How to Promote a Workshop/Class/Event for your Local Creative Shop

I hear this all the time when working with my creative shop owners… How do I get people to attend my workshop/paint party/class/event? Why is no one signing up?

It’s truly the retailers dilemma: constantly needing to fill and book out the class .. and yet not always wanting to be “selling”. 

 

Marketing Strategies for Workshops & Classes

If you have 20-minutes this is a live training I did in my Rockstars Creative Facebook Group answering Jamie’s time-old question: What should I do if I post about my workshop and no one bites?

(It’s probably my most frequently asked question on the marketing side of our paintpreneur business….)

So this is my recap…

1. Ask these questions:

Are you offering the right workshop? Is this workshop for you or for your customers? Sometimes we pick a workshop subject that our customers aren’t interested in. Make sure you are covering something that they want to learn more about. 

Is it being offered at the right time? 

Are you marketing? Plain and simple, if you aren’t putting your services out there, you can’t expect people to show up. Sending one email and posting one time on social media about it is not enough. 

2. Change your way of thinking.

Don’t worry about being salesy and annoying. Come from a place of SERVING your people. Your classes, events and workshops are BENEFICIAL to those who attend. Yes, it could make you money. But it adds to their quality of life.. Share it and don’t be shy! Come from a place of service, not selling.

3. Promotional Tactics for getting ‘Bums in Seats’

• Constantly be promoting. It is not your customer’s job to find out when your workshops are. It is your job to let the customer know what is going on. 
• Post pictures of mock ups on social media. Don’t be afraid to show mistakes, people love that. 
• Regularly post or run an ad on social media about the workshop. 
• Print out paper fliers to put in shopping bags at check out. 
• Include testimonials and pictures from previous workshops. 
• Go live on Facebook and let people know how excited you are. 
• Do a good old press release in the news paper.
• Make sure you include information in your regular emails.
• Use free demos in store during peak hours to promote the upcoming workshop. 
• During your workshop, talk about the next workshop coming up. 

Remember, If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Don’t be shy about promoting you workshops because you are providing a service to your customers. Make it exciting and fun for them and it won’t feel like selling.

Let’s Dive Deeper into Creating Profitable Workshops

There’s so much more that goes into planning profitable and sold-out workshops and classes. I have gathered and ordered my years of experience planning, hosting and running thousands of workshops into a 3-part training series called: DIY Workshops for Retailers.

Thanks for popping in! If you want to catch next week’s article about creative retail business, make sure you get on my email list here.

If you have any questions about DIY workshops, Please connect with me on Instagram: @frontporchmercantile or Facebook: @WendyBattenPaintpreneur and ask away! I love helping & meeting creative retailers!

Xo, Wendy