By WC DENMARKNEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Special events bring our community to a standstill certain times of the year.
In business speak this means we have so many people spending money you can’t get around. I love it. Without these events our population would have to be much higher to enjoy the same goods and services.
Remember that next time a biker blows past you with an annoying roar or you read about over energetic race fans causing a ruckus in a local bar. These folks leave a bunch of cash that is gobbled up by business and government. Most of them are just good people having a good time.
This week I hope to prime the pump of event planning for your small business. Most companies can and should do their own events.
Here is where I get grossly unpopular with middle management and staff. These things are a ton of work. I set up the original shrimp festival in Ponce Inlet. We sold $46,000 worth of food in a day! Now if you own a restaurant I probably have your attention. I must say that the ownership of this facility is fantastic.
Few, if any other groups, could have done this. The format I designed helped, but somebody had to do the work. These people are so good they caught on immediately and stopped calling me. Thanks guys!
The event just celebrated its tenth annual. Contrast my Shrimpfest with the opening of a new restaurant on Magnolia Avenue some years ago. The owners were big city folk with a food service history. They wanted to make a splash so we laid out their advertising budget, submitted publicity and set the stage. Opening day came and more than 850 people showed up for lunch - only 100 left happy.
Assume 750 people each told 10 people of their experience. Before dinner, thousands heard the place was awful. Dinner was nearly as bad. We wasted $8,000. The restaurant never recovered. Again I say promotions are a ton of work. If you’re not doing a fantastic job with your current customers do not attempt a special event - ever!
Events don’t always require big budgets. We often do a promotion just for the publicity. Your publicity event can be anything from dog washes to fashion shows.
Once, we sponsored a 5K run for a client with oceanfront property. Free articles ran for weeks. The cost was a few water bottles and some staff time. The organizer was soon using our facility for business. It was worthwhile.
Just before Christmas I stopped to see my buddy at Heath’s Natural Foods. We opened a bottle of wine and were just hanging out. Tom was cooking organic chicken and filet for his customers. It was covered with a new sauce he was promoting. You never saw a product fly out of a store so fast.
The premise of this promotion was customer appreciation.
I was participating in the smallest budget event of my career and it was fun. Everybody loved the attention. Many companies want to give you free samples to promote your business. Call your sales reps about an upcoming event. Four years ago I was able to get a new Ford F150 to give away.
You don’t need a vehicle. T-shirts are good product samples work just fine. Consider these icing on your event cake, it's all good.
Remember, if it’s not fun, it won’t work.
In my experience events are excellent for extending your marketing dollar. Keep in mind the promotion does not need to be about your business it just needs to appeal to your customer. Direct correlation is a valuable bonus not a mandatory requirement.
Here is a word of caution – beware the get-something-for-nothing consumer. Avoid them like the plague. As a business owner or manager I suggest you work towards two annual events. Target your demographics and please consider one to improve your community. Food drives and fundraisers can work for you and those in need. Focus your event towards the demographics of your customer.
Here is a word of caution – beware the get-something-for-nothing consumer. Avoid them like the plague. As a business owner or manager I suggest you work towards two annual events. Target your demographics and please consider one to improve your community. Food drives and fundraisers can work for you and those in need. Focus your event towards the demographics of your customer.Don’t lose sight of the bottom line – If you're going to spend a dollar get it back.