How can I successfully market workshops to potential clients?
As a member of SavvySME for a short while, I am very impressed with the questions asked and in the quality of the answers. I have come across quite a few answers from some very talented people who were unknown to me, thanks!
This has inspired me to ask the following question:
Aside from LinkedIn, SEO, SMM, SEM does anyone have any other ways they use or know how to market workshops to potential clients?
You can buy advertising on 3rd party sites or 3rd party email lists to promote your event.
Depends what your budget is because most good email marketing opportunities can be costly.
Another thing you can do is promote the event on "event page" style websites, just search for them on Google.
Also if you have a pre existing memeber base on sites like EventBrite & Meetup.com you can market your events to the user base.
Plus you could even look at promoting the event offline to reach online.
Leo, you might try the old-fashioned face-to-face methods. Join a large, local business organisation or CofC and get to know the members. Attend business events in your area and seek out people who are positions of influence. Join a professional networking group such as BNI and again, establish connections. Cultivate relationships until you are in a position of trust.
The online media you mention are simply digital versions of pre-internet methods. With the great disadvantage of remaining impersonal. Meaning, just because a prospect shares a LinkedIn group with you, it doesn't give them a true sense of your worth. A clue yes, but is that enough to convince them to attend the seminar?
thank you Stephen, you reply is appreciated. I did attend a BNI meeting and was impressed however I have not since checkked another and I should. Chamber of commerce is one I have not cosidered, thank you again - yes I can cerainly feel that the trust will be important for me and would work well. Personal contact certainly settles our minds.
Hi Leo, having gone through this process myself, and now in the position of filling our marketing workshops reguarly with ease, I have to agree with Steven. It is all about relationships. Next, the quality of your workshop will allow you to leverage the social proof you need to engage on other mediums, such as online and print and most importantly create word of mouth momentum. I have a heap of tips and tricks - to many to mention here - feel free to pick up the phone and call me. Remember with marketing there is never a one size fits all approach - or a silver bullet. Its all the 'one percenters' of your event campaign and your execution that will yeild you your results. Be prepared to slug away at it to gain momentum. Once you have momentum it becomes a lot easier and much more predictible. Constancy and consistency wins the marketing race.
Leo... have you considered using webinars?
Agree, webinars nowadays have a huge influence... Leo you can advertise your website event page with a subscribe link through Google AdWords and send them a webinar with a subject that will interest your potential clients.
A couple of no-brainers. You can easily post an event on Facebook, personalise it and invite connections.
Also people see things through LI and Twitter, then if curious need to delve in and find out more information, so make sure you have a good website page explaining the benefits and location. Keyword rich of course, with obvious share buttons. (Please if you email it, also put the workshop location in your email -- it's a pet peeve when people don't do this).
thank you Jennifer, I have recently plnned to build Facebook so this will be heading in the right direction there, I had done this once before however I beieve it requires the numbers. I have some keyword rich landing apges however I will explore the twitter tip, thank you - btw may be an obvious question, what is LI?
Leo Eliades at Inspire Now Pty Ltd
thank you James, I will try the meetup suggestion which may work for me, the email list option is expensive but may try this later - cheers