There are an endless number of fun and innovative ways to market your products, ideas, and services. Seminars and other events are one of the more effective ones. They give you a chance to invite people to try your products and learn more about them without feeling pressured into buying anything. Of course, the ultimate goal is to create customers, but you don’t always have to go for the hard sell. Seminars are a fantastic marketing strategy, and today we’ll be looking at what they can do for your marketing efforts.

Seminars are the Original “Content Marketing”

Content marketing has become the latest trend in marketing, but the reality is that the concept has existed for years. It’s just that it’s now easier than ever to deliver content thanks to the internet. Seminars, workshops, events, and the like can be considered the original form of content marketing. They are a brilliant way to engage with prospects and customers and present content – in the form of hands-on experiences, presentations, etc. – to them.

They Don’t Need to be Expensive

The cost of putting on an event is the main reason people avoid doing them. There’s no need to have a world-class budget to put on a world-class event though. You can have a seminar that lasts for a few hours for a 100 people – complete with light refreshments – for under a few thousand dollars. That does sound like a lot, but don’t forget the marketing potential of these events. When a good branding agency puts on a seminar, the result is that people are more connected to you and your products and are more likely to buy them in the future. After putting on some seminars and building an audience you can consider charging for entry too, allowing you to recoup some of the expenses.

There’s No Need for the Hard Sell

Something that sets seminars apart from the typical marketing strategy is that there’s no need for the hard sell. People don’t respond well to strong marketing messages. An event lets you promote a lot of great content and present people with the opportunity to deal with you. You are giving them the option of booking an appointment, arranging a meeting, making a purchase, or any other “call to action” in a friendly and inviting way. There are some bad events where companies use all kinds of unscrupulous methods to get their hands on information and money from consumers. Just don’t do that, and you’ll see a lot of success with your event.

They Position You as an Industry Expert

A good seminar will position you as an expert in the industry, and that’s a position you want to be in. Public speaking doesn’t seem so scary when you are talking about something you know and are passionate about. People understand that you really do know what you’re talking about and they can trust what you have to say. Make yourself an authority in the industry with a seminar. Take the time to educate others and they will appreciate you even more. Don’t worry about messing up either; most of the people there don’t know what you were going to talk about until you do – they won’t even know that you messed up! There are many benefits to hosting seminars and events for your business. Start out small with some free events. Don’t get discouraged if there isn’t a large turnout. Aim to make the event as enjoyable as possible, and you can be sure that more people will turn up next time.