It can be difficult to build a successful seminar marketing campaign when funds are limited. Take, for example, a recent email I received from one of my newsletter subscribers. The crux of the seminar promoter's dilemma was summed up in one sentence:
"I have stretched myself too far, and now face reality of bills to pay without sufficient funds to market the seminar that is to be my source of income."
Ouch! That hurts. And even if you've never found yourself in this exact position, you can still understand the desire to maximize your registrations while minimizing your expenses, right?
When I was going through the Guerrilla Marketing Coach certification program, the rule I learned is that when marketing, you need to invest your time, your money and your creativity. At least two of the ingredients are needed for a successful marketing campaign.
So ... if you don't have a lot of money to spend, you plan on investing more of your time and creativity to make your marketing work.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
1. Focus on your very best prospects and spend your resources pursuing them.
2. Don't be afraid to get a little zany to make your marketing pieces stand out. Lumpy mail is a great way to do this.
3. Use promotional tools that last a long time and are cheap. For most seminar promoters, this means creating an effective web site to sell seminar seats.
4. Leverage relationships with past and current clients, colleagues, etc. Get them to help promote your event to their list in exchange for a share of revenue.
5. Offer your seminar in a teleseminar or webinar format. Virtual events can be easier to fill because (1) attendees don't have to travel and (2) typically, the events are recorded, so attendees have the option of listening to your material when it's most convenient to them.
6. Pick up the phone and call people. I'm not a fan of outbound telemarketing. But when money is tight, picking up the phone and fine-tuning your sales skills can be a smart investment of your time.
7. Secure one or more sponsors. Find organizations that want to be in front of your attendees, then offer to get their company name in front of attendees in exchange for a fee to cover all or part of your event costs.
There are many ways you can have an effective seminar campaign, even without loads of cash to back it up.
Jenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and direct- response copywriter who helps speakers, coaches and consultants fill seminar seats and make more money from their own seminars and workshops. Her on- and offline direct marketing campaigns have netted response rates as high as 84 percent -- on budgets as small as $125. For more free seminar marketing secrets, visit http://www.SeminarPromotionTips.com
About the author:
Jenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and direct- response copywriter who helps speakers, coaches and consultants fill seminar seats and make more money from their own seminars and workshops. Her on- and offline direct marketing campaigns have netted response rates as high as 84 percent -- on budgets as small as $125. For more free seminar marketing secrets, visit http://www.SeminarPromotionTips.com |
