I was on a live webinar once where the host had just completed his presentation and shifted into live Q+A.
He took a few questions and then said, “I want to take a moment to congratulate a few people who’ve already joined my program. Let’s give a shout out to Jane, Joseph, Barbara and Sam. Congratulations on making this investment in yourself.”
Then the presenter talked a bit about what he loved about his program, addressed a couple more questions and congratulated more people who’d purchased his program.
Not gonna lie, I found myself really wanting him to congratulate me.
In fact, I wanted it so bad, that it ended up being the tipping point for me to actually sign up for the program. I just wanted to be part of the club!
This highlights the value of creating sense of community to increase your conversion rate when you launch a new program.
I know from personal experience both as a free host and an attendee at online webinars and in person events that sometimes, I just need permission to say yes to the program being offered. I just need a little nudge. A great nudge is hearing that others around me are taking the leap as well.
So how can you create a healthy dose of peer pressure at your next online launch?
- For online launches, I like to have a moderator who can help me navigate the call from start to finish. They introduce who’s asking a question, inform me of any purchases, and help me with any technical difficulties that might occur.
- At the start of any webinar or call I always say, “Write down any questions that come to mind because I’ll answer them live at the end of our class today.”This is always great because, as I mentioned in a recent blog, the Fast Action Bonus expires by the end of the kickoff event. So hosting a Q+A extends it for 10-60 minutes.
- Dive into any instructions on how your attendees can raise their hand or submit their question. (I like to do this more than once throughout the call for any latecomers.)
- And finally, work your magic! Once the online class has wrapped, it’s time for Q+A. The idea here is to rotate from answering questions, highlighting your favorite aspects of the program you’re selling, and of course, congratulating purchasers. And don’t forget, your moderator can help you.
It will be SO fun to see purchases come in, not to mention have the privilege to congratulate them on their investment and to express excitement to have them in your community.
If this strategy speaks to you but the thought of keeping one eye on purchases and the other on your event is getting you a little nervous — I hear you.
Multi-tasking at your own event can be tricky. So, I’ve got a cool resource for you. It’s called Webinar Jam.
One of the many incredible features of Webinar Jam is that the program congratulates your purchasers for you with a little note at the bottom of their screen. That means, your attendees can be enjoying your webinar and all of the sudden — boom! — “Congratulations, Ginger. Thanks for joining us!”
In other words, Webinar Jam does the peer pressuring for you 😉
And, don’t forget that you can also apply some healthy peer pressure in your follow-up sales emails after your kickoff event.
I recommend sending an email with screenshots of social media posts or emails you received from purchasers expressing their thanks and excitement about the program.
This is beneficial for a few reasons. It allows you to create a sense of community, provide some social proof or evidence of the quality of your work and program, and also further incentivizes people to take action.
Plus, not everyone who signs up for your call or webinar will actually attend it live. So this gives them the nudge they need to check out your program and decide if investing in it is a fit for them.
One last thing before I wrap this up: Starting a club is not just a sales strategy, it’s a valuable form of service.
As a coach, many of the training you put into the world requires a sense of commitment that can trigger all forms of resistance. I suggest you build on the sense of community that you create during your launch and take things one step further for those who invest in your program: Start a Facebook group. That way they can support and hold one another accountable during your training.
This form of peer pressure is priceless and your tribe will thank you for it. I know mine has. My Thriving Artist Circle community is an incredibly nurturing and productive tribe of actors who support one another on a daily basis. It’s awesome.
Your turn. How will you cultivate a sense of community during your launch? Let me know below…
