[Posted by Jennifer Minko, Sr. Manager, Field Marketing, Neolane, Inc.]

With so many new online and digital marketing strategies emerging, it can be easy for marketers to get lost within this shiny world of opportunity. Mobile, social media, viral videos, and much more stand in the limelight, but webinars should be added to—or kept on—this list because they enable marketers to provide a digitally collaborative experience for a low cost.

In this post, we’ll highlight several reasons why webinars need to be kept at the forefront of marketers’ online marketing strategies today and in the future.

Tell a Story

Webinars give marketers a beneficial platform in which to tell a story about their market, solution, product, or just their company as a whole. They serve as an effective platform to illustrate a story in real time, something that cannot be done by many other digital marketing channels.

Cost Efficient

Oftentimes, marketers will use existing customers or partners as webinar presenters, which will generally keep production costs to a minimum. As webinars are streamed online, they are much less expensive for attendees, eliminating travel costs that would otherwise be necessary at tradeshows or conferences.

Interactive Experience

Webinars give marketers the ability to connect with their audience in a personal way; they facilitate valuable interactive experiences as well as chances to engage and continue conversations after the events. Because most customers view webinars as a live event, they serve as the closest comparison to actual face-to-face interaction. In fact, these interactive experiences often open the door for one-on-one meetings at the conclusion of the webinar.

Lead Generation/Nurturing Opportunities  

These virtual conversations allow marketers to stay in front of their prospects and nurture them throughout the purchase cycle. Webinars give marketers the opportunity to target prospects on a global scale and position themselves as thought leaders in their space, which establishes credibility as well as a platform to voice opinions or discuss trends and prospect pain points.

Address Customer Questions

At the conclusion of a webinar, marketers have the opportunity to say “here’s how our company can help.” Opening up the discussion to customer pain points or answering questions can be a vital tactic, as it allows the marketer to provide a solution to help the customer in a very educational or consultative manner.

Webinars can often be overlooked amidst the sea of online marketing tools available. But the reality is they are a cost-effective and high-value tactic to educate  customers and to create excellent lead generation and lead nurturing opportunities.

©iStockphoto.com/Rafal Olechowski