Organizing educational webinars to draw new manufacturing customers

Webinars aren’t just for the big companies to show off their products; small companies—like metal fabrication shops—can and should consider them for drawing the attention of new customers. Getty Images

I recently spoke at the 2021 FMA Leadership Summit, providing a presentation titled Selling in a Virtual World. One of the topics I covered briefly was webinars for providing virtual customer education. I regret the word “briefly” in that last sentence because I feel I should have focused much more on the topic. As a consultant my job is to make objective recommendations for the best path forward; I don’t have an agenda to push, and if my advice is passed up, it’s no skin off my back. However, I feel that hosting webinars is the single most important virtual strategy companies can implement in 2021, and I’m insistent about it with my clients. Let me tell you why.

I have always been a fan of customer education. Don’t focus on the product you are selling, but the expertise you offer to support your customer’s growth. When I worked in the medical device industry my employer hosted cadaver labs and I brought that concept to my parents’ tube fabricating company, hosting manufacturing labs. These days I’m working with every client I have to kick off customer trainings in 2021.

Training is part of the culture in the medical device industry—how else can a surgeon learn to implant a device?—and after several years of manufacturing labs, it was part of the culture at my parents’ company also. By the time my parents sold it and retired, we had trained more than 150 John Deere engineers from all over the world. Over a five-year period, the revenue growth transitioned markedly. It went from picking up work when someone else dropped the ball or increased the price to supporting product development and winning bids as an incumbent. We trained engineers and they viewed us as a critical partner in bringing products to market.

The pandemic shut down in-person events, but the web is open for business. There are many steps involved to convert programming from in-person to online, but companies are finding a way forward. They are also finding many advantages to training online.

Cost

There is definitely cost associated with this type of event, especially if you are in the launch phase, but the investment is a small percentage of typical outlay on a few sales reps. The risk is lower as well. Sometimes sales reps work out and sometimes they don’t. I’ve yet to host a virtual webinar that didn’t provide a clear-cut return on investment.

A caveat: Do not skimp on the kickoff. If you don’t have experienced staff to manage the effort, I recommend—very strongly—hiring support. Identify a member of your team to train alongside the firm you hire so you can manage the subsequent webinars on your own.

Reach

When I hosted labs in the medical and manufacturing fields we were ecstatic to register 15 participants. To reach that number we aggressively sold the program for months, often a year, spending countless hours on recruitment and follow up. Webinars can have hundreds of views in less 24 hours. You also can send the material electronically to customers and prospects.

There is no substitute for engaging with your customers face-to-face, but there is also no doubt more people will see your content in a webinar. The key is to manage the distribution and access for maximum benefit.

Brand Elevation

I have spent 20 years in sales and marketing, and for 20 years I’ve leaned toward sales effort to maximize revenue growth. In 2020 the pendulum swung quickly in the opposite direction, and creating and executing a marketing strategy became essential not only for growth, but survival. There are many goals for a marketing plan, and brand elevation is one.

The reality is that many of your customers are never going to set foot inside your facility, especially as you expand the geographical areas you serve. You may be a small firm, but you can look like a large, publicly traded company on the web if you deliver content professionally. You also can use the content across various social media platforms and your website.

For all these reasons, and many more, I insist you meet with your team today to discuss webinars for 2021. Include young members of your staff, even if they’re from the shop floor. Their generation is highly skilled in digital communication. Discuss what you can manage on your own and then plan to hire from the outside to fill the gaps. For minimal investment you can reach a large number of customers and prospects and dramatically increase their perception of your brand and company. Oh yeah, you will also grow your business.