The Importance of Promoting Your Courses on Nigerian Seminars and Trainings Website

The importance of promoting your training courses on Nigerian Seminars and Trainings website is, without doubt, not debatable. In any market, advertising and promotion are the catalyst of conversion and sales.  We have had this discussion with several training providers, and we indeed, cannot give up because the success of training programmes on our website is directly related to the effort every training provider puts in PUSHING their courses.

Why You Should Promote Your Courses

Everybody familiar with the inner working of large retail markets or malls (e.g., Oke-Arin market and any of the Shoprite outlets) will readily tell you that in spite of the sizes of these markets or malls, no producer can just drop his or her products, turn his back and expect it to start flying, except of course he is relying on a prior or on-going media/online advertisement he expects to rub off his products to generate the required product offtake. Manufacturers know that you should follow your products into the market with advertising and promotions, and that you must sustain it to:

• Build and Maintain Brand Awareness,
• Acquire New Customers,
• Retain Existing Customers,
• Maintain a Competitive Edge
• Make Sales

To achieve this end, big companies like Coca-Cola, Nestle, Procter, Promasidor, Nigerian Breweries, Guinness etc., regardless of the large volumes of products they push into the markets and malls (or because of it), ensure that they maintain continuous and dominant/competitive brand presence in the markets and malls through the use of below the line advertising strategies like in-store displays, outlet branding, market storm and roadshow activations, in-store promotion and offers, strategic shelf space grabbing for eye-catching product displays. As a matter of fact, the distributors/mall owners will request for these activities where the manufacturers fail to do so.

Nigerian Seminars and Trainings operates in much the same way as these markets or malls. The obvious difference being that it operates online. Training providers must make efforts to:

• Build and Maintain Brand Awareness,
• Acquire New Customers,
• Retain Existing Customers,
• Maintain a Competitive Edge
• Make Sales

All these are to be achieved through the advertising and shelf display options we have provided on the website like premium subscription, extra premium courses purchases, and banner advert/ pay-per-click advertising options.

I have Tried it and It Didn’t Work for Me!

Certain factors may be responsible for you not getting the desired results even when advertising on our website. They include:

• Improper Product Fit – have you researched to make sure the product you are offering is high enough demand. Nobody will come to any training just because you advertised it; they will come because they need. Advertising will only help to let them know you have and convince them that yours is the better offer.
• Competitive / Right Pricing – have you looked at the prices your competitors are offering products like yours? Is the pricing right for the market? Nigeria’s seminars audience are working-class professionals in both the private and public sectors, and a few directors at the public service level. Is your pricing directed at this audience?
• Communication Resonance – and this is most important. Results don’t come because your advertised – they come because you communicated and convinced your audience. Is your advert persuasive enough to get the attention, catch the interest, generate a desire strong enough to get action? Always ask yourself if your advert meets the AIDA model before throwing it to the public. Use yourself as a model and ask; will I respond to this advert? If your answer is NO, rethink the advertisement design. Lastly, your advert is not meant for entertainment purposes; five elements must be in place to ensure success. These are:
  • A call-to-action button (like “click here to start now”)
  • A bait – What can the respondent get immediately if he clicks the advert (like the first 30 people gets this, and you make sure they get it)
  • A well-prepared landing page on your own website reiterating and reinforcing the message on the advert
  • A working contact button / form to capture the respondent’s visit
  • A responsible and responsive web admin team – don’t place your advert and go to sleep. Don’t leave your responses to someone who doesn’t care. Ensure that all messages emanating from your advertising is copied to a responsible officer of your company. If you are not able to respond and you do not have capable hands to messages from you adverts, DON’T ADVERTISE! It will be a waste of time, efforts, and money.

Lastly, remember that it is not only that person that is offering same courses as yours that is your competitor. Everyone advertising on the same platform as you are your competitor for attention, for space and for the money!

 So, what can you do to get the kind of results you need? Simple. Take the following steps:

• Subscribe to Premium, Value or Basic listing
• Based on Your budget, buy additional premium courses as you can afford per month
• Place a banner ad to stand your business out
• Use the pay-per-click advert to maintain a regular/competitive positioning on the website
• If you can afford it, subscribe to our trainer of the month campaign

If you follow the steps stated above, you can then sit back, and watch what happens. All markets operate by the same rules whether online or physical. If you play by the rules, you get your expected returns.

All the best!

Nigerian Seminars and Trainings Publications