Fall can be a pretty busy time to try to hold a seminar. Use these tips to determine if an August seminar will work for you.
by Jenny Hamby
You're the king or queen of planning ahead, and you
know you have excellent ideas for a seminar or workshop.
You're thinking about holding it right before your kids
head back to school, but one thought keeps running
through your head..."Is it safe to hold a seminar in
August or should I wait until September?"
It's a valid question, because August is traditionally
one of the worst months in which to hold a seminar.
Why? Because it's a popular month for summer vacations,
and a huge chunk of the population gets swamped
during the second half of the month getting children
ready to go back to school.
The right answer to this common question for you
and your events depends on many factors. Here are
some things to consider as you start planning your
calendar for next fall:
* Will your audience be more free and flexible during
August vs. during September and other months when
kids will be in school? If so, August might be a good
month for you. Personally, I find it easier to attend
seminars in the summer because I don't have to make
arrangements for someone to take my kids from their
sitter's house to school and then back again. If
August is "off season" for your target audience, a
summer seminar is worth considering.
* How long of an event are you holding? Even if
your audience is busy during the summer, persuading them
to attend a free evening seminar would be much easier
than selling them on attending a 3-day bootcamp.
* How much notice are you giving them? If you provide
months of advance notice (say 6-12 months), it will
be easier for prospects to plan their vacations around
your event.
* How much do you have at stake ... and how much risk can
you stomach? If your business is riding on this single
event, play it safe and hold it further into the fall ...
even pushing it back to October to allow more post-summer
marketing. If the consequences of a low turnout won't
bother you much, then go for it.
* What does your target market say? Send out a
survey and ask them if they'd prefer a seminar in
August or September.
With good planning and excellent communication between
yourself and your prospective seminar attendees, not to
mention plenty of advance notice, you should be able to
hold your seminar during the month of August.
Jenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and
direct-response copywriter who helps speakers, coaches
and consultants fill seminar seats and make more money
from their own seminars and workshops. Her on- and
offline direct marketing campaigns have netted response
rates as high as 84 percent -- on budgets as small as
$125. For more free seminar marketing secrets, visit
www.SeminarPromotionTips.com