As a business owner myself I’m always thinking about ways to market my business, as well as helping clients market their business. Since moving to Tasmania and becoming a mentor for the government supported Digital Solutions program I have learned that people in my local community really value face to face mentoring and workshops. Doing workshops has also opened the door to more opportunities and project work, so in a way my workshops have become a way to promote my services.
That’s why I want to talk about using workshops and events to market your business.
Tune in to learn more 🎧
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Episode 148 - Workshops and events to market your business
Welcome back to the new school of marketing podcast. I’m so grateful to you for tuning in. Before we dive in I would love to pay respect and acknowledgement to the palawa people of lutruwita who are the traditional owners of the land on which my business operates and pay my respect to their elders, past, present and emerging.
It feels like we’ve hit summer early. We’ve had some spectacular days and it’s going to be nice for the rest of the week. We just had a long weekend here on the coast, and we took the kids to the Tasmanian Craft Fair in Deloraine which was awesome. We hadn’t been before and were pleasantly surprised at how big it was. It’s spread across 4 different venues and hosts a very large range of Tasmanian and Australian makers. We came home with gin, hazelnut liqueur, fairy wings, scrunchies, teachers presents, nougat and a happy 5 year old because she had her face painted. My son’s highlight of the day was going on the shuttle bus between venues. We had a great day but didn’t get to see everything, so next year we’ll have to plan for 2 days.
As a business owner myself I’m always thinking about ways to market my business, as well as helping clients market their business. Since moving to Tasmania and becoming a mentor for the government supported Digital Solutions program I have learned that people in my local community really value face to face mentoring and workshops. Doing workshops has also opened the door to more opportunities and project work, so in a way my workshops have become a way to promote my services.
That’s why I want to talk about using workshops and events to market your business.
Events to drum up more business and make more sales aren’t new. We all know the Tupperware concept of hosting a party, which is an event, to then sell products to the attendees.
The same concept can be applied to your service based business or if you’re a course creator you can make use of this too.
Let’s talk about why workshops and events are so powerful.
- Community building
Hosting a workshop or event is a great way to bring people together. Whether it’s a DIY craft class, a seminar on financial planning or a full blown conference, you’re fostering a sense of community around your business.
- Show Expertise
Running a workshop or presenting at an event is an opportunity to share your expertise, demonstrate your products and show everyone that you’re genuine and knowledgeable about your area of expertise.
- Networking
You’re not just building connections with customers when you run a workshop or host an event. You’re also creating opportunities to network with other small business owners, potential partners and local influencers.
- Word of mouth marketing
People will talk about your event and word of mouth marketing is like gold in the small business world, especially if you live in a small community.
You might be wondering what you could possibly run a workshop on, or where to even start with an event. It doesn’t have to be big or require a production budget. In fact, my first local workshop was a workshop where I showed 15 business owners how to use Canva to create social media graphics. It was an absolute hit and people really loved it.
So where do you start?
- Define your goal
What’s the aim of your event? Do you want to teach your audience something? Bring people together? Demonstrate a product? Think about what your aim is so that you can then work out the event structure.
- Choose the type of event
Think about what type of event would suit your business and your goal. It could be a workshop, which means you potentially get to charge people a fee, it could be a seminar, a networking event, a pop-up shop or an online webinar. It doesn’t have to be an in-person event but they do create a different vibe. Pick the type of event that aligns with your goal and your audience’s preferences.
- Location
The location is important, especially if you’re hosting an in-person event. Find somewhere that is easily accessible to your audience and that suits the nature of your event. The local library can be a good starting point, or a cafe with a private function room.
- Budget
Be mindful of your budget. You can host a fantastic event on a shoestring budget if you’re creative. You can reach out to local businesses to co-host or form partnerships. Another option is to use free or low-cost event platforms. Again, the library is a good place to start, or if you want to host an online event you’ll be able to use one of Google’s options before signing up to an expensive webinar platform.
The next step is to promote your event, because if you don’t tell anyone you’ll be staring at an empty room.
- Use social media to create hype. Keep sharing about the event as people often don’t see posts. So share sneak peeks, behind the scenes, countdown posts etc.
- Send out invites and reminders to your email subscribers. Tell them what’s coming up and what they will get from the event.
- Partner with local businesses to cross-promote your event. Their reach can expand your audience.
- Write about your event, either on a blog or reach out to local newspapers. Share stories, tips and what inspired you to create this experience.
And lastly, how do you actually use your event to promote your business even further?
Your event in itself is a great opportunity to promote your business and be more visible in the community but you can also use your event to invite people to work with you in a different capacity.
At the end of each of my events I share what I do in my business and how people can work with me. I share that I’m a mentor for the Digital Solutions program (and this is only relevant to Tasmanian businesses, so mentioning this at a local workshop is highly relevant), I share about a small business grant they can access and how they can work with me in that way and I share some success stories.
Of course it’s entirely up to you how you do this for your business but it’s important to tell people what you do and how they can work with you, otherwise they won’t think about it and just go on their merry way.
After your event is done, you should follow up with attendees by sending a thank you email, share event photos if you took them and keep the conversation going.
Remember, it’s not just about the event itself. It’s about the connections you make, the stories you share, and the sense of community you build. You may not work with the attendees specifically, but they may refer someone else to you who will become a client. Events can leave a lasting impression on your audience, and they are a perfect way for small businesses to make a big impact.
So start planning your event, it’ll be fun.
Outro
Thanks for joining me on this episode of the New School of Marketing podcast, I hope this episode was helpful and I can’t wait to share more marketing tips with you next week.
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with Facebook and Instagram advertising, make sure you visit www.newschoolofmarketing.com to download practical free resources, plus subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Until next time, take care and market your business every day.
