because of the questions I have gotten here is a bit more about NetLine: You can create a self service account (think Adwords) with hyper-targeting and generate leads starting as low as $9. Signup here (Affiliate link) For dedicated account management with enterprise-level spends and strategy consultants you can request a (Both options offer a real-time leads connector) NetLine walk through here. Targeting your content syndication for success Content syndication isn’t automatically flowers and rainbows. It’s extremely important to have very tight targeting for content syndication networks (like any other marketing campaigns) otherwise, you run the risk of inflating your CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) while not really scaling your LTV (Lifetime Value). You can set up your targeting to be generalized or explicit. To some degree, you can make an assumption that a certain type of content will be geared towards a certain type of lead you want to acquire. Examples of generalized targeting: eBook about Email Marketing will attract someone who is in a marketing role but variable company size. eBook about Sales Operations will lean towards mid-large sized companies since they’re probably at the stage where they have that type of role. eBook on Marketing Automation would be of interest to B2B companies as opposed to B2C. Case Study on a specific industry would narrow down your audience to that industry. But you should otherwise, you will end up sending non-qualified inbound leads to your sales team and see the effects trickle down the funnel from SQLs to Opps to close. explicitly define your target audience with your vendor Examples of explicit targeting: Company size of 100–5000 companies. Company size is also a great proxy for revenue if you don’t ask that question in the form. according to your . This will help you map and segment the leads into the various buckets in your database and set up campaigns accordingly. The caveat here being that you also need to keep in mind the site/publisher you are using to syndicating the content. If you’re placing your content on niche site/publisher like MarketingProfs then highly likely that the audience will be marketing related interested in the content marketing. In those cases, it might be a better idea to filter against other criteria like specific challenges they have or tools they use. Define the job titles or departments buyer personas Check your historical data, does the industry correlate to the close rate? Find out which ones. You can always keep it open but ask them to prioritize those from the leads that come in. Targeting can get as defined or as broad as it can go. However, it’s important to note that most publishers will charge extra for ‘custom questions’. These custom questions add to the CPL (cost per lead) for the campaign since the publisher will be scrubbing the unqualified ones on your behalf, so it’s best to use them very sparingly. Working with content syndication networks & publishers In most cases the publishers will host and gate the content on their side, which means you will not have control over the branding of the context your content resides in. Otherwise, it’ll both effect the conversion and the follow-up nurture/sales programs as they go through your funnel. It’s very important to ensure you get proofs from the publisher to make sure your logo is visible and the abstract looks good. In some cases, the publisher can host the image/abstract of the content on their side and link back to your or landing page for the qualification and conversion. It’s worth noting that not all publishers offer this so it’s important to discuss the flow before hand. Content Hub Once everything is set up, the publishers will drive demand and traffic by distributing the content to their subscribers and properties. This can involve email, paid, partner sites, and communities via LinkedIn. As the visitors come and convert on your content, the publishers will collect and scrub the leads and send you a lead file in the form of a spreadsheet. Lead file delivery is typically weekly but in some cases, you can also set up an integration with the publisher’s back-end system to directly sync any scrubbed leads into your Marketing Automation or CRM. Pricing In terms of pricing, it boils down to a run on a cost-per-lead basis. Most content syndication , which means that every time someone fills out a form to view/download your content and they meet the targeting parameters you’ve set with the publishers, you will be charged. publishers will have a range between $20–$80 CPL It’s worth noting that most publishers do have a minimum spend or term requirement, so you’ll need to either commit to spending a minimum amount or signing up for a 3–6-month campaign duration. However, you can control your spend by capping the lead volumes on a monthly basis. Most, if not all, publishers also accept returns if the lead does not meet your targeting parameters at no extra cost within 30 days of delivery. Book a time: https://calendly.com/kamilrextin Key takeaways Some things to keep in mind during for using content syndication for demand generation campaigns: Keep this in mind as the lead from each channel progresses through the funnel at each stage and how they convert. If they are not converting well to MQL, SQL or Opps, you may have the wrong targeting parameters in place. They are CPL campaigns. Before you upload the lists, is correct and mapped correctly to your contact fields. double check the data for the publisher name/asset name and dates so there’s a record of all the leads that were generated from the channels Create separate custom fields Check how these new leads progress through the funnel and always keep an eye out for any leads that don’t meet your filters. They always creep through by mistake! Optimize! As with all marketing, you keep testing, measuring, and iterating. But if you are in B2B marketing, content syndication is definitely something to test out and see how it works for your business. Happy hunting! This post first appeared on . Uberflip Thanks to Victoria & Kelly for proof reading and editing this post. Found it useful? Share it or Tweet it :)

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