Samir Kayyali used to hear the phrase “This industry isn’t for social media” quite often. Today, as a tax advisor with 11 years of experience, he can smile when recalling those words. He successfully combines social media activity with hosting webinars, and his profile is followed by over 30,000 people.
Discover how Samir Kayyali builds his online business and shares knowledge through ClickMeeting. You’ll also learn how donations can be an effective way to earn money—even during webinars about legal and tax issues!
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From a Few Likes to Thousands of Followers: The Beginning of an Online Journey
“I remember my first Facebook posts vividly, as that’s where I started. They would get two or three likes. It’s easy to guess those were from my family,” Samir Kayyali recalls with a smile. In 2013, when he began his internet promotion adventure, the tax advisory industry was associated more with elegant office decor than social media.
“People told me: ‘Listen, the legal or advisory industry doesn’t fit social media. Social media is for hotels, restaurants, influencers, models, soccer players, but not for this industry. Our industry is rigid; it won’t work,'” he recalls these earlier reactions.
However, Kayyali had a different opinion: “I kept saying: ‘Take it easy, this will work.'” And indeed it did—today, his profile is followed by over 30,000 people. That’s an impressive result, especially in the tax advisory industry, which is quite specialized and insular.
But social media is just one of Samir Kayyali’s online activity areas. From the very beginning, he’s been particularly interested in knowledge sharing. And in this regard, online events are unrivaled.
The Pandemic as a Catalyst for Change
The history of Samir Kayyali’s training activity mirrors the transformation of the entire industry. “The beginning, the years 2014-2017, was primarily traditional in-person activity. I traveled a lot around Poland conducting training sessions,” the expert recalls.
The real breakthrough came during the COVID-19 pandemic. “That was a time when we practically lost direct contact with clients overnight,” Kayyali describes. “That’s when I truly felt the benefit of already having thousands of followers who trusted me and wanted to work with me in some way.”
The expert quickly leveraged his online position to help entrepreneurs during difficult times: “There were situations where the government hadn’t yet introduced some form of assistance, but it was expected to happen within days. I was already conducting paid training about it because people wanted to be the first to submit applications.”
Both Samir Kayyali and his clients quickly recognized the advantages of webinars. “My audience realized quite quickly that there was no need to travel to Warsaw for a full-day in-person training. It’s expensive, involves transportation, parking, sometimes taking time off work, problems with picking up children from preschool. But online, we log in for an hour or two, the prices for such training are of course much lower, and we have everything at hand—our dog, cat, children. Everything is convenient,” the tax advisor summarizes.
ClickMeeting: A Comprehensive Training Platform
Samir Kayyali tested many webinar platforms but ultimately chose ClickMeeting. What influenced this decision?
“I previously used many platforms. Currently, ClickMeeting offers comprehensive solutions that automate the organization of paid webinars and is completely sufficient for my needs,” says the expert.
Samir Kayyali particularly appreciates:
- Comprehensive process automation. “I can organize paid training sold as tokens—so clients can’t forward the link to others: one person pays, one person watches. Payments are possible through PayU or Stripe systems that I use, and invoices are generated automatically through integration with Fakturownia, which makes it very convenient for both me and the participants.”
- Time savings: “I really focus on uploading the training, promoting it a bit, and it runs itself. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but it works. I don’t remember ever having a training session where I had to cover costs.”
- Fair payment model: “The 5% commission that ClickMeeting charges for paid webinars is worth it. It’s enough for me to get one, two, or five additional participants to earn back that commission.”
A Webinar Strategy That Delivers Results
Samir Kayyali has developed an effective webinar strategy based on several key elements. You can use it in your business too, regardless of your industry:
1. Free Webinars as a Lead Generation Method
“Some of the webinars I create are free 50-60 minute content. It’s 100% substantive, no scams, 100% solid content,” explains Kayyali. “However, this free offering has a specific purpose, because in these training sessions I advertise my paid trainings through the call-to-action feature.”
2. Experiments with Donations
Samir Kayyali decided to test donations—voluntary participant contributions—during his free webinar, which brought surprising results. “I thought: I’ll test this feature because it sounds cool. People can pay me a voluntary amount when they feel like it; it’s very easily automated, very pleasantly implemented,” the expert describes.
During one of his free webinars, which gathered about 180 participants, Kayyali proposed a simple experiment. “I said: ‘Listen, if you like what I’m doing and want to reward me symbolically somehow, use the donation feature.'” The result? Nearly 40% of participants (about 70 people) decided to make a contribution.
Particularly interesting was the importance of precise communication regarding the amount. “I suggested that participants transfer a symbolic 51 euro for coffee. And note, when I later saw the donation statistics, which show who transferred how much, it turned out that 95% of people transferred exactly 1 euro,” Kayyali observes. This observation resulted in valuable advice for other hosts: “You could just as well say ‘Transfer me 20 euro.’ For many people, for whom your knowledge is often worth much more, this won’t be a problem,” he adds.
Regardless of the amount, the fact that nearly half of the participants decided to make a payment is significant and shows that users appreciate valuable content and a convenient payment system integrated with the platform.
Currently, Kayyali plans further experiments with the donate function, but with higher suggested amounts: “I will definitely use donations again, this time asking for higher amounts.” This strategy shows how to effectively monetize even free webinars while building an engaged community around your brand.
3. Adapting to Client Preferences
As online training has evolved, participant expectations have also changed. To achieve the best results, it’s worth adapting to them.
“Previously, people were willing to pay more for full-day training. Now that has changed, and audiences expect shorter training sessions, lasting an hour, hour and a half, maximum two hours,” notes Samir Kayyali. “Today, it’s difficult to sell a six-hour training session. It’s not even about the money, because naturally it has to be more expensive than a one-hour training, but simply about time,” he adds.
Specific Numbers Worth Knowing
Samir Kayyali’s webinar activity brings easily measurable and impressive effects:
- Paid training sessions regularly attract 200-250 registrants
- Free webinars typically draw a full capacity of 500 participants
“During free, one-hour training sessions on an interesting topic, I can easily gather 500 people,” says Kayyali. “Of course, it’s also true that the more expensive the training, the more people attend. If we’re talking about a free webinar, 300 people might register, but 180 actually show up. If the webinar is paid, significantly more of them attend.”
Key Insights for the Training Industry
Samir Kayyali’s experiences show that:
- Early entry into the online world pays off. “I’m glad I entered the social media and webinar industry so long ago because today I see that everyone is trying to do it, but I’m already more accelerated on this runway.”
- Continuous development is necessary. “It’s not like I’m just lying around reaping the benefits. I constantly look at what others are doing, also from other industries, not just direct competitors. I try to draw cool ideas and solutions from them.”
- The platform matters. “ClickMeeting is to me what a car is to a taxi driver—simply a work tool. I returned to it after using various other platforms for several years.”
Start Your Webinar Journey
Samir Kayyali’s story shows that success in the online training industry is possible even in highly specialized fields that aren’t typically associated with the online world or slightly more casual formats. The key is combining substantive knowledge with the right tools and consistently building your brand online.
Want to follow a similar path? Create a free test account and see how ClickMeeting can help you develop your training business!
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