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Branding and Marketing
How to use explainer videos to sell a course
Do you use explainer videos to help promote your courses or training? If not, today’s blog is for you and why now might be the time to start. What are explainer videos? As the name suggests, explainer videos are short videos that explain a product or service. They can...
Why the second launch of a course can hit problems (and what to do about it)
Have you ever launched a new training programme, filled all the seats (virtual or in-person), got fantastic feedback and been thrilled with your success, only to attract little to no interest during your second launch? You’re not alone. Many trainers and other course...
How To Sell Training Courses To Companies
There is an abundance of benefits to becoming a freelance trainer and spending your days in the training room doing what you love. However, starting your own training business isn’t always plain sailing. One particular thing that many who are new to the training...
Smarter Marketing for Freelance Trainers
Is there a secret to smarter marketing for my training business? I'm asked this question a lot, usually by trainers who fall into one of two camps: those who feel like they're spending all their time marketing (but not always with results proportionate to their...
Marketing matters: Why this one thing should be top of your to-do list today
Marketing matters. Even if you're rushed off your feet with clients queuing up for your training services, I hope I can convince you that marketing should still be at the top of your priority list today and every day. I often hear from both new and experienced...
Freelance Trainers: Don’t Make This Basic Mistake
Are you clear on what you're offering as a freelance trainer and to who? One of the biggest mistakes I see new freelance trainers make is trying to be all things to all people and offering training on anything under the sun. Of course, I understand why people do...
Starting a Training Business: Do this before logos, websites and glossy brochures
Have you been holding off starting a training business because you have a marketing must-have list as long as your arm? I've seen articles (usually from marketing companies who are understandably promoting their services) listing a logo, website, glossy brochure,...
Writing a marketing plan for a training business: The three questions you must answer
Do you have a marketing plan for your training business? Whether you're just starting out or have been a freelance trainer for several years, a clear marketing plan is essential. It will not only show you what you should be doing to attract clients to your training...
Your marketing toolbox: Why you need these seven essentials
The ease and success with which any of us manage a task often come down to the quality of our tools, even in business. If you’re just starting as a freelance trainer or you want to give your training business an overhaul, there are seven tools that you should aim to...
How to grow your mailing list as a freelance trainer
This is the first of a two-part blog exploring how to grow your email mailing list as a freelance trainer. You can check out part two about brilliant lead magnet ideas for trainers here. One of the most powerful marketing tools you can have in terms of growing your...
5 website mistakes that could be losing you business – and how to fix them
Are website mistakes losing you business? Unless you rely solely on word of mouth recommendations and referrals to find new training clients, it’s likely that your website is one of your main marketing and sales tools. It's so, so important because it's the one place...
15 more ideas to market training services
In my last blog article, I gave you 17 quick and easy ideas to promote your training business. As promised, I’m following up this topic with another 15 ideas to market training services that you can implement in small, bite-sized chunks. Contact your clients to...
17 ideas to promote training
Looking for some ideas to promote your training business and services? I’ve put together a ‘quick-fire’ list of marketing ideas for you, all designed to inspire you to take regular action. The key is to break your marketing into manageable ‘little-but-often’ chunks so...
The branding & marketing blueprint for freelance trainers
Branding and marketing can be something of a mystery when you become a freelance trainer. You may have lots of questions: What is marketing? What is branding? Where should you start? What should you do? Who should you market to? How much will it all cost? Is a social...
Five things that make your training brand look amateur (and how to go pro)
Your training brand is about the identity you put out to the world as a trainer. Get yours right and your brand should resonate with your target clients and bring more business through the door. Get things wrong and you are in danger of diluting your brand and turning...
Seven MORE training business website essentials to boost enquiries and bookings
In last week’s blog, I covered eight essential features of training websites that attract more traffic, enquiries and, above all, bookings. Your website is such a powerful tool for boosting your reputation and authority as well as your marketing that I wanted to...
Eight essentials for your training business website
Creating a successful website for your training business – whether you do it yourself or bring a web developer on board – can be a challenging task. How should it be structured? What information should you include? What attracts visitors and turns website hits into...
How to use video marketing when you’re camera shy
As trainers, we’re arguably better than most at speaking to an audience, which means that – in theory – live video marketing should be a breeze. Of course, everyone has times when they’re camera shy or it could be that you just want to shake your video marketing up a...
So what?! The secret of marketing copy that sells
Many small businesses that don’t have the support of a dedicated marketing team struggle to create effective marketing copy. In my experience, copy that doesn’t resonate usually falls into one or more of the categories below: It’s too generic, talking to anyone and...
10 tips for a successful live video marketing strategy
Are you using live video marketing in your training business? Did you know that, on Facebook, people spend three times longer watching live videos than they do pre-recorded footage? If you’re not using live video as a marketing tool yet, you probably should be. Videos...
