How to Make Your Workshop Stand Out
Starting a business is never easy business. From conjuring the business idea, to setting up the business and finally running it, there is just so much work be done. On top of that, you need to have the right business strategy to make sure that your business continues to flourish. So now that you have decided to turn your passion into a profession, it’s time to find out how you can make it stand out. But before that, do a quick check that you have made these essential considerations before starting your business in 3 Important Things to Consider When You Turn Your Passion into Your Profession.
There are many workshops in Singapore, so in order to make yours different from the others, you will need to keep in mind of things that you have to do before launching your workshop on Verlocal, during your workshop and after your workshop.
The Before
When you are creating your listing, there are some things that you have to take note of.
1. Have an attention-grabbing title
Everything lies in your title. Titles are what sell the content. They represent it in search engines, in email, and on social media. So if you want your workshop to stand out, your title needs to stand out as well! While keeping it eye-catching, make sure that the title of your workshop is also clear and concise.
Here are some examples to give you an idea of what a good title looks like:
Professional Cake Decoration & Modern Piping Techniques Workshop (Intermediate/Advanced)
- This title lists what the class involves: 1) cake decoration and 2) piping techniques
- For classes as such, customers would want to know more about the level of expertise. Hence, you can try including it in your title so that customers who are at that level would be more intrigued to join your workshop.
2-in-1 Loose Petite Floral x Brush Calligraphy
- If your class is similar to this, where you infuse two different skill sets into one workshop, do add them in your title as well! Your customers would want to know what they can bring back after attending your workshop and so the more they get to learn, the more your workshop will stand out from others.
Additionally, if you have any special promotions of sorts, it is best to add them to your title as well! This way, the promotional offer can attract more customers to click into your listing and find out more about your workshop.
2. Pack in details in your description
The best way to make your workshop desirable to potential customers is to list the experience that you want to host. Do not fret about writing too much and boring those who come across your workshop. They would want to know as much as they can about what they can do during your class before actually booking it. So, pack all necessary details in your description.
Some information that you should include would be:
- What the class is about — use the description as a space to further expand on your title; inform your customers what they can learn from your workshop
- Materials needed or provided — it is always good to let customers know what would be provided so that they will know if they have to bring any additional items of their own when they attend your workshop
- Detailed schedule — while this might not be a requirement for all customers, some may still prefer having a detailed schedule of what they would be doing throughout the entire duration of the workshop
Here is an example of an existing listing that includes a schedule of what is to be covered during the workshop:
- Cooking Class
What to Expect:
- Introduction to local cuisine: history, ingredients, equipment
- Knife Skills demo and practice
- Demonstration for knife skills & food
- Hands on sections to cook
- Q & A with the chef
- Post class sit down to eat
Including such a schedule becomes more important when you are conducting 2-day workshops. Let your participants know what will be covered over the course of two days. They will definitely appreciate this extra effort that you put in to keep them in the loop. This appreciation that they feel can entice them to join your class.
3. Make sure your product photography is top-notch
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true when it comes to product images.
Research has shown that images can help increase customers’ attention, trust and conversion rate. And these are exactly what you want. Hence, invest some of your time to learn how you can improve your product images. The quality of your photos do affect if your potential customers are intrigued enough to click into your workshop.
First impression counts so make your photos reflect the quality of your workshop. To find out more about product photography and how you can improve your photo-taking skills, read How to Take Good Product Photos for E-Commerce Business.
The During
68% of customers would leave if a company does not care for them. The impact is the same for small businesses as well. Customer retention is key to running a business. To make sure your customers keep coming back to your workshop, earning customer loyalty is really important.
This is Leach, whose expertise lies in watercolour art. Many of her previous customers constantly join back her workshops as they form a connection with Leach that they do not find elsewhere.
One of Leach’s participants, Niat, had attended 5 of her classes so far, with four of the workshops happening on a weekly basis.
“It is a lot easier to watch someone do it and explain to you than to run through all the YouTube videos or run through books yourself.” — Niat
Besides enjoying the craft, Niat also enjoys the company she has.
“It was a great experience because there were 3 other ladies who were in here in the class. There’s always laughter and something to share.” — Niat
Previously, there was a brief mention about caring for your customers. One of the things that makes Leach’s customers come back to her every time is how she cares for them, treating them more as friends than paying participants.
It is not too difficult to break down the barrier between customers and friends! Give out refreshments during your workshops to create a more homely aura while conducting the session. Pay attention to any challenges that your customers may be facing and help them to overcome those obstacles.
“A great workshop focuses on design down to every last detail. From the welcome bags to the course materials, to the serving pieces used for lunch. No detail is overlooked and it makes your guests feel welcomed, valued and inspired.”
The After
“To truly elevate your workshop among the competition, keep the client experience going after they leave the room.”
In an article for Belong Magazine, guest writer Anastasia Casey recounts how she has a Facebook group with her workshop attendees to clarify any queries that they might have, whenever they recreate what they have learnt from the session back at home.
You can choose to do exactly what Anastasia has done or not; it is up to you. The key point is to find a way to ensure you and your attendees stay connected to each other. This connectivity and experience are what your customers will remember and why they will recommend your workshop to your friends. This increases your network and gives your workshop an edge over others.
To learn more about how you can build such connectivity, read How to Build Your Social Media Presence for Your Business (Step-by-Step Guide)
