In marketing, the magic happens when your message matches your market. That is when people pay attention to what you have to say and you can start filling your workshops and seminars. For that to happen, though you need to know 3 things.
Who is your Market?
For most entrepreneurs their market is way too broad. The problem with having a market that is too broad is that it is hard to appeal to a wide audience. Sure, Coca Cola and McDonald’s appeal to most of the population, but they have the resources to do that. I have a feeling that your marketing budget is not quite up to par with the advertising budget of Coca Cola and McDonald’s. I know mine sure isn’t! And many entrepreneurs don’t have an advertising budget at all.
It is much more economical to promote your event to a narrow market. When you target a sliver of the population, whether it is just self employed moms with toddlers, or overwhelmed solopreneurs who need to find time to run their business, or entrepreneurs who need to be able to fill their workshops and seminars, it is much easier to talk to them. When you know who they are, it is easier to find them, since you don’t have to blanket all the media. You just have to go where they hang out.
What is Your Message?
What is the solution that you offer? Your attendees come to your event because they want to learn to solve a problem that they have. Your workshop or seminar influences behavior in such a way that it transforms the attendees’ lives or businesses. What exactly is that problem that they are willing to give up a weekend with their family for? And how will their lives or businesses be improved after coming to your event? That is the message that you need to communicate.
Match your Message to your Market
You can have an incredible powerful marketing message, but if you aim it at the wrong market, your workshop room will stay empty. On the other hand, even if you have targeted your slice of market, but don’t have a message that resonates with them, you also will have a hard time filling your events. It is only when you can match your message to your market that they will register.
Make the magic happen by matching your message to your market and your attendees will register to your workshops and seminars. In the Butts in Seats Virtual Boot Camp, you will learn how to find your market, create your message and promote your event so that attendees will sign up eagerly. Imagine selling out your events weeks in advance! Now that is magic. Magic that you and I can create together at the Butts in Seats Virtual Boot Camp. Register now and we’ll get started today!
Posted in Event Marketing by .
Apr 12
9
Why Size Does Matter
No, no, no, we are not talking about THAT! And we are not even talking about the size of the audience. The size I am talking about is the dollar amount you are asking from your audience when you are hosting a workshop or a seminar. Before you say: “Yeah duh, Daphne, of course it matters how much I charge!”, that is not the only size consideration.
The chunk of time you are asking your audience to spend with you also matters. You could host a 3-day event for free, but that still does not guarantee that people will make the investment of time to be there.
Time and Money
Ticket price and time requirement together are the investment your attendees are making to be at your event. And the bigger the investment in both time and money, the higher the risk your audience is taking by attending your event.
Inexpensive Workshop
When you are hosting a short, inexpensive workshop of a couple of hours the risk to be there is not huge. As long as you explain the benefits of coming to the event and what your audience will get out of your workshop, you will be able to attract people who may not have heard much about you. You can use this type of workshop to generate leads for your business and get new clients.
Time Intensive Boot Camp
On the other hand, if you are hosting a 3-day boot camp that costs several hundreds or even thousands, your only chance of filling your event is to target people who know, like and trust you. Your audience has to be convinced that YOU are the person who can deliver the solution to the problem they are struggling with. Once they have that confidence in you, investing 3 days and several hundreds of dollars becomes much easier.
Even if you offer a free 3-day seminar, you will be hard pressed in filling it, unless your audience knows, likes and trusts you. Time matters just as much if not more than money, since it is a non-renewable resource. Once you spend time, you can never get it back, so your audience is even more careful with how they spend it.
Get More Butts in Seats
In my new Butts in Seats Virtual Boot Camp, I will show you step by step how to build trust with your audience so that they will invest time and money in your workshops and seminars. To see a glimpse of what you would learn, you can check out my encore presentation on Tuesday April 10th at 1PM ET of “The 5 Essential Keys to Filling Your Workshops and Seminars”. Check out all the details and register at www.winningworkshopsecrets.com.
Posted in Event Marketing by .
