In business, marketing is everything. The basics of marketing inform the world about your company, promote brand recognition, and show everyone what you offer. Strategic marketing that excites paying consumers is so much better. By using carefully crafted tactics, such as an enticing and masterfully curated pop-up event, you will generate buzz and interest in your company beyond the pop-up event date. Continue reading to learn how to create a pop-up event your customers will remember.
Tips for planning a memorable pop-up event:
Formulate a Pop-Up Set-Up
The first thing you will need to do is decide where to hold the pop-up event. If you are planning for the holidays, setting up a kiosk in the middle of a local shopping mall where there will already be foot traffic is ideal. After-hours at a local art gallery or a large iconic library are fun choices, too.
Once you determine your location and have the details confirmed with the proprietor, it is time to create a landing zone for shoppers to focus on. Around the holidays, a quaint and Instagram-worthy gingerbread house with a gift wrap station will appropriately set the holiday and shopping mood. Add special details to show everyone where to line up and keep the flow of traffic on course, such as pink traffic cones that match the decor on the gingerbread house. (You can use them at your next event, as well. Think spring flowers that will coordinate well with the cones.)
Create special shelving or displays that will highlight your products along with holiday decorations, such as glass orbs, candy canes, and anything else that evokes the spirit of the holidays if you are going that route. Encourage customers to linger and take photos to post online. Regardless of the theme you choose, or if you opt for no theme at all, make the displays visually interesting. This pulls customers in and aligns your products with an aesthetic they want to emulate in their own homes and lives.
Make sure the set-up will give you the opportunity to talk with visitors. One of the great things about a pop-up shop is that it tends to be a more intimate setting than a traditional store and is obviously more so than an online-only store. Pop-ups allow you, as the owner and creator, to connect with people on a deeper level, where they can ask you questions and hear about your story.
Create Mystery and Exclusivity
There is nothing like a little mystery to pique the public’s interest. Begin with social media posts sent out to your inner circle of followers only. Include information with colorful graphics and a save-the-date introduction to the pop-up event. Avoid specifically mentioning what the event will be along with the location. Do inform your followers of the city, however, to ensure they can focus on an overall location in case they want to plan for travel.
Be strategic with how you add information. You want to keep the mystery alive and show your followers that you are offering something just for them. Everyone likes being in the know and that special feeling when they are in on something exclusive. With social media, the event details will leak, regardless of your efforts, so while you are only sending out content to your followers, never specifically state that the event will be for members only. That way, your event will attract more visitors and resulting sales.
As you get closer to the pop-up launch date, add more content online for your followers to keep excitement and momentum going. Add photos of new products or an updated brand logo created just for the event. A few days before the event, list the location where it will take place. On the day of, you can finally post the time of the pop-up. Make sure you continue posting new content about your products throughout the day to keep everyone’s eyes focused on your exciting pop-up.
Watch this video to learn how one small business entrepreneur has successfully promoted her brand through pop-up events.
Use these tactics to help market your brand at your upcoming pop-up shop. Hosting an event like this helps generate interest and income through crafted social media messaging that gets everyone excited to learn more about your products. Use the pop-up as a way to test new products or special holiday-themed variations of your already popular products. Have fun with the process, and be sure to use visually-delightful images and props for your customers to share online to keep the fun going long after the event is over.
