If you’re reading this, you know a few things. You know that webinars are the next level of marketing. You know that they work, and that the WebinarNinja platform works like all get-out. You know that you’re ready to share your passion and expertise with your audience, and you definitely know you can parlay that into sales.
There’s just one thing you don’t know— what’s your webinar about?
That’s alright. You know you want to engage your audience, to make them feel invested in your presentation. You want to wow them. You want to woo them. Most of all, you want to give them the genuine value that makes the time they spend worthwhile. So how can you make sure you’re giving your (potential) customers what they want?
Your webinar has to accomplish two things: demonstrate your credibility, and to give your audience a win. To choose the specific topic that’ll make those things happen, you’ve got to find the sweet spot between what you can offer and what the customers need. Fortunately, we know a thing or about webinars, and we’ve got some tips for finding the perfect topic.
5 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Webinar Topic
1. What’s your problem?
The first thing to remember about entrepreneurship is that every entrepreneur has the same job: to solve a problem. Your product, your marketing, your everything should be shaped by that. So the first step is to find out what the audience’s problems are.
Customers don’t generally know what exactly they need, but everyone knows what they’re struggling with. The question “What’s your problem?” needn’t be asked in those exact words, but you can survey your audience to find out how you can help. Try asking what their “biggest challenge” is regarding your area of expertise. What’s their biggest challenge when it comes to…getting fit? Improving their golf swing? Training their parakeet? You get the idea.
As for how to ask them, you’ve got options. First, there’s the all-important resource upon which your business will always depend: your email list. Sending a direct survey, even a one-question survey, will get you the most honest and thoughtful results. Besides that, you’ve got social media. Throw the question out on Facebook or Twitter, and you’ll get plenty of responses- especially on specific Facebook groups devoted to your niche.
You can also use your own website. Include in your next blog a call to action, soliciting comments on what problems your readers face. You can even use the phone! Reach out directly to specific individual users of your product, preferably the long-standing, loyal ones who you know have the most insightful feedback to offer. We ask our early adopters regularly how we can improve WebinarNinja, which is what ultimately led us to the creation of WebinarNinja 5.0.
2. Start wide, narrow down
If you have some idea of what your audience is looking for, let them fine-tune it. Whether you’ve asked them for suggestions of not, think of three topics that you figure would be most useful and appealing to your crowd, and let them choose between them. This takes some of the responsibility off of the customer, but it’s democratic enough to give them a sense of involvement in the process. Use the same methods mentioned above: your email list, social media, or direct outreach to specific customers.
3. Review the reviews
Potential customers in search of solutions are sure to check out books on the topic in question. That’s where Amazon and its top-notch system of public reviews come in. Look up the best-selling books about your area of expertise, and read the reviews. The trick is to focus on the 3 star reviews; anything higher won’t yield much by way of solvable problems, anything lower is likely to be just griping.
As you read the reviews, note what it is that kept the customer from giving that extra star or two. What was the book missing? What aspect of their problem didn’t it solve? How could it have really met their needs? However the books fall short will give you the information you need. Eventually, you’ll see patterns— repeated mentions of info or advice people want but aren’t getting. That’s the gap your webinar aims to fill.
4. Hold a Q&A
Sometimes, the best topic for a webinar is no topic. Rather, you can start a conversation with your audience. Do like the cool kids on the Reddit, and invite your audience to ask you anything. This obviously creates some challenges, but it’s the most interactive, engaged way for customers to get to know and trust you.
Of course, planning a Q&A webinar is both easier and more difficult. On one hand, you really don’t have to plan it. On the other, you have to be prepared for unpredictable questions, including ones you don’t know the answer to. This is fine. All it requires is to be on top of your game, and to be open and honest. As any teacher will tell you, “I don’t know, but I can find out for next time” is one of the smartest answers a person can give. Plus, it helps you choose the topic of your next webinar!
Bonus: WebinarNinja has a dedicated Q&A area that saves every question, answer, and comment in your account for future reference. Keep an eye on these for patterns that will reveal what your audience is looking for.
5. Start with a title
In webinars as in writing, sometimes it’s best to start with a great title and go from there. Create a title that sounds irresistible, and create a webinar that fulfills its promise. Don’t be afraid to think big and be ambitious. What title do you think members of your audience would rush to sign up for? As long as your content can deliver, the sky’s the limit.
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