Simply put, seminars work. They help lawyers, engineers, architects, accountants and alternative health care providers generate new clients, loyalty and referrals.

The reason that seminars have proven to be so effective as a marketing tool is that they offer people an opportunity to have an actual experience with your professional brand.

In fact, this concept has been so effective that it was actually named Experiential Marketing. Here is what the Canadian Marketing Association has to say about it:

Let’s face it – most of us, if we admit it or not, try to avoid or block out irrelevant marketing messages whenever possible and by any means available. Thanks to Norton, Google and Microsoft, I can’t remember the last time a pop up interrupted my online experience like a telemarketing call at dinner time. I also know lots of folks (not me of course) who happily subscribe to personal video recorders that let them zip through commercial breaks.

Now, contrast this ‘blocking’ attitude with experiential marketing – where consumers happily allow brands into their world.

Not only can experiential marketing tactics launch a brand without mass-media support, it can rejuvenate it as well…

…And in order for it to work effectively, we have to acknowledge that the decision making power is firmly in the consumer’s hands –and their willingness to experience our brand. It’s really no farther away than a mouse click, smartphone or remote control.

If you are considering getting on the seminar circuit, the real question is not whether you can expect to see a return for your time. It is instead how can you maximize this return.

My advice?

Carefully consider each aspect of the event from the invitation, mailing list and presentation through to the promotional leave behind and follow up strategy. You will find that you are faced with ample opportunity to leverage each and every seminar you deliver.