How To Promote A Workshop In 7 Steps
At a loss for how to promote a workshop? The idea of promoting a workshop or event can be daunting, which is why we broke the process down into 7 actionable steps. Need help? Give us a call!
Set A Timeline
Get your entire team on the same page with a clear timeline for the workshop. Marketing and promotion should start at least two months before a small workshop, and even longer before a large event. This means you must prepare your visual and written collateral, as well as a plan to promote it, 3 or more months before the workshop. While this might seem excessive, you’ll be glad you set yourself up for success months before the hectic nature of event planning takes hold.
Create Visual Collateral
Build up a strong arsenal of graphics, professional photos, posters, and other promotional materials for your workshop. With all of these saved in a single DropBox folder, anybody on your team can promote the workshop at the drop of a hat.
Design A Landing Page
A landing page is a simple, one-stop-shop for people to learn about your workshop. You can keep the page simple, with an event description and a sign-up form, or you can build a robust hub of information. Blogs, photos, posters, and downloadable worksheets on the workshop topic can all live on the landing page. Use the landing page URL in all social media posts, emails, and other promotions regarding the event.
Blog About It
Write a series of blogs surrounding the topic of your workshop. In each blog, call the reader to sign up for your workshop via a hyperlink. You can also include a link to a downloadable PDF in the blog (such as a checklist related to the content), requiring each downloader to enter their email address. That email can then be used to market the event to interested readers.
Send A Newsletter
Put your contact list to good use with a newsletter. If you already have a few contact lists set up, be sure to customize your content to each list. While every person will experience the same workshop, they might be enticed by different insights you offer. For past clients, you might promote the workshop as a way to reconnect and build off your past interactions; for users whose emails you collected from your blog, advertise the workshop as a way to deepen their understanding of the topic at hand.
Create Paid Media Campaign
A paid media campaign might involve Google AdWords, radio spots, banner ads, or social media ads. Facebook is a favorite at Brand Yourself, especially because it offers highly targeted advertising tools. As long as you know who your target customer is (eg. age, occupation, interests, life events), you can find them on Facebook to promote your workshop. Paying for your content to get into the hands of your exact target market will save you money on wasteful impressions.
Leverage Local/Industry Media
Whether you are in a small town with a widely read local paper or in an industry with a few key publications, start digging in early. Use the collateral you’ve already created to blast every related news and media outlet. If someone chooses to pick up the story, their post or article can serve as an endorsement to a relevant audience.
Get started!
The biggest step to increasing workshop attendance is simply getting started. If you need a boost at any point in the process, give us a call!
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