Direct Marketing:
Seminars, Webinars and Tradeshows:
Seminars and Webinars are a growing trend. We began with Tradeshows and then specialized doing targeted seminars.
Seminars have been upgraded to webinars on the Internet. Either way these methods of marketing put you in front of a larger group or audience.
Your knowledge of your service or about your product is specialized knowledge that you can package into a seminar/webinar. Use this information to create your first seminar or webinar.
Sell your Seminar/Webinar or Tradeshow
Use your free product or giveaway to gather your prospects contact information and email. Then begin following up with e-mails, phone calls or direct mail letters or postcards.
Use this time to sell your next seminar/webinar or Tradeshow. Pick a time period 3 to 6 months ahead and start the process of dripping on your prospects to remind them of the coming event.
Start with a regular price and add on things like priority seating or private Q&A after the event. Use these as extras as bonuses to early participants or as upgrades to the regular price. Allow private small group meetings for a Q & A with the speakers. Arrange for a private function or dinner and charge for extra. You allow folks to pay extra to upgrade to a higher experience level. Ensure you have a dollar value connected to the extra service. You can use as a bonus and as an add-on.
Combine your event with a Tradeshow.
A good way to pay for rental space and the food and drinks that go with it, is to sell space at the event. A desk and chair or Table/booth. This allows a non direct competitor to work the same audience or group of prospects. You can sell this space to a few peers and done right, you can make a profit just from this part of the event. The idea is to try and cover all the basic expenses of the event using sponsors dollars.
Allow the sponsors of your event to get lots of credit. Publicize them on the event website, all advertising, Place Cards, menus, brochures, and handouts. At the actual event, work with them to design a 1 minute commercial you can say before introducing them. With the multimedia we see these days you can now have a video playing on a big screen in between speakers or events.
You can place a value on each advertisement option and combine and sell to any participants that do not directly compete with you. Make a list of businesses that would like to deal with your customer base. These are the folks you want to contact to hep cover some or all the costs.
Set up a Tradeshow with Seminars or Webinars included
You can set up a tradeshow using the method above or you can find an existing tradeshow and negotiate to be part of it.
You can be an exhibitor or a co-sponsor or offer your seminar or Webinar as an add-on to their programs. Make an arrangement with the Tradeshow organizer to offer a seminar/webinar as a extra at the show. Get a list of companies that will be attending the tradeshow and contact them in advance to see if you can share both space or have your business work with them.
You need to ensure it adds real value to the Tradeshow audience. If it does, this is a great way to get exposure for your business and build your sales.
Collect contact information
Your main goal is to collect prospects names and contact information. The more information you can get the better. Get name, address, phone and e-mail. At the least get the e-mail address.
Offer a show prize, a trip or something everyone wants but doesn’t get for them self. To enter, they need to provide contact information and answer 3 to 5 questions about your product or service. You need to be able to build a list of potential prospects to follow up with.
The first follow up is the prize and presentation of the prize. Use a video or at least pictures to announce the winner.
Follow up fast, with at least 2 to 4 contacts in the next 2 to 3 weeks
Some will say more, some less. The trick is to touch base quickly after the event to build the relationship. Offer another Free report or sample product or trial. Get something that they can order at a low or minimum cost to find out if you have a paying customer.
You want them to buy something and this is the best time to sell and start the relationship.
Seminars/Webinars are easy to make
I know that sounds like a bold statement but with today’s technology you hold the capability to do this in your hand now.
The average smart phone can shoot video or a series or photos. These make up the basics of your seminar. You can use Powerpoint or other programs to build on your video or visit the RESOURCE centre and learn about firms we have used and still use for our site and business.
You only need a product or service to begin using seminars, trade shows and Webinars
You have a product or a service and you know it backwards. Use that knowledge to create your first seminar or webinar.
Make a list of all the questions people ask you about your product or service. Narrow it down to the top 3 to 10, depending on how many questions you can think of.
Now write out a detailed explanation of how you would answer those questions. You can also add comments about how your service or product will help fix or answer these questions. If possible, use the question to lead your prospect or customer closer to a full sales presentation or website.
Use these questions as the basis of your Free report or E-book
Your answers become the basis of your report or book. You can build a chapter around each question. Provide support material and resources. Offer instant access to the full sales letter through text links built into your written answers.
Text links are just highlighted text that links to another page or website. This is normally designed to go to a sales page. Then leads to a link to order the report or e-book. In the case of a seminar or webinar it can be for the registration of the prospect for the event.
When they register you can have a follow-up program to reinforce the signing up for the event. You also want to build a follow up email system to remind them of when the webinar or seminar starts. In these follow up communications remember to resell certain benefits of the seminar/webinar. The day before, send a follow up message and then another one the morning off the seminar/webinar.
If it is a webinar you are running, send a message about an hour before and then 15 minutes before. This helps guarantee your customers attend the event. If possible, offer a surprise gift or discount for attending to the end of the seminar/webinar.
At the event, rework the questions into parts of your seminar
The seminar will provide full benefit to each prospect even if they do not buy your product, but the idea is to sell them your full service or product.
Your speech should be aimed to make the prospect want your product or service. Entice them with bonuses and fast action bonuses taken at the end of the event. Remember to give them great value in the seminar so that they could move forward even if they did not buy your product or service. It will be easier to use you to move forward but they should gain some good information by coming to your event.
Focus on making the attendee’s part of your customer base
Even if they don’t buy today, you want a way to keep talking to them. Try multiple times to get contact information, the more the better.
Use email, direct mail and even phone calls to keep in contact with them. Once you have their contact information you can use many methods to continue to contact them until you can make them a client or customer.
Remember try to add real value when you contact a customer. A useful tip or hint is always appreciated. In many cases you can contact them with only that in mind. Do not try to sell them on every contact. Build your value over time. Try to sell something every 3rd contact. This will make them want to open your emails or letters. They will feel you have something important to offer them.