How Giving a Free Seminar Can Get Your Small Business Publicity You Never Have to Pay For

A seminar is an excellent means of bringing potential customers and referral sources straight to your door. Seminars can take various forms, most usually being a formal presentation with some opportunity to meet and greet before and after the main presentation.

Now applying some originality, you also can exploit seminars by turning them into something more than what has come to be the standard format. Some of the best seminars in my experience are those that combine some formal presentation with some hands-on activities whether it is a social event or a corporate tour.

Whatever you decide for your format and content, holding a seminar is rather like inviting a ton of people to a party , you never know who or how many are going to show up. What you need is a means of generating publicity to promote the event and also to follow up on it once you’ve held it, and the tools are simple and free.

You will find help with your local business bodies such as the Chamber of Commerce who regularly provide newsletters and can handle invitations to their members. Invitations can also be extended to attendees bringing a guest further spreading the word.

You’ll find that issuing a press release will help in generating exposure and the event may be covered, especially if you link this in with some advertising. Advertorials are a combination of press coverage promoting the business but written in the form of an article highlighting the business, it’s people, products and services and very often including quotes and testimonials from existing customers.

Aside from arranging your own seminars, you can offer to act as a speaker at other events and seminars. Again approach your local trade bodies with your offer; they are always looking for new ideas and speakers for their own programs.

Following on, consider your business neighbors and see if there are firms that complement rather than compete with you. A business attorney would complement a business accounting practice, while a mortgage broker can partner with a realtor and a leasing company with an equipment supplier. Simply making the approach to such complimentary partners will begin raising awareness of you and your firm for potential referrals from such sources.

Seminars can take the form of “product testing” discussion groups, if you are a wine merchant start a wine-tasting club, a car dealer or garage consider host an owners club. Such events can be used as informal information and support groups and form part of your after sales care program. Not only that you’ll again find the media will have more of an interest in covering the event and if it is particularly visual in nature even television.

Link your seminar in with your other marketing tools such as an online blog, newsletter or eZines both promoting the event and with a follow up and try to incorporate pictures so a digital camera will come in handy. This will serve to beef up your interactive content and keep your postings current as well as generating more interest in your business – and more sales.