Many seminar promoters assume that big, bold action and massive change is required to put more butts in seminar seats. In fact, increasing seminar registrations is often accomplished with surprisingly small changes. If you make dozens of small changes, their cumulative impact can be powerful and dramatic.
How you capture and follow up with prospective seminar attendees is one area in which tiny changes can produce big results. Here are some questions you can ask to identify areas for improving your lead-generation process:
How many ways do you invite people into your business? Too often, seminar promoters' web sites include the standard "contact us" page or "join our mailing list" opt-in box. But if this is all you're doing to capture leads, you are letting prospects slip through your fingers. Unless prospects have a pressing need to talk to you, they are not likely to fill out a "contact us" form, even if they would be interested in hearing from you in the future.
"Join our mailing list" is straightforward, but not very enticing. In essence, this offer says "give me your contact information so I can send you junk mail." If someone really is passionate about what you offer and sees that this is the only way to stay in touch, they may opt to join your list. You'll get better results, though, if you offer valuable content in exchange for the opt-in.
Where are good leads already coming into your business ... and where are you failing in your follow up? Do you have a system in place for capturing and systematically following up with every lead? When someone fills out your "contact us" form, what happens? Do they get an email reply? A follow up phone call? Where does their data get recorded? Are they guaranteed to hear from you again?
One client I worked with discovered that hungry leads who were writing to request information about upcoming seminars were not receiving any sort of follow up -- their names, email addresses and phone numbers were sitting in an unmonitored inbox.
Another good area to examine are past event attendees. People who have signed up for earlier educational offerings are ideal prospects for your future events. They've already demonstrated that they are interested in learning. Plus, they are familiar with your content and teaching style. What system do you have in place to follow up with students once a program has ended? How do you invite them to continue their education?
Sometimes changes as simple as plugging an upcoming seminar at the end of your preview webinar, rather than just at the beginning, can product results. At the end of a free webinar, attendees have had a chance to experience the high-quality content you offer and, therefore, are more likely to say yes to continue their educational journey with you. The follow up should continue in the days and weeks after the preview event, because their receptivity to your offer will continue to grow as they implement the teachings you offered during your preview event.
What do you do with prospects who have questions? You should be giving students a way to contact your office if they have questions about your program. Although it's great when marketing materials do the full job of selling seminar seats, some prospects will need a little bit of reassurance from a live human that they are making a good decision by investing in your seminar. Make sure that you are capturing contact information for every person who calls or emails with questions about your event. If they are interested enough to ask questions, they are a more qualified prospect than the average person on your list. Sometimes a quick follow-up courtesy call is all that's needed to push them off the fence and onto your registration list.
Before you spend too much time and effort expanding your lead-generation efforts, make sure that you have done your best to plug the leaks in your existing system. Not only will this easily increase your registrations, it also will allow you to get a bigger return on your investment into more lead-generation efforts.
Jenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and copywriter who helps consultants, speakers, and coaches promote their own seminars, workshops, teleseminars and webinars. Get your free copy of her e-course, 31 Secrets to Jumpstart Your Seminar Promotions.