In Part I of this two-part series on webinars, I discussed why webinars are an effective marketing tool for lawyers and identified suitable topics for webinars and free and low cost platforms to support webinars.  In this Part, I'll go through the nuts and bolts of setting up a webinar from start to finish.

1.  Choose your weapon.  As I suggested in Part I, test drive a few of the webinar platforms to figure out which ones work for you.  The platforms vary in price and features but what's most important is that you (or your staff) feel comfortable with the interface.  (One of my personal favorites for features and ease of use is DimDim).  Once you've decided on and registered for a webinar service, you can start planning your first webinar. 

2.  Decide on a topic for your webinar.  For prospective clients, pick topics that are timely and don't usually receive adequate attention at other seminars.  Remember - because webinars are so inexpensive to host, you can keep the topics narrow.  You may attract a smaller number of participants, but chances are, they'll be much more interested in the event and more likely to retain you.  To select topics for existing clients, why not ask them what interests them?  Clients will feel flattered that you've sought out their input and will appreciate your continued responsiveness to their needs. 
 
3.  Pick a date.  Choose a date for the webinar anywhere from four to six weeks out.  A shorter time frame will cut down on your ability to promote the webinar.  

4.  Pick a time for the webinar.  The best times for a webinar will depend on your audience.  If your target audience includes a 9 to 5 working crowd, an evening or weekend will work best.  For a national audience, a time slot after noon is necessary to ensure that West Coast participants will be awake in time for the call.  Limit webinars to no more than ninety minutes and preferably, aim for 40 to 60 minutes of content with 15 minutes available for questions.

As for your own schedule, try to set the webinar on a day that you won't be in court or at other meetings.  Though a webinar is only an hour and can be conducted from your office, you're better off hosting it on a day with few distractions.

5.   Set Up Registration:  Once you've set a presentation date, it's time to start marketing your seminar.  Prepare a snappy announcement and post it on your blog, website or a separately created landing page.  You can use auto-responder programs like Aweber or Constant Contact for registration, or even something free like Google Forms.  
These programs will capture registrants names and emails so that you can send them the log in information for the webinar. 

6.  Start marketing.   After you've set up the registration, begin promoting your program.  Use social media applications like a Facebook fan page or Twitter.  Disseminate information about the webinar through your newsletter as well as any listservs in which you participate (if they allow promotions).  Reach out to bloggers who cover the topics that you'll be addressing in the webinar and ask whether they can get the word out to readers.  You might also consider advertising on Facebook.

If you're targeting a consumer audience, don't limit your promotions to the Internet.  Depending upon your audience, consider announcing your webinar in school or PTA newsletters, through leaflets or fliers at the local coffee shop, bookstore and library and perhaps even through an inexpensive ad in a small local publication.

7.  Prepare the Webinar.  Once the marketing for the webinar is underway, begin preparing your materials as soon as possible, for two reasons.  First, getting the prep out of the way early on means you'll have less to worry about when the webinar date approaches.  Second, you may decide to send an outline to participants in advance to provide more details about the topics you'll cover. 

8.  Send Out the Access Information.  Two days before the webinar, send out the access information to participants.  Some of the services - such as DimDim can transmit an invitation for you, or you can simply send an email yourself.   In addition to sending the numbers to call and/or codes to enter to access the webinar, you should also provide participants with an alternative way to get in touch with you (such as email) if for some reason, the webinar disconnects.

9.  Test Run.   It's always good to do a quick test run a day before you put on the program whether you've used the product or not. Sometimes, companies may change the features of a webinar platform and if you don't check it out in advance, you may find yourself fumbling on "game day."  Also test out your recording options and run a sound check.  If the sound comes across weak, you may need to plug a microphone into the computer.

10.  Webinar.  Giving a webinar can be tricky since unlike an in person event, you can't judge reactions.  So stop from time to time to ask participants to send in questions.  Err on the side of keeping the webinar short.  Many people budget a limited time frame - typically not more than an hour - for webinars, so try to keep your presentation short, while allowing time for questions.   

Definitely record the webinar, either using tools included in the platform or screen capture programs like Camtasia (for PCs) or Screenflow (for Macs).

11.  Post Production  Once the webinar ends, there's still plenty of work to do.  For starters, you should email participants with a short survey (also something that can be done with Google Forms) asking them to rate the program and for testimonials (be sure to ask for permission about using them in your marketing materials). 

Next, save a copy of the recording and arrange to have the audio transcribed.  That way you'll have both a visual summary of your talk (on CD or thumb drive) as well as written materials for those who don't care for video.  If you're pleased with the product, you might consider selling the recording bundled with the tape and a written transcript or making it available on your website.

CONCLUSION  Though all of these steps to put on a webinar seem complicated, they become much easier over time once you've mastered the learning curve.  In fact, you may become so adept at webinars, you might decide to hold a webinar for colleagues or clients on...what else?  How to put on a webinar!  

According to the 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing, seminars and webinars are some of the most effective tools for attracting new clients and retaining existing ones.  The Report found that professional services use in person seminars (66%) and webinars (45%) to identify service providers and make hiring decisions.  The results apply with equal force to legal services; at the  Marketing with a Book blog, Henry DeVries writes that:

In 1991 a random survey of the top 1,000 U.S. law firms found that 89 percent held at least one client seminar per year. In 1999, 94 percent of law firms were regularly holding seminars. Lawyers at the top 1,000 firms ranked seminars as the most effective tool for cross-selling and gaining new clients (Source: FGI Research, 1999).

