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Bulldog Solutions

It''s easy to see why Webinars are growing in popularity: They are relatively low-cost, efficient and highly measurable tools for lead generation. Our unique multi-step process leverages best-in-breed electronic communications, data analysis and CRM integration to help our clients use Webinars to increase reach and shorten sales cycles, boosting top-line revenues and maximizing marketing return on investment.

Bulldog Solutions is the recognized thought leader and pioneer in sales lead generation using Webinar campaigns and Web-based programs. Bulldog believes a successful lead-generation Webinar is one that generates direct, quick and measurable incremental sales.

It’s easy to see why Webinars are growing in popularity: They are relatively low-cost, efficient and highly measurable tools for lead generation. Bulldog’s unique multi-step process leverages best-in-breed electronic communications, data analysis and CRM integration to help clients use Webinars to increase reach and shorten sales cycles, boosting top-line revenues and maximizing marketing return on investment.

Defying the Limits: What type of content for a Webinar attracts the largest audience: a presentation by the sponsor; an industry speaker; a panel discussion; or a program followed by a short sponsor presentation?

Todd Davison: Webinar content is absolutely critical to generating an audience. You’re putting a lot of effort into your promotion plan, so it is essential to make sure that you are going to deliver value to your attendees. We recommend that you “teach,” not “sell.” Unless your audience is well into the buying process, they probably don’t want to sit through an infomercial about the sponsor.

The content should be compelling and timely, speaking directly to the needs of your audience and addressing their biggest business problems. From there, the conversion into sales is easier, because you are perfectly positioned as the expert and you’ve built a relationship by helping them.

Choose speakers accordingly. Who does your audience really want to hear from? Whether it’s a CEO of a Fortune 500 company giving the presentation, or a publication that has a strong, respected editorial reputation, the credibility of the content of the Webinar is key to success.

DTL: What are the best times and the best days for Webinars and what is the ideal length and proportion of content versus question and answer sessions?

TD: We have found that Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are preferable. People may be overextended on Mondays and winding down or leaving earlier than usual on Fridays.

As for the best times, a midday range is preferable if you are trying to reach a national audience in an industry that keeps regular business hours.

For an hour-long presentation, content should be no longer than 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the number of speakers. Q&A should be another 10 to 15 minutes. The general rule of thumb is to keep it simple, succinct and compelling. If your presentation contains training materials rather than thought leadership content, you may want to keep it to 30 minutes.

DTL: What are your thoughts about complimentary versus paid Webinars? Does a small fee help improve the conversion rate from attendee to lead, because it acts as a qualifier?

TD: The goal of Bulldog Solutions Webinars is lead generation and, ultimately, sales. Therefore, we definitely recommend that Webinars be offered for free. By asking for money, you will turn off some potential leads. And if you consider that closing the sale from just one lead is typically worth the cost of doing a Webinar, then the benefit of offering Webinars for free is clear.

DTL: How much time does it take to put on a successful Webinar from concept to completion?

TD: Obviously, the planning and production times depend on many factors. Eight weeks from planning through the live event is a comfortable window. Additional campaign layers, such as testing lists or message and creative combinations, as well as extensive media planning designed to generate a highly qualified audience, add complexity to a campaign and may require additional time. CRM integration and other IT professional services may also add time to the initial event launch.

Keep in mind, however, that you can run multiple campaigns concurrently, and even use them to cross-promote. Planning and implementation cycles can be staggered.

DTL: On the registration page for an event, how many qualification questions are appropriate?

TD: A guideline we like to follow is that it should take the registrant no more than 60 seconds to register for an event. You don’t want to make the registration process too cumbersome; on the other hand, you want to leverage the opportunity to learn more about the registrant. We find that including anywhere from three to five profiling questions, in addition to standard data such as name, company and e-mail, strikes this balance.

Keep in mind the registration page is not the end of data collection. You can pull in additional data via XML, for example, to enhance or validate the data you collect. This could include pulling additional financial, product and employee information about registrants’ companies, gathering industry or geographic economic data, or tracking multiple registrants from certain companies.

DTL: In order to justify the investment in a leadgeneration Webinar is there a minimum quantity of Webinar participants required?

TD: Return on investment in a lead-generation Webinar is tied to both quantity and quality. A small number of high-quality leads that are going to lead to sales is always better than plenty of leads that don’t match up with your target market and go nowhere. The focus should be on drawing the right leads to your event and qualifying them in a way that’s going to help you mine the leads to maximum effect. This means you need a great promotion plan, accurate and timely collection and analysis of registrant data to qualify and communicate appropriately, and a lead ranking system to help your sales team focus its efforts.

DTL: How do you qualify and rank registrants to determine the best prospects?

TD: At Bulldog, we collect and profile registrants and their companies using multiple data points collected during the campaign. During registration, we collect demographic information such as name, company size and industry. Through automated communications before the live event, as well as during the live event and in post-event communications, we incorporate key touchpoints that drive registrant actions such as click-throughs and downloads, and collect additional information about registrant behavior.

This information is incorporated into a lead score methodology: a numerical ranking of the prospect based on business rules established during the planning phase. As a result, we are able to profile registrants and quickly prioritize high-probability leads over low-probability leads. This helps the sales team focus its efforts on the strongest prospects, those who are the most qualified and motivated to make a buying decision, and helps drive exceptional return on investment.

DTL: How does this information get into the hands of the sales team?

TD: We collect information throughout the campaign and make it available to our clients in multiple formats, such as Excel and PDF, through a customized client Web portal. Our clients have real-time access to data not only to drive post-event sales, but to inform midcampaign decisions on promotion or content. We also integrate data into clients’ CRM systems, such as Salesforce.com and SalesLogix, so they can act on it immediately and maximize campaign effectiveness.

DTL: What are the key elements involved in successful Webinar follow-up communication?

TD: Your follow-up plan is very important. Timing is everything. We recommend that clients communicate with participants soon after the event by acknowledging their attendance or their inability to attend. To those who attended, send an e-mail to thank them for attending and to promote any additional events, give them more information and invite them to download the presentation or view an archive of the event. For those who did not attend, send a different e-mail telling them you are sorry they couldn’t attend and encourage them to view the archive of the event. Both follow-ups can also be used to fulfill special offers or other promotions.

Of course, automation is the key to a successful campaign communication. A powerful e-mail engine helps you generate communications quickly based on data points such as attendance. It’s critical to developing personalized interaction with prospects: Unless you have a huge, inactive sales staff, it’s going to be pretty tough to establish that kind of interaction without automation.

Your sales team should follow up one-onone with your hottest leads 24-48 hours after the event. Again: Timing is everything. We believe that you have just 48 hours to contact your best prospects. After that, you’re back to making cold calls. And you should, of course, rank your leads. At Bulldog, we use a lead scoring system that qualifies and ranks the best prospects, and communicate with them via phone or e-mail.

DTL: Which industries seem to find the most success with Webinars?

TD: The high-tech industry adopted Webinars first and they definitely still make use of them the most. However, we are beginning to see a shift in Webinar usage from their traditional high-tech origins. Webinars can be highly successful for B2B companies in the pharmaceutical, health care, financial services, even food services industries. We have also seen them demonstrate success in consumer markets.