143. How to Plan and Host Successful Events and Promotions in Your Shop

Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten

Show Notes

If you want to drive traffic into your store, simply putting a storewide discount on your products isn’t the way to do it anymore. There is a better way and it starts with planning.

Planning is the key to running successful marketing events and promotions. It will enhance your event’s “game plan,” it will build your confidence, and it will set you up for a successful event.

Here are some event types to consider: free demonstrations, a guest vendor doing a pop-up inside your shop, girls’ nights out, community building events, hosting local real estate/interior design vendors, holiday-themed shopping events, etc.

Planning these events ideally should take place quarterly - and at least 4-8 weeks in advance of the event.

Step One: Reverse engineer the event itself.

What is the outcome you are looking for by holding this event? What is the objective of having it? This question should have a specific answer: say, “I want to bring in xx in revenue during this event” or “I want everyone to know about xx product.”

“Let’s think about the purpose. What is the objective? What is the reason we are doing this event?” - Wendy Batten

Step Two: Know how you will measure the success of the event.

When you look back at your objective (say, to bring xx people for a demo), how many people came? How many people took promotional literature about the demo? If it was sales driven, did you meet your sales goal? If the objective was for 12 people from the media to show up, how many did? Did they talk about you to others? What wins can you track/celebrate?

Step Three: Write down all of the details of the event keeping the objective in mind.

How will you “wow” our customers during this event? Can you add something unexpected to make them smile?

Full show notes here https://wendybatten.com/143/