How do we get people to our seminar?

Business to business events are back in fashion which means list rentals are on the rise. The most common question we get from our list renters is, “How do we get people to our seminar?” 

It’s a good question. One we ask our customers too. Everyone’s situation is different and every story is unique, but this answer about how one specific marketer filled his seminar is insightful. Let me share a summary with you.

It starts with him telling me, “As you know by now, we are hosting our seminar in 3 weeks. We have more people signed up this year – with three weeks to go – than attended pre-pandemic.”

What’s the secret? 

He attributes his success to several things. First, he invested in two “name brand” speakers to join him on the podium. Making the product (seminar) better than ever. Next, he knows his audience still responds to direct mail, so he mailed out nearly 2,000 brochures promoting the event. About half were from his CRM (prospects and clients), and the other half were a rented list.

That’s not all he did though. Between everyone in the company they have over 2000 contacts on LinkedIn. They also have the subscribers to an occasional email newsletter. He had an intern spend time making a third list. The intern checked titles, looked up addresses online, and assembled three targeted lists of 100 job roles to promote.

He could have stopped

at sending those roughly 2,300 pieces through the post office and waited for the phone to ring. And he could have waited for the matching internet ads to hopefully find an extra 5-10% more people for the event. Instead, he did something straight out of the 1990’s. He followed the marketing up with almost 500 personal emails promoting the event. Not using Mailchimp or the CRM, but one by one using Outlook. Very personal. No graphics. Just text.

It took two full weeks to get the emails out and field the responses, ultimately filling the event faster than ever.

That was all good and well. When I asked if he tracked responses he said nearly half the registrations came from his personal email effort. So what of the other half of registrations?

He forgot to mention

he partnered with two other vendors who were sending their own personal emails. They didn’t direct mail, they didn’t do online ads, they just worked their lists. Each list was just a few hundred in size, but they are their customers and best prospects. Those two did an admirable job of selling the event as a joint marketing exercise.

Successful Ag marketing starts with a list.

What you do with the list is what makes the event. Your prospects are busier than ever and get peppered with more ads than ever. Break through the clutter by mixing direct selling in with your indirect selling efforts.

You can do this. We can help.

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