20 Top Trainers Share Their Best Marketing Tips
Ever wondered how successful freelance trainers market their business? In this post, I share marketing tips from the best freelance trainers. Which ones will you try? 1. Alex Hewlett Differentiate between 'No never' and 'No, not yet'. Follow up the 'Not yet'...
7 proven marketing tips for busy freelance trainers
When we’re rushed off our feet, one of the first things that can drop off the radar is our marketing. But, no matter how busy you are, marketing matters, especially if you’re a freelancer and you want to get off the feast and famine rollercoaster. Here are seven...
Five of the biggest marketing trends in 2018 (and how to use them)
Now 2018 is well underway and we’re all (hopefully) back into the rhythms and routines of working life, I wanted to take a moment to look at some of the big predicted marketing trends for the year ahead and how we freelance trainers can use them. So, what are the...
5 common email marketing mistakes to avoid
If you are sending emails out to your mailing list and not attracting the open rates or responses that you expect, you could be making one of the five common email marketing mistakes below. Don’t worry, I’ve got some advice to steer your future campaigns in the right...
11 irresistible lead magnet ideas for freelance trainers
Last week, we looked at how to grow your mailing list as a freelance trainer, and why it’s so important to build a list of people who are interested in your services. Staying on the same topic, we’ve put together some lead magnet ideas to show the kind of incentives...
How to plan a marketing calendar that works
Are you someone who decides what content to produce and post on the fly rather than planning in advance? It’s a common problem when time is short but, as you probably know from experience, this can result in a last-minute panic to think of topics, missed opportunities...
Your search engine optimisation (SEO) basics checklist
If you have a website for your freelance training business, then it’s worth regularly devoting some time to search engine optimisation to ensure that your website ranks as highly as possible on search engine results pages (SERPs). In fact, I'd make it a regular part...
10 free marketing ideas to promote your training business
I know they say you have to spend money to make money but if your finances are stretched at the moment, there are still some highly effective ways to market your training business for free. Why not give these free marketing ideas a try? 1. Read about marketing The...
How to create a marketing strategy that works
Do you have a marketing strategy as part of the marketing blueprint for your training business? Have you defined what you want your business to achieve in the short-, medium- and long-term, or are you winging it from one day to the next? It’s surprising how many small...
Do freelance trainers need a personal brand?
In marketing terms, branding is anything - from your business logo to your tone of voice - that identifies you and helps you stand out in the marketplace. Although branding has always been an essential part of running a successful business, there is increasingly an...
Choosing a business name: How to find the perfect name
Are you struggling to choose a winning business name for your freelance training business? One of the first stumbling blocks to launching can be the question, “What should I call my business?” Your business name may be one of the first things that a potential client...
How to market your training business in just 10 minutes a day
What if I told you that you could market your training business in just 10 minutes a day? When you’re a freelance trainer, it can feel as though there are never enough hours in the day. In last week’s blog, we looked at using consistent marketing to get you off the...
How To Be Totally Cool About Marketing Your Business
I've been following up this week with delegates who attended 'How To Create A Successful and Profitable Training Workshop' last month in Manchester. One of the ladies I spoke to who is just about to set up her own training business told me that one of the biggest...
The Best Way I Know To Attract New Business
As I mentioned to you last week, when I first set up my training business 10 years ago I had just moved into a new area, I had pretty much left all my contacts behind and I didn' t know anyone. I also knew nothing about selling and marketing. This was the main reason...
Why Trainers Make Great Sales People
What do the following statements have in common? - 'I'm not a natural sales person' - 'I'm no good at selling' - 'I hate the thought of getting in front of people' -'I love being in the training room, it's the sales bit I don't like' All of the above are negative...
How To Overcome Your Biggest Challenge as a Freelance Trainer
What’s the biggest challenge to you in your business right now? Ive been asking my Newsletter subscribers this question recently and many of you have been sending your answers in to me. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to do this. It’s been really...
The Best No Cost Marketing Method I Know
A great marketing tip for getting your training business off to a flying start. And it’s free!
Do You Believe In Luck?
Do you ever hear freelance trainers say things like: I’ve always been really lucky to have a steady flow of work’ or ‘Stuff always turns up, don’t know how but I’m not complaining ….’ I’m amazed how often I hear people say things like this and I must admit to being...
How do you choose a name for your new training business?
How do you go about coming up with a business name? To be honest, this part can be one of the most fun when launching a new training business! And one of the best suggestions we can come up with is to invite a few good buddies over with a couple of bottles of wine...
How Freelance Trainers can Avoid Feast and Famine
Ask any freelance trainer and they will tell you one of the main problems they come up against is feast and famine syndrome. You know, that situation when you are either staring at your blank diary wondering how you are going to pay the mortgage this month whilst...
