Marketing an Event | Planning an Event | Marketing a Holiday Event

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Marketing an Event Holiday Checklist for Small Business Owners

By Sharron Senter, marketing & PR consultant
Boston | North

Did you know that to succeed in marketing an event you must complete ninety-five percent of your event preparations before the big day? Next time you’re planning an event, spend the brunt of your energy on preplanning. This way, on event day, you can focus on your guests, rather than being distracted with day-of event organizational issues.

Boost your small business revenue by planning an event for this Christmas or marketing an event for the New Year.

Marketing an Event: WHEN GUESTS ARRIVE
How you acknowledge your guests when they first arrive is one of the most important components of your event plan. Remember, you’re making a first impression. Even if you’re hosting an event for existing clients, if they don’t have a good experience, it’s unlikely they’ll return for future events.

Here’s a short checklist of questions to ask yourself when planning an event:

Guests are driving to your location. Do they know how to get there?
Is parking easy and plentiful or do you need to give added instructions?
Is your location handicap accessible? If not, let people know ahead of time about any limitations. In fact, without advanced notice, you could appear insensitive to guests needing such services and to onlookers.
How do you visualize the event coming together just before customers enter?
Are you in a large building? How will event guests find you?
When guests arrive, they do what?
What will you do with early arrivals?
What will your guests first see? Most will expect a registration table of some type; don’t disappoint them. Besides, an organized check-in is an opportunity to keep track of who attends and obtain accurate contact information.
Who will greet guests?
What will you say during your greeting?
Will you instruct guests to do something -- i.e., sign up, eat, preview, tour, etc.
What will guests do with their jackets, umbrellas and rain coats?
Will you have refreshments? (At minimum, you should have a few snacks/fruit, water and tea/coffee.) If you’re hosting an event around mealtimes, then you must have more food.
How will your guests find the restrooms without having to ask?
Will you have name tags? Many professionals like this because it gives them an opportunity to network.
Will you have door prizes? How do the guests participate? Can they win if they leave early?
How will you collect accurate contact information from all guests? At minimum, collect: email, home and cell phone numbers (ideally a number you can text to) and postal address. If it’s a business audience, then also: title, business name and URL.
Will you allow guests to sit? Some guests may have physical constraints necessitating they sit.
What other staff members will be at the event? What is their role? Will they know what to say and do?
If you’re presenting during your event, how will you handle guests’ cell phone usage? Even if you’re not presenting, and a guest is in a corner yelling into their cell phone, what will you do?
Are you a retail business? How will you handle the phones ringing during your event?
If a staff member is working your front counter with three guests in line who are excited to schedule an appointment for your services because they’re having such a great time at your event, BUT the phone rings with even more potential business, should your staff answer or manage the customers in line?

Plan ahead!

Finally, don’t forget to think through when guests leave. Ideally have a staff member catching people at the door. Will you give guests a gift, a special offer for your services/products? Again, do you have accurate contact information – email, phone and postal so that you may continue to deepen your relationship and wow them with your customer service, inspiring them to never leave you.

Find more holiday marketing strategies inside my report, Marketing Must-haves to Increase Holiday Sales.

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SPECIAL OFFER
There are numerous places to post your special events online. These posts provide an inbound link to your website, as well as attract event participants. Yet it’s time-consuming building your online event calendar database, especially when you’re in the throes of running your business. Save time! I’ll compile your (local) online event calendar database for only $175. This is a limited time offer and may expire any time. Contact Sharron for more information. Companies with a national footprint/audience, please contact me for separate pricing.

How to Plan & Promote Sizzling Special Events | CD series by Joan Stewart
All it takes are one or two dumb mistakes during the planning, or a missed opportunity to promote and your event can be a colossal flop. Avoid this by getting critical checklists for pre-event planning, tips for staging events, as well as getting press coverage. Learn more about Joan Stewart’s CD compilation of event marketing strategies.

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ABOUT SHARRON SENTER
Senter & Associates Founder, Sharron Senter, helps small businesses with their inbound marketing, including: generating resources that attract customers and prospects to your Web site and creating content that inspires others to share it. Content development includes: opt-in email newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, SEO, article writing services and more. Senter also helps businesses with traditional outbound marketing, including: direct mail, special events, graphic design and traditional advertising, such as print and radio.

Holiday Marketing Consulting Package – don’t go it alone!
If you’d like help this holiday season with your marketing, advertising and public relations, check out my holiday marketing consulting package.

Holiday Marketing Copywriting Resource
If you’re looking for help copywriting your event invitations, then I recommend Marcia Yudkin’s report, Secrets of Mouthwatering Marketing Copy. The report reveals principles for crafting text that forms a bond with readers, earns their trust, causing participants to attend your events!

ARTICLE REPRINT PERMISSION
You may reprint the above article in your electronic or print newsletter, intact; however, please contact Sharron for my bio and custom anchor text. I retain all copyrights.

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