I've already discussed at length the benefits and how-tos of speaking events.  But for all their effectiveness, seminars and speaking events aren't without their drawbacks.  For starters, if you have a national or multi-state practice, you may have to travel to the event on your own dime, and lose billable time while you're away from the office.  Local events are more convenient if you can find a group that's willing to host you.  But you may have to rent space and serve refreshments, which are an added cost that may outweigh the benefits if only a handful of people actually show up.

Though webinars can't replace face to face events, they are a cost-efficient way to supplement live activities.  With today's low cost, user-friendly technologies, even a solo lawyer on a tight budget can put on several webinars a year and perhaps even make a few extra dollars by bundling and reselling the content.  Below, I'll describe what a webinar is, suggest ways that a webinar can work for any practice and finally, give some practical tips on getting started.

THE WHAT, HOW AND WHY ABOUT WEBINARS:

1.  What is a webinar?

Basically, a webinar is what the term implies -- a seminar delivered over the web.  Webinars offer several advantages over their poorer relation, the conference call.  During a webinar, you can present power point slides from your computer that participants can view on their screen.  Many webinar products (I'll discuss them in more detail at the end of this post) allow you to use whiteboard and mark-up features, so that you can highlight parts of your presentation, or demonstrate a skill - perhaps how to fill in a form or improve a contract draft - in real time. 

Other webinar products offer additional features that set them apart from conference calls.  Some incorporate video, so that participants can see you while you deliver your presentation while others will tape the webinar so that you can post it on YouTube or distribute a copy on a CD or thumb drive.  Some products allow participants to submit written questions or comments during the presentation which can be viewed by all other participants through a side bar.  During conference calls, listeners are often intimidated from posing questions, either to avoid being recorded or because they're simply not comfortable doing so.   All of these features make webinars are far more impressive and interactive for potential or existing clients than a simple conference call.

2.  Are webinars better for existing or prospective clients?

Webinars work extremely well for both.  A webinar gives a prospective client a more personalized and impressive introduction to your services.  In addition, a webinar can educate prospective clients, making them realize a need for your services.

As for ongoing webinars, they're a great way to help existing clients keep up to date on developments in the law while showing them that you value their business.   And of course, like newsletters, webinars let you stay in touch with existing clients so that you'll be first to come to mind when they're asked for referrals.

3.  What kinds of topics and practice areas work best for webinars?  Can webinars work even for a consumer oriented practice?

The scope of potential webinar topics is limited only by your imagination.  Consider the following ideas:

• Corporate, tax or regulatory attorneys:  The law in these practice areas is constantly in flux and clients are subject to an array of compliance issues.  Webinars are ideal for providing updates on changes in the law or offering tips on compliance and ways to keep out of trouble.
• Small business lawyers:  In addition to the issues discussed above, small businesses face a variety of legal issues, from leasing, zoning and property issues to employment, trademarks and copyright.  Many times these businesses don't have in house counsel, and aren't able to determine whether they need a lawyer or not.  Educating business owners about the legal issues they may face can help them figure out when it's time to call a lawyer - and that lawyer could likely be you!
  
• Consumer and general practice lawyers:  Holding a webinar on broad consumer issues, such as the need for will or how to draft a lease may not attract much attention if only because so many lawyers offer these seminars already.  However, niche topics - such as estate planning for single parents or parents, tips on writing a contract to hire a nanny or the basics of special education law are more likely to generate interest because these audiences less frequently served by in person seminars.
  
• Unbundled providers:  Many lawyers are beginning to handle legal matters on an unbundled basis.  For example, a lawyer might draft documents for a business incorporation or will but the client would have the responsibility to file the documents with the Secretary's office or execute the will before a notary.   Though most lawyers provide written instructions to clients on how to perform these tasks, a webinar could also be used to supplement the information provided - and clients would have a chance to ask questions as well. 
  

4.    What kinds of materials should I prepare for a webinar?
Again, you have many options.  You can create a power point presentation that participants will be able to view when they log in to the webinar.  Or, as you become more adept delivering webinars online, you could show websites to clients as part of your presentation.  For example, many government websites contain information on rules or filings that may interest your clients, but they may not know how to navigate the site.  You could show them how during the webinar.

5.  What technology is required to put on a webinar?
There are a number of different free and low cost webinar packages available.  I recommend using those that are "cloud" based, i.e., accessible over the web rather than those that need to be downloaded onto your computer or participants' computers.  In this way, participants can log in easily without any advance preparation and further, you avoid any Mac/PC compatibility issues.

As for specific programs, consider the following low cost options:
 DimDim - free for up to 20 users and also supports video (so participants can see you on the screen) and recording capability.
Glance - $49 per month for up to 100 users who can call in free (or available as a one time day pass for $9.95).
Go To Webinar - $49 per month, but only allows up to 15 users; up to 100 will cost $99/per month. 
WebEx $49 per month for up to 25 users; also offered with per minute charge.
Huddle.net - Really a hybrid web conferencing/project management tool.  $40/month for up to 5 users, but not an apples-apples comparison because the Huddle system includes document storage and other team management tools.

All of these services offer free service either on small scale or a trial basis, so play around with them to figure out which ones you like best.  In Part II of this post, I'll go through the nuts and bolts of setting up a webinar.