Deminars: How to Give Your Sales Team the Edge
Webinars are popular because they provide a convenient way of sharing information remotely.
The flexibility they offer businesses to reach large audiences in real time is an invaluable tool.
In the past, webinars have not always been seen as powerful sales tools. While webinars can drive leads and create brand awareness, there’s a new kid on the block. Deminars.
⅔ of B2B buyers prefer remote human interactions or self-service
Now, if you’re a virtual event planner, you may already be familiar with the term, but if not, don’t fret.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about deminars in the future as companies switch over from face-to-face product demonstrations to digital ones.
Shortcuts:
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What is a deminar?
A deminar is a type of webinar focusing on demonstrating a product to a large group of people. A segment of the deminar will be set aside to demonstrate how the product works and its key features.
It isn’t just showing the product off; it’s a way of training the audience on how to use it while showing off how great it is.
With a deminar, most of the audience will have a shared problem and/or an interest in your product or solution. The purpose of a deminar is to drive people towards making a purchase by providing in-depth product demos.
A structured sales process is key to guiding potential customers through the journey from awareness to conversion.
In short, deminars are webinars designed to push clients one step further down the sales pipeline.
Traditional product demonstrations such as TV adverts, door-to-door salespeople, in-store demos, or telephone calls were time-consuming and costly. Without guaranteed footfall, they could be an expensive waste of time.
Deminars can be live (in real-time), pre-recorded, or hybrid. The benefit of a live deminar is that clients can ask questions, and the person running the demonstration can adapt the presentation to address queries as they arise.
On the other hand, a pre-recorded deminar doesn’t offer that type of flexibility but is more flexible in the sense that clients can watch it when it suits them.
The shift in human trends and available media have led to companies finding innovative ways of putting products in front of the consumer, and a deminar is one such way.
Using video conferencing software means that even people working from home can participate in running deminars—once they’ve completed a compliance check, of course.
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How a deminar can help drive sales
Customers want to make informed decisions before making a purchase. This is an important factor in understanding where deminars sit in the sales funnel.
When potential customers are researching products or services like those you offer, deminars advertised online may pop up.
If the advert is compelling enough to get potential customers to sign up to watch the deminar, they become a lead. So, the deminar can be used as a great lead magnet, but that’s not the main advantage.
Leads who have already had some communication with you will watch the deminar with a percentage of themselves already converted.
The deminar can be the final push to convert them into sales because allowing potential customers to chat directly with product experts builds trust in the brand.
How to create deminars that engage
Once you’ve put the work into advertising the deminar and encouraging sign-ups, it’s important you made the deminar really leap out of the screen.
Bored attendees will switch off, literally, so if you want to keep them all the way through, you need to offer something more exciting than a run-of-the-mill product demonstration.
Here are some ways of creating a deminar that will give your sales team the edge.
1. Choose the right software
The correct software is important when trying to pull off a successful deminar campaign. It’s important to note what features you want from your video conferencing software, such as screen sharing, registration pages, and live polls.
Some software can allow you to run deminars via a plug-in so they can be played directly from your website. Some website hosts, like Only Domains, offer email hosting and URL forwarding, which helps with brand conformity and identity.
You may also want a package that automatically sends out email reminders with different calls to action.
Whatever software you choose, remember to read product reviews and arrange to try it before you commit to buying it, as having the right software is one of the fundamental ways of creating great deminars. If the software is problematic, it could cost you attendees.
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2. Plan how to take delegates from signing up to attending the event
It’s important to look at past data to understand your audience so you can target them effectively.
Patterns for age, gender, location, etc., can shed a lot of information on how best to pitch your deminar.
Once your software is ready to use and you know your target audience, you should design a user-friendly flow. For example, how a delegate is taken from the signing-in page to the webinar. Consider things like:
- How the landing page looks, and how the registration process will work.
- How many reminder emails to send, and what content should be in them?
- The feasibility of adding the event to delegate calendars.
- How the deminar will engage delegates.
- What data will be collected, and for what purpose?
3. Offer incentives
Offering incentives such as an early-bird discount, a talk from a special guest, or exclusive pre-orders can incentivize people to attend the deminar.
These small touches can help potential customers feel valued and even prompt them to buy. The analytics can be compared to previous or future deminars to see if the incentives increased attendance or sales.
4. Show, don’t tell
Let the product speak for itself. People are used to being ‘talked at,’ and whilst it’s one way to get information across, it’s also a surefire way to bore your audience.
Showing people the product in action and demonstrating its capabilities is more likely to engage and excite the audience.
This part of the deminar could be pre-recorded. That way, time can be spent working on great videography and ensuring the best features of the product are emphasized.
Pre-recording the product demonstration also ensures a smooth, error-free, high-quality video that can be used multiple times. Just be careful to ensure your platform allows you to share high-quality videos.
5. Get the audience involved
Audience participation can be a great way to give people a chance to express their opinions and feel like they have been heard. This again makes them feel valued as potential customers but also provides your marketing team with valuable data.
Video conferencing software comes with a range of interactive tools, such as a chat box (which should be monitored and responded to throughout) and polls, which can highlight what potential customers think about the product.
Having an “Ask the Expert’ or a live Q\&A segment of the deminar will enable the speaker to address any points, issues, or concerns on the spot.
Depending upon the group size, they could even take comments and questions throughout to ensure nothing goes unanswered.
A live Q\&A after the product demo can really ensure the audience has fully grasped what the product can offer. Using software to monitor engagement can highlight which parts of the presentation can be improved in the future.
A whiteboard feature built into the software could help you jot key points down as you go along and once again show the audience you’re taking on board their comments.
It’s also a good idea to have CTAs at certain points of the deminar so you can capitalize on people’s excitement for the product.
