Last week I talked about how you can boost your sales and customer loyalty with a customer-only promotion. This week I’m going to focus on a tactic that takes a little more planning, but is well worth the investment.
I’m talking about hosting a customer educational event. Here’s how to do it…
The main goals of hosting an educational event for your customers are:
1. Investing in and valuing them
2. Providing a time for them to get to know you better
You may notice that “make a ton of money” isn’t on that list. That’s because that is a side-effect of this particular strategy, not a goal of the event itself. So you shouldn’t be hitting up attendees for money at every turn. However, as their interest in and loyalty to your business increases, so will your sales.
Now, you may be thinking, “what do I have to educate people about?” Maybe nothing, but for many industries there is a way to do this. Try to look deeper, because the answer may not be obvious.
For industries like financial planning and dentistry, this is pretty easy. Have a seminar on financial planning or dental hygiene. However, for other industries, like retail, it may not be so clear.
For example, a clothing retailer might not immediately see what they could educate people about. How about new styles? Nordstrom’s has special wine and cheese events where the store is closed to the general public and VIP customers can browse the latest styles, receive special discounts and get 10% more “Nordy” bucks when they use their Nordstrom’s card. It’s a mix of education and discounts, but I can tell you one thing: it’s a fantastic idea, and it really works.
My point is: if you are a business owner, you are most likely an expert in your area. So why not share that expertise and give your customers the chance to learn, develop a passion for your industry, and become loyal spenders.
Here are a few things to consider when putting together your event:
• How many customers will be invited?
• How will they be invited?
• Where will the event be held?
• Will you charge for the event? (If so, it should only be a small amount, since this is to invest in customers, not make money.)
• What information will be delivered during the event?
• What seminars or activities will the event include?
There is a lot of prep work that goes into an event, but you can start out small. Whatever you do, make sure you have every aspect planned out in advance. Run through the whole event with your team (or yourself), and make sure you can plainly see how everything will go, from the customers’ arrival to their exit.
Check out the website for PostcardMania’s client appreciation events for an example of a larger scale event. Of course, yours should fit the size of your business. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Just take the time to invest in your customers.
For more help and ideas, call your marketing consultant at 800-628-1804.
Anybody out there done an event like this before? How did it go? Any tips for the first-timers?
Best,
Joy
