Have you ever felt like this, after a big event in your community?
'That event was supposed to bring more business, but it actually caused me to lose money. Fewer customers ate in my restaurant or shopped in my store because they attended the event. Events don't help my business, they actually hurt it!'
Well, if your answer is yes, the good news is, you're not alone! I have heard business owners say this more times than I can count, throughout my 20 year marketing career. But the bad news is, you are probably missing out on a lot of potential income. Here's why:
Yes indeed, an event taking place in the community will most likely alter your regular business income on the given day of the event. But here's the thing, folks... the residual effects are astounding and the same results simply cannot be attained through conventional marketing efforts, without breaking the bank. It's simply a mathematical equation at that point....it's all about the numbers.
The problem is, these 'numbers' are not easily quantifiable, and therefore, can feel as if they do not exist, or even, that the effect is negative.
So, let's put all opinions aside and stick to facts only:
- Fact #1: Any event of any size is going to be promoted, which means the region in which it resides is going to be promoted as well:
- And the larger the turn out, the larger the effect on local businesses; good, bad or otherwise. At this point the business owner has 2 choices: They can choose to become a part of the event promotions already in place, by contributing only a fraction of the total marketing cost; which will in turn help the effort of reaching a larger audience and more than likely have a direct effect on their business. Or they can decide 'the event is not going to do anything for their business' and choose not to participate; and in turn, virtually eliminate any opportunity for positive residual effects, both individually and collectively.
- Fact #2: A business can only be as successful as its community
- This is indeed a fact, folks. Let's face it, if the downtown streets are deserted, your business is going to be too. The formal definition of community tells the story perfectly: a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. The point being, we have to work as a community if we want to grow our business, because the success of our community directly effects our own livelihood. So, if a group within the community is making an effort to promote the region by hosting an event, we should all do our part to support such an effort. This does not always have to be a monetary participation. Offer to volunteer or simply spread the word about the event in your own circles. At a very minimum, speak positively about the event and the folks working hard to make it happen. Events are a lot of work, we all know this to be true, and positive support makes all the difference.
- Fact #3: Getting Involved is Good for The Soul -it just feels right!
- We've all been here. Helped out a neighbor, a fellow business owner or a worthy cause. And after, we just felt better about everything.
So, if you answered yes to the earlier question, I encourage you to try a new angle the next time an event rolls into town, you just never know what great things might happen! And as for tracking residual positive results; they might take some looking for, but you will see them if you so choose to look! This one occurred just last week at Andrew's Harborside Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, Maine:
A young couple from Augusta, Maine were enjoying dinner when asked where they were visiting from. This is what they said: 'We heard the ad on 92 Moose Radio, promoting the Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay Event last month, and though we could not make the event, it reminded us how much fun it is to visit Boothbay Harbor, so we planned a weekend away! It's so close to home that we forget to think of it as a summer vacation destination, but hearing that ad reminded us!'
A young couple from Augusta, Maine were enjoying dinner when asked where they were visiting from. This is what they said: 'We heard the ad on 92 Moose Radio, promoting the Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay Event last month, and though we could not make the event, it reminded us how much fun it is to visit Boothbay Harbor, so we planned a weekend away! It's so close to home that we forget to think of it as a summer vacation destination, but hearing that ad reminded us!'
Now maybe your business was one of the businesses that 'lost' money on the day of the Craft Beer event, and maybe, just maybe, it was also one that 'made' money from the residual effects of this event. Ask yourself this question. Would the Boothbay Harbor Region have been on the radio for a week, reaching more than 225,000 potential visitors, had the event never happened?
Taking a moment to recognize our community members:
Wonderful gestures happen every minute of the day in a great community like ours, and recognizing the following individuals and businesses, in no way suggests that many, many more do not deserve recognition as well. However, on behalf of my MC4u partner, Heather O'Brien and myself, we would like to extend a very special thank you, to all who are making the First Annual Harbor Fest Possible.
Dana Burns-Pizer: Part owner of Sprucewold Lodge: Dana is also a very talented graphic designer who has an extremely large client base at their winter home in New Jersey. Dana took time out of her very busy schedule of 2 full time jobs to work with MC4u in creating a fabulous event logo that we believe will eventually brand our region for years to come! Dana did this for nothing more than her love of the Boothbay Harbor Region and we extend a tremendous thank you to her!
Andrews' Harborside Restaurant, Boothbay Craft Brewery, Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, Hannaford Supermarkets, Hawke Motors, Sweet Thunder Productions, 92 Moose Radio, Lincoln County Magazine, Courier Publications, Gregory L. Rollins, Pine State Trading, Gritty McDuff's, DJUUEA
MC4U created the The Harbor Fest with the intent to help fulfill an overwhelming number of client requests to accomplish the following results:
· More overall exposure to our region
· More festivals and events to promote our region
· Increased business later into the season
· More festivals and events to promote our region
· Increased business later into the season
To learn about how you can become involved in this event visit http://www.boothbayharborevents.com/
