You’re excited. You’ve just put the finishing touches on your brand new product or service and you need to reach out and let you potential customers know all about what you have to offer.
One of the most effective way of telling your story is to present a workshop or seminar: demonstrate how great your new product or service is and how it will benefit their business.
No easy task. Book a venue, rent audio equipment, promote the event. Lots of work. And if it’s a one-off event, hopefully you’ll make enough impact to send sales through the roof.
Making a good thing last
Problem is, your brilliant presentation will be mostly forgotten by the attendees after a few hours. It’s not that you were that bad (hopefully) it’s just that we have short attention spans.
We’re bombarded with so much information on any given day, that we just naturally filter most of it out. See, I told you that you weren’t that bad. So how do you keep your presentation on the top of every attendee’s mind?
Believe in Magic
Actually, it’s not magic at all. In fact it’s really a no-brainer. Video your event. Let your audience relive your presentation over and over again. We learn through repetition and a DVD of your event is a sure fire way to drive your message home.
Is it hard to do?
Simple answer is: it doesn’t have to be. And we all like to keep things simple: so hire a professional videograher. A professional videograher will take care of all of the details and fiddly-bits that will ensure that your product or service and you look the best they can be.
Can I do it myself?
Short answer is yes. However, based on your skills, you could come out looking brilliant or like a day one amateur on Youtube. Statistically, the latter is usually the reality.
Yes, Uncle Phil has a really neat video camera with the latest bells and whistles and he’ll do it for free but sadly, we get what we pay for. (No offence Uncle Phil). The question is: does your product and service require the best? I’m assuming your answer is yes. Then pro is the only way to go.
Is it expensive?
It doesn’t have to be, unless of course you have a few spare million in your wallet to create the latest James Cameron epic. A good videograher will sit down with you, explain what works and more important, what doesn’t work and plan something that will be memorable while still remaining in your budget.
Create added value for your participants
Give away the DVD for free. Use it as a bonus and entice people to come to your seminar. It’s a great way to harvest participant’s contact information. And follow-up with them: tell them about your next promotion, ask them to subscribe to your blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter, or whatever else you might have going on.
Make extra money
Why not sell the DVD for added income? Offer a discount to those who attended your workshop, and charge everyone else regular price.
Your DVD could be earning you dollars long after your workshop is over. Work with a videographer that can do small runs (rather than producing hundreds of DVDs at a time), order a few at a time as needed and keep your cost low.
Expand Your Audience
Now that you’re on DVD, the world’s your oyster. (Or clam, if you prefer.) Sell your DVD online. You could go global! Consider getting subtitles or voiceover done in different languages if you think there is a market for it.
Expose Yourself
Once your seminar is shot, get your videographer to edit a short promo. It doesn’t have to be very long, even 15 to 30 seconds could be enough of a teaser.
Make sure you include these three points:
• showcase yourself as a dynamic speaker
• feature your content as something exciting and cutting-edge
• tell viewers to subscribe to your blog, hit your website, follow you on Twitter and Facebook
Don’t forget to include your teaser on your DVD production, so that your captive audience will know how to get in touch with you and know to expect more presentations and DVDs from you.
Post your teaser online, on all your social media, on your website and blog, email it to your network and go viral!
Keep Going!
Once you get the ball rolling on a workshop video, why not turn it into a series and start to grow your audience. Who knows, your videos could generate greater income and larger audiences than your presentations. Now that’s added value.
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions, a Toronto-based Videography and Photography studio. Night Day Productions specializes in event coverage, including: seminars, workshops, weddings, funerals, theatre and musical performances.
Nishi Dias, Producer
Night Day Productions
416.821.8669
Nishi@NightDay.ca
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