How to Use Local Festivals to Market Your Business

Local festivals and events tend to draw good crowds filled with people looking for adventure and fun. Many times, they present excellent marketing opportunities for small local businesses to attract new customers and put their brand on display. Attending local festivals is a smart business strategy that can be accomplished at little expense.

Find an Event

The first step is to find a suitable event. Usually, municipalities advertise their special occasions well in advance, and many will also openly court the participation of local businesses. One of the keys is to know who your target audience is and determine if it coincides with that of the event. While some businesses have more universal appeal, others attract specific niches of consumer demographics that may not overlap with the expected attendees of the festival. It’s also worth checking historical trends. If events are planned closely together, choose the one with the best draw and broadest appeal to your target audience.

Plan Your Attraction

You’ve found an appropriate festival and gained permission to have a booth or display. Now, you just need to plan the right way to get people to check out what you have to offer. Of course, you’ll want to be friendly and engaging, but there’s more to it than that. Put some thought into your presentation. There are so many unique attraction ideas that can draw all sorts of people to your area—the possibilities are endless! Your space should be clean and well organized, but it is helpful to have items that customers can interact with or that generate movement, which is an eye-catcher. Things like spinner wheels or other games interest people. Having branded freebies like mugs, pens or hats can enlist people to become brand ambassadors. Lastly, don’t forget the logistics. At an outdoor event, you’ll need a cover in case of rain. Determine if you require power or water hookups, and how far you will have to transport items from your vehicle.

Collect Information

These events aren’t just for giving things out; they’re also for acquiring important information, customer email addresses in particular. Smart email use can give you additional marketing opportunities far beyond the festival itself. Email is fast and cheap, and it allows for direct communication. Try incentivizing people to sign up by using giveaways or contests in exchange for their information.

If you are trying to sell locally, then it makes all the sense in the world to market locally. Festivals and events give you a large, ready-made audience. As long as you do the research and get the details right, your vendor booth could be a big potential boost for your business.

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