Are you looking for some seminar marketing ideas to fill your event come fall? It is never too early to think about how you are going to get butts in the seats and frankly, now is the perfect time to get your plan together for a fall seminar, or even an event next spring.
Here are some seminar marketing ideas that you can start implementing right now. Then when the moment comes to push your seminar promotions, you will be in great shape.
#1 – Ramp up Your Social Media Presence
Whether your crowd hangs out on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, chances are they are involved in one or more of the social networks. That means that you need to be there too. Start establishing a relationship with the people that are most likely to come to your event, or that most closely resemble your ideal client profile. Engage them, ask them questions and be helpful by offering links to blog posts and articles they could benefit from.
#2 – Leverage Other People’s Efforts
Have you ever heard of how investors leverage “Other People’s Money” (OPM) to make them wealthier? You can become wealthier too by leveraging “Other People’s Efforts”. By establishing an affiliate or referral program, you can get more butts in the seats from other people’s recommendations.
Here is how it works: you provide your affiliates with a special URL to your registration page or free content, like a teleseminar or webinar. They send their connections to your website by recommending your program. If someone buys a ticket to your event, you pay them a commission or referral fee.
#3 – Blog Consistently
By writing blog posts about your workshop topic and publishing them on your blog regularly, you start to create a following of people that are interested in your expertise. They are paying attention to you and you build your credibility with them.
Make sure each of your blog posts has a purpose and a call to action. While it is important to use your blog posts to educate your audience, include a call to action that will get people to subscribe to your list. (You will need that when it’s time to market your event.)
Remember that just writing your blog posts is not enough. You also have to promote them, by posting them on the social networks.
#4 – Offer Free Webinars or Teleseminars
Offering free webinars and teleseminars are a great way to build a list of subscribers, while marketing your workshop or seminar at the same time. When they sign up for your webinar or teleseminar, they have indicated that they are interested in the topic you are discussing. That makes them prime candidates to attend your event. You can even tell them about your event on the webinar and making an offer for them to buy a ticket.
#5 – Start Speaking on Other People’s Stages
Get in front of audiences, even if they are not your own. There are lots of groups that need speakers, so contact local networking groups, associations and other groups that share your ideal audience. Leverage your relationships with other experts that do have their own events, and get on their stages.
Your audience will now have experienced you and have a pretty good idea of your topic, teaching style and how good your event would be. It is a great opportunity to build a responsive list, or even to fill your own seminar by selling your event from the platform.
When you implement these seminar marketing ideas now, you will be poised to have a successful event in the fall.
If you have an event coming up and need more seminar marketing ideas to fill them, join my Butts in Seats Virtual Boot Camp, starting next week. In this 5 week course, I will take you to through the exact steps you need to take to create your marketing message, a registration page that converts visitors to attendees and a marketing plan that puts it all together.
When you register today, you will also receive my complete “How to Market a Seminar with Social Media” course, perfect for ramping up your social media presence. This bonus will disappear at on Friday, so reserve your spot right now.
Posted in Event Marketing by .
Tomorrow I am having my own Angelina Jolie moment. No, I am not going to adapt a bunch of kids or be on the arm of Brad Pitt (unfortunately!).
But I am going to walk the virtual red carpet to accept my Espresso Award…
Right up front you need to know…there’s no posh ceremony…no corny canned jokes or awkward moments at the podium…but there is some swag…for you!
What the heck is an Espresso Award?
Cathy Demers, who interviewed me for her popular weekly education series – the Business Success Cafe, has hosted 50 Cafe events (yep…50!)
To celebrate she’s recognizing 7 of the “best of the best” presenters to receive an Espresso Award.
The Business Success Cafe events, each only 20 minutes long, are the perfect 20 minute coffee break for busy business owners. Since espresso packs the biggest punch in a tiny little cup…the name “Espresso Award” seems most appropriate.
And the swag? Not what you might expect…but better!
You are invited to attend, at no charge, a virtual version of our “walk down the red carpet”!
