If you are looking for a more unconventional way to engage with clients, showcase your products and services, and reach out to the community, a pop-up event might be just the thing for you and your business!
Pop-up events have become more and more popular and basically center around the idea that you “pop-up” somewhere or sometime (or both) unexpectedly and then “pop-down” after a few hours. These events are short, fun, and meant to catch your client’s or potential client’s attention without the commitment or expense of a longer expo or more concrete business locations.
And that’s part of what makes these so effective. They are interesting, active, and flexible. But just because they have all that going for them, doesn’t mean they will automatically go off without a hitch. Here are a few quick tips to make sure your pop-up isn’t a flop-up.
- Involve the community. Pop-ups are the perfect opportunity to reach out to your community and get more people involved. Not only will this get you more exposure, but it will help you build strategic alliances with other businesses and business owners. Start by thinking about your ideal client. What kinds of products and services (other than yours) would interest them? If you know all your clients shop at a particular store, invite that store to be a part of your pop-up. They may have other clients that would fit your ideal client and vice versa. You all go up together!
- Put your best foot (traffic) forward. There is nothing worse than a pop-up without people! Not only does it hurt sales for your business and sales for anyone else involved in your event, but it also puts a negative spin on your brand for the people that do show up. If you really want your pop-up to succeed, then you have to get serious about marketing. Hang up balloons, make a big sign, put up flyers and have the other vendors and nearby businesses put up signs, too. And if you can, try to run a social media campaign before your event (working with any other vendors you invited to cross promote). This can all be done for free if you do it right, and the results can be amazing!
- Make it engaging. Your pop-up event shouldn’t be just about selling your stuff, it should be an experience that your clients and potential clients will talk about (hopefully) with everyone they know, getting people excited about your brand and eager to attend your next event. What is something you can do, even something small, that will generate a little bit of buzz and make it more fun for everyone involved. Is that a raffle, contests, a special theme, prize packages (with branding included), or an unveiling? There are so many options that you can’t go wrong … unless you do nothing.
Once your pop-up event is complete, be sure to take inventory of what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve the next one. Reach out to any vendors you did have and ask them for their feedback. Not only does that show you care about their success, but that valuable information will help you craft an even more effective future event.
Pro Tip: Make sure you make an objective for your pop-up event. Is it brand awareness? Quick sales? Community outreach? Something else entirely? Having a clear vision of why you are hosting this event will make everything else fall into place easier. And if you can, try to collect contact information (first name, email) from everyone who attends. You never know where your next client will come from!