6 ways to find seminar affiliates

A very effective way to fill seminar seats, especially when you don’t have a large mailing list of your own, is to enlist the help of affiliates.

Affiliates are individuals or organizations that agree to promote your seminars to their subscribers, members, or customers. They are rewarded for their help in a variety of ways. The most common way is to pay affiliates a commission for each seat they occupy. Other seminar leaders reward their promotional partners by featuring them as event sponsors, providing seminar attendees with free affiliate resources, or giving affiliates permission to feature a registration discount on their listings.

Here are six ways you can find affiliates to promote your seminars:

1. Start with your competitors. Why would a competitor want to help promote their events? Easy. Seminar marketers quickly realize that most of the people on their lists will not convert. Subscribers remain on the list for free educational information, but never sign up to attend an event. However, non-buying subscribers may better resonate with another expert’s message. If your competitors feature you on their listings and you’re paying a commission for every signup they generate, they have the potential to earn revenue that they otherwise couldn’t earn.
2. A second group of potential affiliates are experts who work with the same clientele, but in a different way. By introducing you to their lists, these experts strengthen your position as a trusted resource for the information and connections your subscribers need to be successful.
3. Find out who is promoting your competitors. These people have shown that they believe the type of content you offer is valuable to their lists. If you can explain how what you are teaching is different from what your competitors are teaching, you will also be able to convince your competitors’ affiliates to promote you.
4. Make a list of your previous clients and attendees. Leverage the power of referral marketing by asking your clients and past attendees to help you promote your event. They already know, like, and trust you enough to buy your products and services, as well as attend your events. Why not formally ask for their help and reward them for their efforts?
5. Ask registrants about their upcoming program to spread the word about the event they will be attending. For example, on the registration confirmation page, include fields where registrants can enter the names and email addresses of people they know who might be interested in attending the event. When your guests sign up for the program, send them a thank you gift or commission check.
6. Approach industry organizations. Research the type of organizations your potential attendees belong to and participate in, such as associations, clubs, and chambers of commerce. Reach out to these groups for help promoting your event. You will find that some groups will require you to pay for rental of their lists or advertising in their posts. Others, however, may be interested in offering a discounted rate to their members or generating undue income by earning a commission for every member that signs up for their seminar.

Before you start approaching potential affiliates, take some time to describe the offer you’re making and put together a simple email or brochure that explains how the process works. Many people and organizations involved in internet marketing are familiar with the affiliate marketing model. However, other potential partners will need additional support to understand exactly how participating in your program will benefit them.

As with any sales company, finding affiliates is a numbers game. Far more people will say no than yes. Your job is to keep reaching out until you find the partners you need. You never know who will say yes unless you ask.