The Event Planner's Guide Book

How to Effectively Reach Your Potential Clients

Last week we discussed what the term “marketing” means and how it comprises much more than advertising your company and selling a product or service. We talked about the 4P’s of marketing (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) and how each component contributes to a successful business. See 3 Simple Steps to Help You Market More Effectively.

The action items included defining your target market and your competition. These statements will help us as we focus on the final “P” – Promotion. This is the area that stumps most people and where we get the most questions.

I hear the following questions almost daily: “How do I reach my potential clients?” and “How and what do I communicate to them?”

The answer is really very simple…and then again, it’s not. It’s simple because you have clearly defined who your target market is and what he or she values most. It’s not, because it takes a lot of persistent work and can cost oodles of money.

“How do I reach my potential clients?”

Let’s look at some of the most popular advertising options from high to low cost: Television, magazine, billboards, radio, regional tradeshows, direct mail, yellow pages, newspaper, advertising specialty items (pens, bags, etc.), online advertising, pay-per-click, your own website, brochures and flyers, networking, public relations and social media.

With all of the options available today, small business owners are able to abandon most of the traditional forms of advertising in favor of a promotional mix that maximizes their reach (number of prospective clients) and frequency (number of times an impression is left) while minimizing their cost.

We go back to who is your potential client? Where are they hanging out? Are they on the web? Facebook or LinkedIn? Do they use a telephone book or Yellow Pages online? Will they just do a “Google” search for the service you provide? Do they read the newspaper? What sections? Take clues from your competition. What are they doing and does it seem to be effective? How can you differentiate your company from the competition in both the media you choose and the content you present?

For example, wedding planners might find their prospective clients by exhibiting at bridal shows, utilizing direct mail, online registries and by creating relationships with local venues and churches. A bounce house rental company might reach customers via direct mail, pay-per-click advertising, online rental registries and by creating relationships with churches, schools, local businesses, and city offices. (The Event Planners Association is also well represented by amusement oriented companies).

Your media mix should contain pieces that work for you and your company. Make sure the return on investment is solid. Track and quantify your results. Are you spending $$$ on newspaper advertising and getting $ in return? It might be time to look for other options. Your media mix can be fluid, ever changing and adaptable to the economic environment.

"How and what do I communicate to my potential customers?"

Once again, who is your target customer? What does he or she value most? When hiring an event planner, price may be the most important factor or it might be creativity, experience, personality, style, location, etc. For a rental company, the customer may value cleanliness, on-time delivery and set up, price, safety, insurance, etc.

Know what is important to him or her as well as what is important to you. Remember all of the aspects that make up your marketing plan from 3 Simple Steps to Help You Market More Effectively? Your corporate identity, image, customer service philosophies, pricing strategy, etc. all determine how you position your company and what you communicate to your potential customers.

Keep in mind, the media components you select may have different purposes and goals. For example, the EPA exhibits at trade shows to create and reinforce Association awareness and to meet with current and potential members, whereas we utilize newsletters, our forum and our blog to educate our members and the industry, which in turn, reinforces our image as industry experts. As you can see, your media mix will be multi-purposed and multi-layered.

Action Step: Since you already know who your potential customers are, what they want and where they are, look back at your entire marketing plan in conjunction with what your customer wants. How can you combine the two into an effective message? Will you have several messages? Once you know where your customer is and what you want to communicate, you can choose the form of promotion best suited to your message.

Where is the most unusual place you've found clients?  Please tell me by clicking "comment" below.

Next time we will look at using low-cost, high-potential media.

3 Simple Steps to Help You Market More Effectively

 

What does the term "marketing" mean to you? Most people associate it with creating awareness of a product or company. However, marketing really encompasses so much more and is a very broad term used to describe the strategic portion of business.

Marketing includes but is not limited to the following areas of planning and activity:

Business, Product & Market Development
Market Research & Competitor Analysis
Pricing Strategy
Corporate Identity
Brand Development
Promotions
Public Relations
Customer Service

As with many things, there are steps that should be followed on the path to success. You should be able to write a statement addressing each point below. If you haven't already done this for each product or service you offer, I suggest you use this as a guideline to assist you clarify your marketing strategy and messages.

Step 1: You must know who your potential customer is, what he (or she) wants and provide it at a price he will pay. Know what your customer values most and why. Meet/exceed his needs.

Step 2:  Know your competition. What do they charge? What do they do well and what do they do poorly? Who is their customer and how do they reach them? What sets you apart from the competition? I recommend you keep an updated notebook of competitive ads, flyers, collateral materials, etc. You will be surprised how often you refer to it.

Step 3:  Once you know who you are dealing with from customer and competitive perspectives you can move on to developing the 4 P's of your marketing plan. The 4 P's are a staple in college marketing courses across the U.S. and are listed below.

Product · Price · Place · Promotion

Product - This is what you are selling; your product or service and all its inherent features, benefits and value. Provide the very best combination of features, benefits and value for your product or service in its price category.

Price - This is what you charge for your service or product. Knowing how much value a customer places on a particular feature or benefit will help you determine your price. Features with a low customer value might be dropped from your offering allowing you to lower the price point.

Place - Do you have a fixed location? Is your company "internet-based"? How will you distribute your product or service? What is your service area? Your travel radius? Financial, legal and insurance requirements change based on the "place" from which you choose to do business.

Promotion - This is where advertising comes in. As does public relations, social media, networking, sponsorships and any other means you use to promote your company!

Knowing your customers and competition will allow you to develop a successful mix of the 4 P's. Keep a close eye on each element and make adjustments when and where necessary.

