Stop With The Content! Promote First…..
When it comes to marketing workshops, programmes and webinars the number one BIGGEST mistake small businesses make is spending time developing the content first.
Typical Small Business Owner
Here’s what happens for most coaches, trainers and consultants:
“I want to run a workshop. I’ve been told this is a great way of making more money in working with more clients.”
Good thinking
“What topic shall I do? I know, I love talking about growing tomatoes (OK – run me on this one!!). I could easily run a whole day workshop on growing tomatoes. I love tomatoes. I’ve got stacks to say about tomatoes and my clients really need to learn more about growing tomatoes. I’ve seen how they treat their tomato plants!”
OK – it’s good to focus on what you are good at. There’s no point trying to promote something that you are not an expert in. BUT … assuming you know what your clients need is WRONG WRONG WRONG!
“I’ll spend the next couple days planning out what I will deliver during this tomato growing workshop. After all I want to be confident in what I am selling. If I’ve got nothing to say then it’s going to be tough to promote it.”
Huh?! You’ve already told yourself you are an expert in tomato growing. Why do you need to convince yourself first that you’ve got enough to say. Of course you have!!
2 days later …
“OK, got the content together. Really pleased with the way I’ve designed my workbook. I could sell that as a separate product. Glad I spent that £65 on getting a graphic designer to come up with template and front page for the workbook. It looks very professional. I feel ready to sell it now.”
Gulp!! You’ve spent £65 on graphic design already but made no money from the workshop?
4 days later …
“No one is interested!! I’ve emailed everyone I know and no one is in the slightest bit interested in the best way of growing tomatoes. What a waste of time. I’m never going to run another workshop again. I’m no good at this.”
There goes another demotivated, hacked off business owner whose dream was crushed at the first hurdle.
The 3 questions you need to answer first
This is why you must NEVER EVER spend time creating content for a workshop, product, book or anything else until you know these things:
1. Your target audience – who do you want to work with?
2. What is their pain – what keeps them up at night? (What you think it is, is often no where near what it really is!!)
3. What is it that you can deliver to soothe their pain?
And before you write the content, you promote it! That’s right.
You work on your sales page, explaining what it is your client will come away with and benefit from. You may well have the course or content outlined as Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 or in chapter headings.
But you DON’T write the actual word for word content.
Sell before you write the content
You go out and sell tickets or pre-launch orders to make sure that your target audience will buy before you spend the time creating the content.
I know it will seem scary at first to sell something you haven’t finished, but I promise you that after the first time of doing it this way, you will never go back to your old ways!