All 7 award winners will be strutting their stuff (without the tuxes and sequined gowns, although I may dress up tomorrow to sit behind the computer) during the…
Business Success Cafe Marathon!
On April 5, once per hour for 7 hours, she’ll re-broadcast one of the 20 minute award-winning, education- packed webcasts…and you get to attend…for free!
Check it out and choose the award-winners you want to watch:
So while you won’t actually see me baring my leg on the red carpet or anything, I will be as honored as if I won the Oscar… I just hope the paparazzi won’t go crazy!
Posted in Daphne's Musings by .
One of my favorite Chinese proverbs is
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.”
It’s because it is so closely related to marketing your workshops and seminars.
Really, the best time to start marketing your event is at your last event.
The best next time? Now. Right now.
In fact, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a lot of people who have events scheduled for the fall are starting to drop hints. They are seeding their friends and followers on social media that they are working on their seminar for October or November. And that is completely strategic.
If you are planning a big seminar or multi-day boot camp in the fall, this is the time to get going on your marketing. This is the time to start seeding, create your marketing message and your plan to implement it.
You Can’t Start Marketing Your Seminar Early Enough
Frankly, you can’t start early enough. One of my clients had her marketing plan in place last summer for her June event. And guess what? Her latest report was that her event is filling up nicely. She is not worried about getting butts in the seats.
I predict her event will sell out way in advance, so that she can concentrate on the important things, like finalizing the content and making sure that her event is a great experience for her attendees.
They will come away with the solution to their problem and new friends. She will come away with raving fans, life-long clients and a great payday. All because she planned out her marketing way in advance.
You can too.
It is why I have opened registration for my Butts in Seats Virtual Boot Camp. If you have an event coming up this year or even next spring, you need to start your marketing now. I will help you create your marketing message, your registration page and marketing plan, so that you can fill your workshop or seminar well in advance. Find out all the information at http://morebuttsinseats.com.
I spilled the beans on the 5 essential keys to filling your workshops and seminars in my webinar last week and if you missed it, you can access it now instantly at http://eventstrategysolutions.com/5-essential-keys-to-filling-your-workshops-and-seminars.
Posted in Event Marketing by .
Mar 12
29
Fill Your Seminar Faster
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your seminars sold out weeks in advance? Instead of stressing over last minute sign ups, you can focus on what you need to focus on: your content and to make sure that your attendees have an experience that they will cherish.
You can do that when you fill your seminar faster.
Most seminar leaders struggle with slow sign ups. And some event hosts have a hard time to get any attendees.
Although no seminar fills up without a solid foundation, here are some tips to speed up the process.
Have a responsive list
Having a responsive community of subscribers that are interested in your topic is half the battle. Since they raised their hands to let you know they want to know more about what you have to teach, they have qualified themselves as a prospective attendee.
You have a relationship with them and you follow up with them regularly. They know, like and trust you and when you offer a program or event, they know you offer a quality program. Your community will be the first to jump aboard any event that you offer.
Offer an incentive
If you want your audience to sign up early, give them a reason to do so. And no, $10 off the registration is not much of an incentive. You have to make it interesting.
Generate excitement about your event and the desire to be there. Tell them why they should make a decision now rather than later. What would they miss out on? Do you have a juicy bonus you can offer them?
The more of an incentive and reason you can give them to sign up early, the more you motivate them to do so.
Lower their risk
Before people make a decision there is always this voice that asks them “What if…?” What if I get a better opportunity? What if I don’t like it? What if my spouse doesn’t want me to go? What if, what if, what if? I am sure you have heard that voice in your own head as well. (I know I have!)
So confront that voice head on and offer a guarantee and a refund. It gives your attendees a sense of security and lowers their risks. It gives the voices in their heads an answer. “I can always cancel.” Yet not many actually do. We are wired to justify our decisions and we want to believe we made the right choice.
With these three strategies, you will fill your seminar faster. This assumes that you have the essential keys to filling your workshops and seminars in place. If you are not sure what they are, I invite you to join me on my free webinar on March 29th, where I will share the 5 essential keys to filling your workshops and seminars. Register now!
