Normally, our friends usually build up events around specific holidays.
They provide us with an excuse to celebrate and give us a reason to hang out with friends and family and unwind.
Who made it a rule that parties and events can only be based upon holidays and special occasions? Adding this strategy into your marketing for your business will help you reach more of your local audience and get their attention.
Know that you could do an event each and every month, but they can be draining and take a lot of time to plan and prepare.
I strongly recommend doing an event promotion once every 2 - 3 months to have the time to do it right every time.
Here is the process to help you to work out what your next event will be about for your business.
1.
The Reason - You definitely need a reason to party.
It could be a birthday, a holiday, or something based upon local events.
If you don't have any "standard" reason, come up with a new one.
Check out the holidaysforeveryday.
com website if you need to find a reason to have an event.
Keep in mind that it has to appeal to your audience or it won't work well.
2.
When and Where - The best place to hold the event is going to be at your business, but you may not be able to do that based upon the size of your location.
Hold it somewhere else if you have to.
When you hold a party, it needs to be based upon your audience and when they're available.
If they're at work during the party, it will make it much harder to get them to attend.
3.
Invitations - If you have a database for your customers, create or buy invitations and mail them to them.
Nothing hits harder than a real piece of mail.
With digital communication becoming more common, it can be incredibly effective to mail things via the post office.
4.
Setting the tone - What's your end goal? New customers? Sales right from the party? Your end goal should depend on what your business does.
You may want a true party atmosphere.
If that's the case, get a DJ, order food, and serve champagne! If it's more of a business situation, maybe a networking gathering would be better.
A radio with soft music and finger foods would be more appropriate here.
5.
Schedule - Plan-out rough times where specific things will happen.
When will you address the group? What will they do before that? After? The more you prepare the better the event will be for all involved.
6.
Contact - Are you going to want to contact attendees later? Create a reason for them to give you their contact details.
A contest with the possibility to win something is always effective.
7.
Teach - If your products are complex in any way, show the attendees how to best use them.
You're going to be the expert in their minds, all you have to do is take the time to show them the best way to consume the stuff you sell.
8.
Fun - Make it as fun as you can.
If they enjoy themselves, you'll be the one they go to when they need your products.
9.
Getting Noticed - Once you have the event all figured out, you need to make it findable for people looking for things to do.
List your events on Eventful, Craigslist, Kijiji, Backpage, Upcoming.
org, etc...
Get your event up on local event websites to ensure you reach people looking for local things to do.
Your local newspaper is another great way to get noticed, just make sure that an ad you place will also be online.
How many people do you see reading newspapers today? 10.
Wacky Ways - Don't be afraid to get out there and do something different to get noticed.
Your local grocery store, chamber of commerce, and networking groups are great additional ways to connect with your audience.
While you'll get results from what I suggest you do, the results will be even better if you come up with some variation of these strategies by adding in a few of your own.