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Free-to-use image sourced from Unsplash
6. Make sure the presenter has the right energy
The last thing you want when trying to excite people is a presenter who is flat. Whilst you want someone who can sell the product, you don’t want the pitch to be too ‘salesy’ either.
Finding someone with the right amount of enthusiasm for the product and audience should help you get the balance just right.
Using multiple speakers can help engage the audience further, but when a panel is introduced, it may be necessary to have a moderator to keep the pace going and the focus on the product.
Even experienced speakers can find it difficult to present virtually as it’s hard to gauge the audience’s response. Depending on the product, you may want to keep things simple for the audience and stick to one presenter.
If you don’t have an experienced speaker (or someone polished enough) lined up to deliver the deminar, you might want to upskill your sales team so they feel comfortable presenting to potential leads.
Then, going forward, you can include it as a training requirement in your new employee checklist so you have a strong sales team going forward.
Here are some tips to ensure you get the best from your speaker or team of speakers:
- Rehearse:To ensure a smooth delivery, speakers should practice everything from their pace to their body language. Things translate differently on camera, so video record any rehearsals so the speaker can watch back their talk and look at ways to improve.
Practicing a well-written script and solid answers to popular questions can also help to ensure smooth delivery and help the speaker avoid pauses and fillers.
Over-gesticulating can be a distraction, so speakers who have this trait could practice making fewer movements, putting their hands in their pockets, or holding something.
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Free-to-use image sourced from Pexels
- Dress: Setting the tone with the right attire matters. Consideration of company image, the product itself, and what looks good on camera is vital. For example, if you’re demonstrating a new lawn mower, would a black suit be appropriate, an overall or chinos, and a smart polo shirt? Or what if you’re demonstrating IT solutions? What should the speaker wear then?
The outfit should be comfortable enough to demonstrate the product whilst being in keeping with the company brand.
It’s also important to think about what the speaker’s background looks like to avoid any colors clashing. It’s also wise to avoid any fussy patterns, as these don’t always translate well on screen.
Makeup may be necessary, too. Sometimes, faces can look shiny on camera, so it’s a good idea to check this beforehand and add a little makeup to the speaker where needed.
If the speaker wears glasses, check the lighting and make sure there are no reflections that could distract viewers.
- Personality: Whilst it’s great that everybody is different and people have different qualities, in a deminar, it’s important to have a speaker who can engage the audience. Somebody who can adapt their tone, pace, and body language or even use humor to lighten the mood will be a good choice.
If you’re presenting something that many people could consider “dry,” say payroll software small business, you’ll want a presenter who can liven up a topic. Otherwise, you’ll lose your audience’s attention before you’ve even started. While characteristics like personality are soft skills that can be hard to develop, you’ll find some of your sales team are naturally suited to this already.
7. Make sure the tech is right
This includes lighting, framing the shots, and getting the sound right for the live segment of the deminars as well as for anything pre-recorded.
On the day of the deminar, it’s a good idea to have a person available to provide tech support as well as any backup items like spare battery packs, cables, microphones, and so on, ‘just in case.’
Having a remote desktop connection manager tool can also be a great way of supporting attendees who are experiencing tech problems or struggling to access the deminar.
Problems with technology can be frustrating for clients, so being able to fix them quickly and remotely is a huge advantage.
8. Follow up with attendees
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Free-to-use image sourced from Pixabay
After the deminar has finished, you’ll have gathered valuable data and analytics. Lettering participants head off into the distance without a follow-up would be a huge mistake.
Following up on deminar attendees could be done through a variety of means:
- Send out a poll or feedback link to see what people thought of the product and the presentation.
- Email a call-to-action such as ‘pre-order now.’
- Email out a video highlight of the deminar or even the full thing.
- Email out special offers.
- Send out more information on the product.
- Share reviews and testimonials.
It’s also important that businesses, particularly smaller ones, have the facility to take incoming calls coming in as a result of a deminar.
Vonage phone services for small businesses can help businesses handle their customer service communication more efficiently.
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Free-to-use image sourced from Pixabay
9. Think about timings
Don’t make your deminar too long. Time is precious, and attendees have set theirs aside to attend your deminar, so it’s important to keep to the time limits advertised.
To keep people engaged, you should try to break up the content into digestible chunks. Most deminars shouldn’t last longer than 30 mins; otherwise, you risk losing engagement or even causing your participants to feel frustrated.
Using screen sharing to highlight key points can reduce the time a speaker needs to talk, thus keeping the audience engaged.
10. Track the data
Most video conferencing software has built-in tracking features to monitor engagement, but other data can be collected, too. Tracking data helps marketing teams determine what is working well and what isn’t. Here are some features to look out for:
- Website analytics: This tells you what part of the website people are clicking on and engaging with. Whilst not directly linked to deminars, it will show you what percentage of people go from your homepage to the deminar sign-up page (if you have one) vs. the number of people who land directly on the deminar page from an advert link.
- Virtual attendance tracking: This can help analyze trends such as what time of year the events are more popular.
Final thoughts
Deminars can be a much cheaper way of getting people excited about a product when compared to more traditional in-person methods. Because they can be pre-planned and elements pre-recorded, marketing teams can work on highlighting product features in the best way.
Pulling together the experts in the business, such as people from the marketing team and the product design team, means the product information should be clear, concise, and complete but also showcased in an enticing way.
The ability to interact with attendees is also a valuable tool in terms of converting an interested lead into a tangible sale.
By tracking analytics, sales teams, and data analysts can monitor the success of each deminar and work alongside the marketing team to make improvements. Tracking what works well is a powerful piece of knowledge that really will give your sales team the edge!