Posted in Event Marketing by .
Are you struggling to fill your workshops and seminars? If so, you are not alone.
Getting butts in the seats is notoriously a challenge for every workshop and seminar host.
Why is it so hard?
Just your basic marketing is not enough to do the trick, because you are asking a lot more from your audience than just buying something.
In addition to asking them to buy a ticket, you are asking them to incur travel expenses and most of all, take time away from their business and their family. And these days, people value their time even more than money.
You better make it crystal clear to them WHY they should invest their time and money to come see you.
That is what I will teach in the upcoming, brand new, FREE webinar,
The 5 Essential Keys to Filling
Your Workshops and Seminars
Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 1:00 PM ET
(12:00PM CT, 11:00 AM MT, 10:00 AM PT)
http://eventstrategysolutions.com/5-essential-keys-to-filling-your-workshops-and-seminars
In this webinar, you will learn:
- The 3 M’s that result in sold out workshops and seminars
- What it is that makes your audience want to pull out their wallet and buy a ticket to your event?
- The most cost effective way to market your workshops and seminars
- Why you can’t market your weekend seminar the same as your morning workshop. If you do, your empty room will leave you frustrated and discouraged.
- The biggest mistake that prevents your audience from registering for your workshops
If you want to know the 5 keys to filling your seminar or workshop, I invite you to join me for this free webinar. I guarantee you will come away with practical tips you can implement right now.
Register now at http://eventstrategysolutions.com/5-essential-keys-to-filling-your-workshops-and-seminars
Workshops, seminars, boot camps, intensives… What’s the difference? They are all live learning events, right? Yes and no. Yes, they are learning events. And no, they are not the same. The word you use to describe your learning event conjures up a certain image.
Like everyone else in the world, your audience has a preconception about words and what they mean. What you name your event will affect what potential attendees expect from your event. It also changes your positioning and your marketing.
Workshops
Workshops indicate a hands-on experience. There will be exercises and the expectation is that something will be accomplished. Generally, we think of workshops as shorter and more intimate events. At workshops we demand more interaction with the workshop leader and other participants and perhaps even some individualized attention.
Seminars
Seminars can be a short, like a half day lecture, or a longer, multi-day event. When we think of seminars, we have the image of sitting in a chair, listening, learning and taking notes. It is a more passive affair.
Although there are smaller seminars, there are also the big arena type events, where you are learning with 10,000 of your closest friends. Large learning events are per definition seminars, since you really cannot be interactive with hundreds of people at the same time.
Boot Camps and Intensives
Boot camps and intensives are like workshops in that they are very hands on. However, where workshops are shorter, like a day or less, boot camps and intensives are longer, 2-4 day experiences. At boot camps, your attendees expect to work. They expect not only to learn, but to implement. And dare I say it? Perhaps even getting their butt kicked a little. And some of us need that encouragement!
So what kind of event are you planning? Are you hosting a workshop, a seminar or a boot camp? The word you use to describe your event raises certain expectations with your attendees. It shapes the flow of your event and how you plan the content.
Finally, it influences your marketing and your copywriting. The way you describe the experience and the outcome will be different for the kind of event you host. Your marketing has to correspond with your event.
If you are billing your event as a workshop but have 400 attendees, it is not congruent. Your audience will expect interaction and not get it. The result will be disappointed attendees, more refunds and more stress for your event staff.
Whether you are hosting a workshop, a seminar or a boot camp, you always need to fill your room. If you would like to know more about getting more attendees for any learning event, join me for my free webinar, “The 5 Essential Keys to Filling Your Workshops or Seminars”.
Posted in Event Marketing Event Strategy by .
Mar 12
19
Plan Your Event Marketing Strategy
When you are thinking of hosting a workshop or seminar, you also have to think about your event marketing strategy. An event marketing strategy goes far beyond thinking about how to get the butts in the seats of your workshop. You also have to think about how your workshop fits into your overall marketing plan.
