10 Tips To An Awesome Seminar For Your Law Practice

Many successful law firms have long used seminars as a powerful marketing tool. They are valuable in targeting a specific market, they position the presenter as an expert, and seminars can help build trust. If you have been considering conducting seminars as part of the overall marketing plan for your law practice, here are 10 tips to creating an awesome seminar.

1. Ensure the seminar is well-attended. Make sure you have an idea ahead of time how many people will attend. Pre-register attendees. Use cost-effective resources to market your seminar including email campaigns and social media. Encourage couples to attend (if appropriate) and ask friends to be there and get their feedback. With all of this, you still need to keep in mind that building seminars is like building a business. It takes times time, persistence, and a quality product.
2. Set a cell phone policy and use it to your advantage. You don’t want attendees using or watching their cellphones at your seminar, so start out by acknowledging the issue. Challenge your guests to take two minutes to take a selfie and make a post on Facebook or other social media that they are attending your seminar. Make sure you do the same. Have some fun! Then ask them to please silence their phones and only use them during breaks. Let them know about how often breaks will occur to ease their digital distress.
3. Create and share a specific outline with your audience. Awesome seminars follow a clear outline. That doesn’t mean there can’t be an occasional ad-lib, side-track or divergence, but it provides your audience with expectations and a time-line. It should have an introduction, learning sections, and a compelling conclusion.
4. Limit references to your firm to the beginning and end of the seminar. Your introduction should include enough personal information to build credibility while avoiding any hint of arrogance. A quick mention of your firm and its history at the outset is fine, as is a “call to action” at the close. Do not, however, allow your seminar to turn into an infomercial about your law practice. Your goal, provide value.
5. Use a variety of visual and audio elements to maintain interest. Use multiple resources to keep your audience engaged. Utilize overhead slides, video, a PowerPoint presentation and even raw audio to better connect an audience. If you are conducting seminars on a regular basis, consider subscribing to a program like Adobe 11 Presenter. This program gives users the ability to create tutorials, videos, quizzes and more.
6. Work on your presentation skills. Presenting awesome seminars take another level of connection. Keep your voice level up and maintain energy. Make eye contact, smile and use your hands naturally to add movement and interest. Have a self-deprecating story or two in your arsenal.
7. Build your seminar one element at a time. Creating an awesome seminar is easier when you create awesome individual segments. Work on an entertaining and anticipation-building introduction and outline. Give each learning section its own dynamic flow and clear cut takeaways. Review what you’ve presented clearly and succinctly. Close your presentation with questions, a call to action, and a sincere thank you.
8. Make sure your seminar includes surprising information. For example, did you know that the more times you are married, the more likely it is you will get divorced? While 41% of first marriages end in divorce, that number increases to 60% for second marriages and 73% of third marriages. No matter what your subject, find interesting data attendees can share outside the seminar.
9. Gift attendees and ask for a review. Make sure your attendees have something physical to take with them that includes your contact information. It could be a nice promotional gift, an offer regarding an in-office visit, or further information about the subject at hand. At the same time, have them fill out a physical or online comment card. Use these comments to tweak your next seminar.
10. Follow up. The point of holding seminars is to increase your network of potential clients. Send a mailer, a handwritten thank you note or at least an email within days of the event. Ask additional follow-up and feedback questions and referrals.

A successful seminar comes from planning. Take your time, make a plan and execute. In the beginning, it may take a few sessions to get people in the door. As you build your reputation and credibility you will start to filling your seminars! Be yourself, stay true to you and your practice brand. The rest will work itself out and you to will have AWESOME seminars!

Looking to host a seminar but hesitate? Share with me why in the comments below? I too was just like you. I was nervous, unsure and not clear on where to begin. Slow and steady wins the race. I know you can have a great success with your seminars. List your questions below, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time, my friend, be enchanting.