Post on 17-Jul-2015
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BEST PRACTICES FOR USING WEB EVENTS
TO INCREASE PIPELINE VELOCITY
Terry Flaherty, Research Director in the Demand Creation Strategies Service, SiriusDecisions
Cheryl Hanley, Director of Demand Generation, PGi
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#igniteyourwebinar
OUR SPEAKERS
Terry FlahertyResearch Director in the
Demand Creation Strategies
SiriusDecisions@TFLaherty
Cheryl HanleyDirector of Demand
GenerationPGi
@CHanleyAtl
Which types of content have you used during the past 12
months to research B2B purchasing decisions?
Source: B2B Content Preferences Study sponsored by Content4Demand
Webinars rank in the
Top 3
#igniteyourwebinar
Webinars are the #1 engagement content source, with
66% spending 20 minutes or more attending a webinar
When researching a B2B purchase, how much time do you typically
spend reviewing content?
Source: B2B Content Preferences Study sponsored by Content4Demand#igniteyourwebinar
TYPES OF WEB EVENTS
Webcasts Webinars
• Large audience• Low participant interaction• Early stages of buying cycle
• Smaller audience• High participant interaction• Later stages of buying cycle
#igniteyourwebinar
FOUNDATION ELEMENT: DEMAND TYPE
The type – or types – of demand an organization is trying to create play a
significant role in its approach
#igniteyourwebinar
Foundation Element: Buying Process
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
#igniteyourwebinar
FOUNDATION ELEMENT: BUYING PROCESS
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
1.
Buyer has a
problem, or is
conceiving a vision.
2.
Buyer understands
the problem and
how it connects to
the business.
3.
Buyer finds
solutions that
apply to the need.
4.
Buyer determines which
solution will have the
greatest impact on the
business.
5.
Buyer justifies the
business case
internally.
6.
Buyer makes
final selection.
#igniteyourwebinar
FOUNDATION ELEMENT: BUYING PROCESS
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
New Concept
New Paradigm
Established Market
1.
Buyer has a
problem, or is
conceiving a vision.
2.
Buyer understands
the problem and
how it connects to
the business.
3.
Buyer finds
solutions that
apply to the need.
4.
Buyer determines which
solution will have the
greatest impact on the
business.
5.
Buyer justifies the
business case
internally.
6.
Buyer makes
final selection.
TYPES OF WEBINARS BEST FOR BUYER PROCESS STAGES
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
Change Focused• Broader audience• Business issue-focused• Industry thought leadership• Analysts and clients• Low vendor profile
Solution Focused• Prospect needs• Solution framing• Customer stories• Customer and sales engineers
Vendor Focused• Small audience• Highly interactive• Demos and tutorials (for trials)• High value of archives
#igniteyourwebinar
EXAMPLE: EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR SMB MARKETS
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
Best practices for expense management/policy in SMB
Why do I need a formal expense management policy and software in my business?
Positioning Automated Expense Management vs. Spreadsheets
What’s wrong with spreadsheets? Why software?
Positioning Automated Expense Management Solutions
Why your software?
#igniteyourwebinar
EXAMPLE: EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR SMB MARKETS
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing
to Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing
to a Solution
Justifying
the
Decision
Making the
Selection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
SolutionEducation Vendor Selection
Best practices for expense management/policy in SMB
Web Events• The Value of Expense Management for
SMB• Employee Expenses: The Most Out of
Control Area in Your Financial Processes• Key Changes in Expense Management
and Corporate Taxation in 2015• The State of Employee Expenses in
2015 – Key Benchmarks
Positioning Automated Expense Management vs. Spreadsheets
Web Events• 5 Reasons Why Spreadsheets are a
Bad Way to Manage Expenses• Top 5 Reasons to Automate Expense
Reports• Discover the ROI of Automating
Travel and Expense• Solution stories – Migrating from
Spreadsheets to Automated Expense Management
Positioning Automated Expense Management Solutions
Web Events• Test Drive/Trial (with a supporting
nurture and challenges to guide trial)
• Interactive SE Session aligned to Trial Challenges
• 5 Most Important Capabilities Required in your Automated Expense Solution
• Implementation Guidelines
#igniteyourwebinar
EXAMPLE FLOW: WEB EVENTS IN SUPPORT OF TRIAL
#igniteyourwebinar
Prospect
Registers/
Downloads Trial
Trial Experience
Includes
Specific
Challenges
Nurture
Monitors/
Engages Trial
Experience
Archive: Solving
the Trail
Challenges
Live Weekly
Event: Trial
Challenges and
Beyond
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#igniteyourwebinar
GETTING THE WORD OUT THROUGH YOUR
FIELD SALES REPS
# of Sales Reps on LinkedIn x # of connections = #
of Exposed Prospects
200 Sales Reps x 400 Linkedin Connections =
80,000 Prospective Impressions
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#igniteyourwebinar
ENGAGE YOUR PROSPECTS WITH VIDEO
62% say video
is the most
important part of
a webcast
Source: Wainhouse Research, 2014.#igniteyourwebinar
MAXIMIZE THE RETURN FROM ON DEMAND WEBINARS
Provide full transcript (slides and text)
Create streamlined playback of highlights
Executive Overviews and White Papers
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#igniteyourwebinar
SUMMARY
1.Webinars are key to driving demand generation and engagement
with your prospects. Integrate webinars into your overall event
marketing, content marketing, or lead nurturing programs.
2.Consider the stage of the Buyer’s Journey when building out your
webinar program and selecting the right talent.
3.Don’t try to cover too much content in one webinar, and try to
avoid turning the event into a sales pitch.
4.Promote your webinars through multiple mediums – test Paid
Social & Search and Content Syndication.
5.Engage Your Prospects during the webinar with Polls, Surveys,
Q&A, but also extend the shelf life of your On-Demand webinar
via your website and lead nurturing.
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#igniteyourwebinar
Q&A
Terry FlahertyResearch Director in the
Demand Creation Strategies
Sirius Decisions@TFLaherty
Cheryl HanleyDirector of Demand
GenerationPGi
@CHanleyAtl
31
#igniteyourwebinar
UPCOMING EVENTS
PGi will be sponsoring the SiriusDecisions Summit in Nashville May 12 – 15.
Jeff Perkins, VP of Marketing and inbound Sales at PGi will be presenting on
Marketing isn’t Successful Unless the Salesforce is
Successful!
3 Key Questions/Takeaways:
• What are 3 ways to more effectively align our marketing and sales efforts?
• How can we move leads quicker through the buyer’s journey?
• What tactics can we implement to ensure stronger communication and
collaboration between sales and marketing?