Generate Leads with a Front End Workshop
Are you using your event to generate leads? If this is the case, you want to choose an event format that is short and has a lower ticket price. Your event should be easily accessible to your attendees. Not many people will drive a couple of hours for a 3 hour workshop. Market your event in your community, to the people who are most likely to become clients.
Generate Revenue with a High End Seminar
If revenue is your primary purpose, a larger and longer seminar is called for. When you deliver excellent content during a longer event, you can command higher ticket prices. Even ticket prices of $1,000 and up are not out of the ordinary for high end seminars. But that is not the end of it. A portion of your audience will be so excited about you and what you teach that they will want more. Give them that option by offering a high end program for them to invest in. This is the strategy many experts use to generate 6 figures or more in a single weekend.
Don’t Market Them the Same Way
Obviously, these events are completely different. Not only are their purposes different, but they also attract distinctly separate audiences. Yet many event hosts try to promote them the same way. And that is doomed to fail. What works for a front end workshop will not get you any attendees at a higher price point.
There is a higher barrier to entry for a larger seminar. Your audience really needs to know, like and trust you before they commit to spend a few days with you. They have to be familiar with what you are teaching and convinced that they need what you have.
You need to plan you event marketing strategy around the way your front end workshop or higher end seminar fits into your business. You have to meet your audience where they are and give them compelling reasons to attend your event.
If you want to know more about planning your event marketing strategy, join me for a brand new webinar on March 29th, when I will share the 5 Essential Keys to Filling Your Workshops and Seminars. To register, just enter your name and email address below.
Posted in Event Marketing Event Strategy by .
Mar 12
15
3 Ways To Market an Event
There are many ways to market an event. However, when it comes to multi-day seminars, you cannot use the same methods that you would use to promote a local workshop. For people to invest several hundreds or even thousands of dollars in an event, they have to be confident that you are the real deal. They want to know about your level of expertise, like your teaching style and trust that you can help move their life or business forward.
In order to fill your seminar you have to have a relationship with your potential attendees. Here are 3 ways to market an event:
Regular emails to your opt-in list are not only the easiest way to fill your event, but also the most effective. The people on your list have raised their hand, indicating that they are interested in what you have to teach. And if you have regularly sent them valuable content about your topic, they value your expertise. They know, like and trust you, so they are the most likely candidates to come to your seminar.
Webinars
When you do a webinar on the topic of your seminar, you give your audience a taste of how you will teach at your event and the valuable content that they will learn. You can deliver great information and let them know how they can learn even more at your event. You can really build the desire for your audience and make it into something they won’t want to miss. Make sure you teach great stuff and don’t make it into one big commercial. That will always backfire!
An added benefit of hosting webinars is that it will get more people on to your opt-in list. And guess what? That means you have more people to send your marketing emails to.
Video
Video and events seem to be made for each other. In videos, you can show clips from previous seminars. You can show yourself in action, teaching some powerful tips either from the stage or just straight to the camera. When your audience sees your face and your body language, they will come to know you. Create a series of 3 longer videos (about 30 minutes each) that teach valuable content and then let them know how they can get more at your event.
These ways to market an event are very effective and are used by many to fill their seminars. The advantage of both webinars and a series of videos is that you get people to opt in to them. Once you have their email address, you can send follow up emails. Even if they don’t immediately sign up for your seminar, they may buy one of your products and come to your next event.
If you want more ways to market an event, join me for a brand new webinar on March 29th, when I will share the 5 Essential Keys to Filling Your Workshops and Seminars. To register, just enter your name and email address below.
Posted in Event Marketing by .
How to Market a Seminar with Social Media
You will also a complimentary subscription to my Event Strategies ezine, full of valuable tips on how to plan, promote and profit from your own live events. ($19 Value)-
MEET DAPHNE
Daphne Bousquet, CMP helps successful service professionals grow their businesses through profitable workshops and events. A Certified Meeting Professional, she not only knows how to execute any event flawlessly, saving you both time and money, but more importantly how to create multiple revenue streams that will take your workshop beyond your expectations.