Action Items: Review steps 1 & 2. Can you write a statement for each as they relate to each product or service you offer? Next, review the first 3 P's - Product, Price & Place. Do they fall in line with who your customer is? How about your competition? Once all of this is in place we can focus on the final "P" - Promotion. This is the area that stumps most people and where we get the most questions.

I would really like to know how you did with this exercise.  Please click "comment" below to tell me what you discovered as you took a good look at who your target client and competition is.

True Confessions of a Professional Event Planner

by Kevin Cohee


Beyond being organized and creative, it takes many skills to be a professional Event Planner. I knew I was creative and organized, as many people pointed out to me, but I had no clue I would tap into so many other unrealized skills once I went pro.

After being hired to help produce a custom home show, I immediately got my feet wet with BIG challenges. This 5 week show required bulldozers to prepare parking lots, sewer connections to our temporary office, 9 phone lines for credit card sales, and 7 motor-coaches running consecutively for 12 hours a day. Other challenges included: field fires, encroaching wildlife, exploding electric transformers, an emergency life flight, calculating food sales and scheduling hundreds of volunteers. I know, many of you are thinking “that’s nothing, I had an elephant die during a performance,” but this event became the foundation of my newborn event planning career.

Here are five secret skills all professional event planners possess:

1. Grammar
The most challenging skill I honed was creative writing. I write emails, proposals, website entries, scopes of work, contracts, billing, inquiries, requests for proposals, marketing pieces and even articles. Early on, I asked a journalist friend to critique almost every piece of correspondence I created. Those red-marked revisions really stay with you and I learned to turn to the dictionary and thesaurus and look at synonyms in a whole new light.

2. Mathematics
Jack of all trades perfectly describes most event planners, so don’t wait until you are on-site and the generator provider is about to leave to learn how many watts of power your event actually requires. Avoid the dreaded “where’s the breaker-box?” when “Lights, Camera, Action” is called out. Mastering math now becomes a subtle tool; calculating amps, watts, ounces, pounds, inches, yards and of course dollars. Who knew ordering a linen table cloth would second-guess my ability to multiply? These vital elements that help make us and our event look incredible are like little children with their own needs. To learn how these independent providers join in unison, I volunteered at large public events.

3. Liability
Choosing themes or florals may come naturally to many, but contracts are intimidating. Protecting ourselves, our clients and their guests requires a bit of investigating. Adding insurance riders, fabric fire retardant certificates, abundant lighting or health certificates are not fun jobs. Relying on other professionals like lawyers, professors, accountants and insurance agents are essential. Even the smallest of mishaps can tarnish an otherwise stellar event, so addressing safety falls on the shoulders of the planner. It’s often an under- appreciated skill professional planners must obtain and promote.

4. Legality
Keeping it legal is one more secret talent we are rarely recognized for. Addressing street closures, the alcohol sales license, gaming permits, fire safety permits, overflow parking or capacity regulations continue to be daunting tasks. The problem is to know which questions to ask. I plan an annual beauty industry event for legislators and decided to have a Show Poodle be the living centerpiece. Cool idea huh? My intuition led me to ask around and like restaurants, salons are regulated and pets are not allowed. How embarrassing it would have been to have broken the law with legislators as guests! This is a perfect example of the value professional planners bring.

5. Food and Beverage
Food enriches every event and is a key element in the memories guests leave with. Curiosity is my favorite skill, one that takes me to farmers markets, fine grocery stores, ethnic markets and ahhh, the Food Network®. You also need to quench the guests’ thirst and as a professional event planner you must be at least as knowledgeable about wine and spirits as your client. Ask questions when you are around wine, search winery websites and go to a wine tasting with someone who knows more than you. My philosophy is don’t serve something someone can have anytime, somewhere else. If we don’t make it “special” then why hire a special event planner?

Reading industry publications both print and electronic are a must for this ever-changing, trend-setting industry.

And, as if our plates aren’t full enough…someone mentioned they sent me a tweet

Kevin Cohee is the CEO of Do An Event, Northern California’s leading spectacular event strategy and styling firm. www.DoAnEvent.com

7 Ways to Reignite Your Business - Lessons From Coldplay

Like many, I am a fan of Coldplay's music, but I never expected to see the band perform live in concert until I found myself, with my teenage son, a die-hard fan, in the middle of an enthusiastic throng of 20,000 fans a few months ago.

Here's the tie-in... it was as I reflected on the concert that I thought of you.

The passion & enthusiasm the band exuded for their craft and their love & affection for their fans were undeniable. Their show was well thought out to meet the needs and desires of those there for them. And, the little mistakes they made and acknowledged were endearing and made them more real.

I found myself thinking about four talented guys getting together, perhaps in someone's garage, to make music. Do you think they thought they'd eventually be one of the most popular bands on the planet? I don't really know, but I suspect they had that dream and goal when they started.

When you started your business I know you had a dream and a goal, a purpose. Along the way, the many day-to-day stresses can take their toll on even the most seasoned business owners causing them to lose site of the big picture. I want to encourage you to develop laser focus by embracing your answers to the following questions:

What drives me?
What am I passionate about?
What do I want from my business? My life?

Then, take these seven steps and use them to help you stay laser focused on the big picture:

1. Begin with the end in mind. Have a clear vision of what you want your business & life to be.
2. Be passionate about what you do.
3. Don't be afraid to show your enthusiasm.
4. Define your client's needs and meet them.
5. Respect, appreciate, and show affection for your clients.
6. Admit your mistakes and move on. No one is perfect.
7. Keep your eye on the prize.

While we all have different visions of what we want from our businesses and life in general, these seven steps will help move you closer to your dreams. Viva la Vida - live the life!

With that, I enthusiastically say to you that I appreciate you taking the time to read what I write and I love to hear your thoughts, ideas and questions!  Please post a comment below...