Have been seeing a lot of these teleconferences, teleseminars, teleclasses or conference calls going around lately? (call them whatever you want) Maybe you have listened to one that was replayed as a podcast. I remember the first time I ever attended one, I was wondering what the heck that was all about. It was really cool how a whole bunch of people could be connected at one time kind of like you were back in college watching a professor give a lecture at the chalk board. This time though, you got to do it from the comfort of your own home.
I began looking into the service wondering if there was a way I could use it in my own business. I thought I would share some of the things that I have come across so that you might benefit from it.
The conference call services aren’t all created equal. There are some free ones out there and there are some paid ones. The free ones are attractive for obvious reasons. So why the heck someone would want to pay for something they could get for free. Turns out that you get what you pay for. If you are going to use this for business purposes, then you want a reliable conference call service.
How do these conference call services work?
Basically you get to conduct presentations to small or large numbers of people simultaneously. They can range in size from a few people up to a couple thousand if you wanted. If you have attended one before, then you know what I mean. The conference call is scheduled for a specific date and time. People sign up for the conference through an opt-in system. People are emailed a reminder so that they don’t forget to show up on the day of the event.
You should encourage your attendants to show up a few minutes ahead of time. All they need to do is dial a telephone number to be connected to it. If they want to, they can also log onto a website where they will be able to watch a slideshow presentation, videos or whatever.
The whole call is conducted like a classroom setting in a school or university. There can be one or more hosts conducting the presentation. One of these hosts runs the control panel for the class which is also web based. All of the callers are put on mute while the hosts are speaking during the first part of the presentation. That is so that there are no interruptions during that part of the event. If anyone has a question to ask, they simply press a number on their phone. That causes a little graphic of that person to show up on the host’s control panel that shows them raising their hand, just like a classroom setting. Then the host can take the mute off so that the person can be heard by the rest of the group.
You could also conduct the group wide open where everyone was free to speak whenever. This might work well in small groups. As you can imagine it would probably get messy once there were a lot of people in attendance.
Another really cool feature that adds tremendous value to a service is the ability to record the entire event. A good service will do this automatically. You can take an MP3 version of the recording and redistribute it as a podcast. You can make it available for other people to download and listen to. That is the kind of leverage that marketers really need.
Why would internet marketers want to use a teleconference service like this?
Anyone who is experienced online knows that it is important to get people engaged in what you are trying to communicate to them. Using a conference like this is an awesome way to really connect and really build relationships. These are ideal places to conduct interviews. If you are going to interview someone popular in your niche, you could conduct that interview live with your audience in attendance. That is the perfect way to raise your profile in the eyes of your audience. Doing so automatically elevates you to the level of the person you are interviewing. It makes you look like you are now in that person’s circle.
Some people have actually packaged conferences they have conducted so that they can sell access to them like any other information product. This could be an ideal info-product for someone who doesn’t like the thought of creating an eBook. Or better yet, it could be a bonus to tack on to help sell an eBook. Some people give these away as a free product with an opt-in offer that is used to build their list.
Imagine selling a new cookbook about your family home recipes. What if you conducted an interview with Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart? Those two might be untouchable. But you could probably get an interview pretty easily with one of the best local chefs in your area. Ask them questions where they will reveal some great advice for people who are really interested in family recipes. That will really elevate your status in the eyes of people. Think of how much authority you will build in the eyes of your audience when you are delivering information from a number of true professionals in the industry. Line up 12 of these interviews to conduct once per month. That is going to get a lot of subscribers to your blog.
If you are interested at all in this then you might want to watch a short video about conference call features. I am not in the affiliate program for that company (probably should have joined before writing this), but it looks like a pretty lucrative reccurring affiliate model. If anyone becomes an affiliate and makes big money with this, let me know.
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I have been on some conference calls and you are right it does make you feel more engaged . Also you have the speakers attention and can ask questions which is also a bonus. Only downside for me is that most of the conference calls are done to suit the bigger market in the US so it is usually the middle of the night when they are on. I did stay up once for a webinar that was on at 2am our time. The irony was is was a guy in Oz who was running it. His explanation was just that…..got to cater for the big US markets so usually have to wait till the podcasts are up on their sites before I get to hear it and it just isn’t the same.
Patricia Perth Australia
The U.S. is a bigger market for just about everything. You Australians are big on the internet though. It is amazing how strong your presence is on a per capita basis. There are a lot of really smart people over there taking full advantage of modern technology.
These conference calls are really gaining popularity among internet marketers. I am seeing more and more people using them for good reasons. They are exceptionally effective.
I was recently invited to one of these webiner/conference call type things and was actually excited to “attend”. I didn’t, however, because i had bible study. Oh well.
But I can see how it would be a very powerful and efficient way to get a message out. Kind of like a call to action if done the right way.
Wayne,
Too bad you didn’t get to experience it. Once you attend one, you will understand the huge potential they hold. They are great for people who like to communicate through channels other than written words. You can deliver a tremendous amount of value to people in a relatively short period of time.