The Most Effective Webinar Follow-up Email

“Was it helpful?” That's what your webinar should have been. Helpful in an actionable way. If it wasn't? Sales representatives should gather intelligence and report their findings to the marketing department. Thus, “Was it helpful?” is a very effective subject line when sending your webinar follow-up email message — I use it with my own business and clients successfully. Try it for yourself. "I used this technique on a webinar follow-up yesterday and WOW, that really worked," says Linda Simonsen of DigitalEd. "I have never got such quick feedback (less than one hour)." Following up With Attendees “Did the [insert title] class last week help you [insert goal of your customer] ?” Boom. Done. That's your message. Nothing else. No long-winded yackity-yack reminding the attendee about content of the webinar. You know they attended, now get to the point. They're on a mobile device, pressed for time. Your buyers are deleting, deleting, deleting. Stop them. Provoke them. Give your customer a reason to hit reply and tell you — yes or no. It was helpful or it was not. In most cases they'll even tell you why. And they’ll tell you that crucial why because you asked in a way that provoked a response. Your approach style was brief, blunt and right to the point. In fact, your email really stood out because it was so darned short! Why it works Because it's atypical. It's not an awful template! The best inbound lead follow up messages avoid standard templates found on Google. This tactic helps you get in the discussion with prospects about their world, objectives, pains, fears and pressures. This approach helps them develop and act on the urge to hit reply and start the conversation. Additionally, avoid calling your webinar a webinar. Make it a class, make it actionable. Classes have homework, did your webinar? Or was it typical — overloading attendees with information, overwhelming them to the point of preventing them from taking action on any of it? What About Non-Attendees? Since most webinars offer video replays, the same question applies. “Was it helpful?” Within the copy of your message simply adjust to include proper context. Segment your list and mail non-attendees a slightly different, equally provocative, message. “Did the video replay of last week's [insert title] class help you [insert goal of your customer] ?” Ask the Question, Bluntly Even if the goal of your webinar class is to shift a mindset, ask the question. “Did the content marketing class help you see the challenge of empowering sellers with content differently ... in a way you can act on?” Yes or no. The bluntness of this approach is why it works. Being direct (and brief!) gives customers freedom to share candid thoughts. Rather than responding how customers typically do — hitting the delete button — they hit reply and let you know, quickly. That is what unsolicited email demands. Being effective requires you to use short bursts of communications. Help Customers Filter Themselves Webinars and email can work together to filter leads. Separating warm from cold leads can be easy if you help customers to help you. In my own business I use an approach like this: “Did the replay of last week's email writing class help you start writing emails differently? Were you able to make time to watch it?” This last part of the message allows the prospect an “out.” By recognizing preciousness of their time you are effectively taking the pressure off the customer, allowing them to explain their situation. More importantly this wording opens the door for customers to tell you how serious they are about making change. Be ready for responses like, “Yes, it seemed helpful; however, I was interrupted half-way through the webinar by an urgent situation and will make time this weekend to complete it.” This gives you a perfect excuse to follow-up on Monday or Tuesday again—to understand if the customer’s commitment (to you and themselves) was achieved. You will also receive responses like, “Yes, it was helpful. I now see how what I've been doing is working against me. Also, I am borrowing a few ideas from the class ... and will put them into practice in the next few weeks. I hope to be seeing better results soon. Thanks for the tips.” This is a great conversation starter. It gives you the ability to follow-up with your prospect based on their trial. It demonstrates a level of commitment (to solving their problem) that says “I'm a warm lead.” Negative Replies “No, it didn't meet my expectation. What I need help with is more advanced. What you covered in the webinar is too basic.” Although this kind of reply seems like a bummer, it can signal opportunity. This may be a good lead if your product/service can help at an advanced level. This reply invites a response from you, in which you can apologize and probe deeper about their need. “Was it Helpful?” So, was this article helpful? Feel like giving it a try? Remember, your webinar should have been helpful in an actionable way. If it wasn't? That's good to know too. Sales representatives should report this back to the marketing department so appropriate adjustments can be applied. This brief and blunt follow-up technique works well. Give it a try. Because you asked in a way that provoked a response, you should get a yes or no regarding helpfulness, and often even an explanation that can help you be more effective in the future. Good luck!

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The Most Effective Webinar Follow-up Email

Jeff Molander

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Jeff Molander