The holidays are upon us! Well, not quite - but if you’re thinking about how you might bring in the holidays with your small business community, now is the time to start planning. Bringing together your tribe in a meaningful way is what Creatively Hosted is all about, and I’d love to share with you a few tips about how to make the most out of your holiday gathering.
1) Determine what the gathering stands for.
One of the defining characteristics of a well-planned gathering is defining what it stands for. Are you the biggest fan of Christmas & want to call it a Christmas party? It’s ok, go ahead and say it! Or does your store appeal to a certain demographic? Milo & Me Boutique in Lakewood, for example, won’t be hosting a “dog & cats party,” - not because the owner, Jessica Smith, is against cats - but her expertise is in dogs, given the store is a dog & women’s fashion boutique! It is ok to narrow your focus to what you’re good at, and having a defined purpose will give attendees a preview of what to expect, and an ice breaker when they arrive at the event. After all, what’s a better conversation starter than an ugly Christmas sweater?!
2) Get the word out!
Everyone knows how busy the holiday’s are. If you want your loyal customers to be joining you for your holiday event, you need to make sure they know about it! The best events have a coordinated marketing campaign across platforms - whether that be exclusively digital or a combination of digital & print. All parties involved in the event should use the same graphics, caption, and announce across platforms (Instagram, Facebook + Facebook event) at the same time to be most effective. In today’s crowded world of content, making sure the information is available on your social media & website helps make sure if anyone goes to look up the event information, it is readily available for them to refer to.
3) Don’t forget the details
The little touches make such a difference! It can be something as small as an ice breaker built into attendees’ name tags that you provide upon arrival to your event. This fall, I helped Brewella’s plan their first Tarot and Tea event. The event was a community tarot practice, accompanied by seasonal teas & treats, where attendees got to practice tarot together at all levels & types of divination. Chris Murphy, owner of Brewella’s, greeted each guest, and noted their astrological sign on their name tag, so attendees mingling had a talking point when meeting fellow attendees. These little details will impress guests, leading to a bigger community, increased loyalty, and business growth as you build raving fans!
Planning events can be overwhelming - believe me, I get it! I hear this all the time from small business owners who are busy, well, running their business! Especially around the holidays & leading up to year-end, having an extra set of hands with a small business event planner to help you manage the details & the timeline leading up to an event can ease your mind that you will have an awe-inspiring & well-executed event.
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