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July 29, 2021 at 07:46 AM
What You Need to Know
- Digital events cost less than dinner seminars.
- The attendees are more interested in the content than in the food.
- You can use recordings of online presentations to create content for your YouTube channel and company website.
Live events have been the bread and butter of financial services lead generation for years.
Some ask: Is this marketing staple past its expiration date?
In the early days, lunch and dinner seminars were magnets for retirees and pre-retirees. Not only did they offer free meals, but seminars also gave seniors an excuse to get out of the house, meet new people, and listen to advice from a trusted expert.
Unfortunately, as seminars became ubiquitous and seniors grew savvier about their true purpose, they declined in popularity. It became harder for agents and advisors to fill rooms, even with promises of a steak dinner and door prizes.
Perhaps more importantly, the quality of the attendee also declined. People started coming for the food and often ignored the presentation. Or, they used the seminar as a way to confirm what their current advisor was telling them, or as a “date night.” Seminars, many of which cost $3,000 or more, became an iffy proposition with lots of logistical headaches and little return on investment.
The Change
Along came the pandemic, and live, in-person seminars disappeared altogether, leaving agents to contemplate new ways to tell their stories. Digital gatherings, using media such as Zoom or Go to Webinar, exploded in popularity.
Some advisors who had been hesitant to embrace virtual technology were suddenly forced to replace their in-person events with digital meetings.
Should you switch to or continue your digital meetings?
Scott Self is the owner of 