Article: 9 Tips for Promoting Your Business with Seminars

By Fred Gleeck

"The single best thing about using seminars to promote your business is this: people to pay to be prospects," says Fred Gleeck, author of Marketing and Promoting Your Own Seminars and Workshops (Fast Forward Press, $14.95). "Any business, regardless of size, can be promoted effectively with seminars."

In his book, Gleeck shares his best advice on how to market and promote your own seminars, workshops and events, such as: Never give seminars in July, August and December. These are the worst months for seminars.

Cut your fixed costs by concentrating on e-mail and joint-venture marketing. This way you can fill your seats and break even with a minimal number of attendees.

Use postcards as your only form of direct mail to drive people to a Web site. Let the site sell them with long copy.

Understand that the majority of your money will be made from sources other than seminar registration, so concentrate on the "back end" by creating an extensive line of products (audio and videotapes, for instance) with price points that range from as $10 to $1,000.

Run your event on time. If you tell people you're starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m., then do it. Doing it any other way is highly unprofessional.

Use only speakers that you've seen before. Picking a speaker who turns out to be a "dud" can be the kiss of death.

Concentrate on content. People can forgive anything that you do at your event except weak content. Deliver easy to follow, simple to implement ideas that can be put to use immediately. Save the theoretical discussions for books.

Deliver 10 times more (in terms of value) than you promised your attendees. People will buy more of what you have to sell and attend other seminars you promote.

At the end of your event, make sure to promote another more advanced seminar on the same topic. You know people in attendance like to spend money on seminars, so sell them another one on the spot.

For a seven-day free course (valued at $37) on marketing and promoting your own seminars and workshops, send an e-mail to tips@seminarexpert.com.

Fred Gleeck, a speaker and consultant in the seminar field, can be reached by e-mail at fgleeck@aol.com.

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