Tips for growing your business with seminars, conferences, and workshops

Your upcoming seminar event is planned out in every detail. Everything is ready to go, from the theme and lots of great content, to the venue and refreshments. The date is set, the news releases have been written, invitations are printed, and the emails are queued up.

Yet, you are nervously wondering how many people will show up and if you’ll achieve the results you want. Stop wondering and start worrying -- unless you know how to get more people to come to your events.

Yes, there are ways to fill your seminars, conferences, and workshops. But, not with just any horde of people. Do it right and you’ll get more butts in the seats with a crowd that loves you and wants to hear what your company has to say.

Whether your business wants to use free events to educate your audience and share your message or paid seminars to teach people about a topic that will make a huge impact in their lives or businesses -- you can fill each and every seat and “sell out” your event, without a huge budget.

Getting butts in the seats is a challenge and there is no magic room-filling formula. However, there are effective marketing strategies, techniques, and tips for getting butts in your seats that will help you achieve success.

Making a list and checking it twice. Event marketing is strategic. You’re giving an event for a reason and the key to profiting from your event is to plan and promote it from the outset, all based on the “why” behind your event. Are you introducing a new product or service, building awareness, or maybe selling a paid training course? Once you have defined your objective, bake marketing into everything. Create a checklist -- really a blueprint to your success in putting butts your seats -- and ask yourself if each item meets your strategic marketing objective. Check it often to stay on track.

Align your goals with your audience’s goals. Seems almost silly to mention this, since it’s so obvious, but this is the single biggest point of failure in the ability to fill a room. Focus to the extreme and avoid the all things to all people approach. Then ask, “What do my ideal attendees want?” Perhaps it’s to learn proven and practical techniques to grow their business and improve sales. Or maybe how to create a landscape plan that they can enjoy today and will increase the appeal of their home. Doing this will help you zero in on the specific audience that will be most interested in attending -- and create messaging around the two or three value propositions that appeal to only your preferred market. By the way, when you get to know your target audience this well, you’re in a great position to pick the best days, hours, and even months of the year that will likely increase attendance. If you’re not sure, just poll your list!

Get the interest and action you want. Once you’ve created a targeted list of people who may be interested, do much more than ask if they will attend your event. Make your copy explicit and overt. Clarity and simplicity will draw people in and get them to sign up. Without cluttering up your printed or email invitation and event landing page on your website, include attention-getting value points that speak to your prospect and their “what’s in it for me” inner voice in an obviously way. Add step-by-step easy registration, big sign-up now buttons, location, and what’s included like a workbook, food, or a free gift. Use a headline that captures attention with a sense of urgency and video to increase engagement. If there is no cost or obligation say so and just make sure you link that to a reason that’s dripping in value. If there is a fee, state that clearly too and show your invitee the money -- such as, “Adding just one new customer because of what you learn will more than pay for this program.”

Go beyond your mailing list and inbound marketing. You’ve created a great mailing list and have a micro-website built to drive additional traffic. But, that’s not nearly enough. Use the appropriate media to get the word out. Your market activities are not complete unless you take advantages of free and low cost news releases. Depending on the ideal target list you put together and the geographic area you plan to pull from, news releases distribution can range from the local press to industry and trade magazines, your chamber of commerce and professional associations. Turn the value your business touts in invitations into a hook for your news releases. Add social media to the mix along with share-worthy postings that include a forward or share button.

Get others to help you promote your event. Sure, you need to make it easy for your contacts, friends, and fans, and Twitter followers to promote your event, but what about other companies? Find partners that target the same audience and sell complementary offerings. Ask them to “sponsor” you to their list and you’ll return the favor. Or, for paid events, offer to pay a referral fee. Find potential partners by searching online for companies that relate to what your event is all about and approach them. Discover their objectives as a business and speak to the value you bring to the table to help them reach these goals. Leave nothing to chance -- create copy for emails, letters, and ads depending on the media they routinely use, plus scripts for their sales people.

Pick the room-filling strategies that make the most sense for your company. Try different tactics and techniques. Experiment with giving your audience two or even three different days and times to choose from. And you’ll fill every event to the brim with your perfect audience.

Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.