Which is Better: Direct Mail, Teleseminars or Webinars?

Which is Better: Direct Mail, Teleseminars or Webinars?
With every new technology, comes groups of users who
immediately want to dispense with the old. Now that
webinars are becoming mainstream, I've had a few clients
ask which is better to use in their business: old-fashioned
direct mail, teleseminars or webinars?

Before I answer the question, let's first discuss the
definition of each:

Direct Mail consist of postcards, flyers, mailings done to
your prospects -- anything they receive in their mailbox.

Teleseminars are conference calls where you can have as few
as two or as many as 2,000 (and more) people on a call at
the same time. There's a moderator who runs the call and
keeps things on track.

Teleseminars are great for solo-presentations as well as
interviews where one person interviews another and a live
audience listens in and asks questions.

Webinars are what I like to think of as "visual
teleseminars". You are listening in on the telephone (just
like a teleseminar) AND you are watching your computer
screen (just like television).

The moderator in this case is taking you through a
presentation -- similar to a live event slide show only
you're participating from the comfort of your own home.
Webinars can also be online videos or a hybrid
presentation/video format.

So which is best? Direct mail, the teleseminar or the
webinar?

The answer, as you may suspect is "it depends".

Marketing is about building a relationship with your
prospects through your unique message (or Unique Selling
Proposition). Tools which set you apart and make you more
*real* to your prospects must be included in your business
-- this is especially true for those who market themselves
online or virtually.

Which builds a better connection with your audience:

1. A flyer sent in the mail?

2. A teleseminar where prospects can hear your voice?

3. A webinar where prospects can hear your voice and see
you moving things around the screen?

While you may be tempted to answer "number 3" as webinars
allow you to create a connection and bring your prospects
into your world, the true answer is "all three".

A webinar REQUIRES more of a commitment from your prospect
as they are agreeing to be at their computer at a certain
date and time while a teleseminar REQUESTS propsects to be
at a telephone knowing that most business owners send out
recordings after the fact.

Given the increased commitment requirement AND the fact
that people learn best through different media (reading,
watching, listening), the ideal mix, regardless of your
business, is to include all three methods in your
marketing: direct mail, teleseminars and webinars.

Teleseminars and webinars are not only for online
businesses. Brick and mortar/retail businesses who use them
define themselves as being FAR AHEAD of their competition.

Knowing this, how can you incorporate teleseminars and
webinars into your business?

Your Coaching Challenge:

Review your marketing action plan (and if you don't yet
have one, click here to be among the first to learn about
my upcoming group coaching program) and ensure you've
included direct mail, teleseminars AND webinars in your
lead generation activities.

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For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients
consistently by implementing processes and systems to put
their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client
testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy
Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".