PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS 



WITH 

 A SPECIAL EVENT 



Tina Sawtelle 



H. 



.ave you considered having a 

 special event to promote your busi- 

 ness, gain media coverage, increase 

 sales to current customers, and gam 

 new customers? A special event can 

 range from an open house where 

 you offer specials and some refresh- 

 ments to such elaborate events such 

 as a mini-fair, a Christmas Festival 

 of Trees, a Poinsettia Festival, a 

 Hardy Mum Fall Festival, a Daffodil 

 Festival, or a Spring Garden Party, 

 depending on the season. 



Following is a potpourri of hints to 

 make your special event a great 

 marketing tool: 



P^ Have one unique attraction 

 that you can call your own, 

 that sets you apart from the rest. 

 This proves to attract people as 

 well as the media. "Come see our 

 14' snowman made of poinsettias." 



p^ Develop a press release about 



your event and send with a 

 picture to your local newspapers. 

 Invite the media to attend your 

 event for coverage. Develop follow- 



up press releases with pictures for 

 post-event coverage 



f^ Have foodl Its amazing how 

 food draws people to events. 

 Refreshments seem to have a dra- 

 matic impact on sales. 



U^ Design buttons, T-shirts, 



balloons, or stickers as a pro- 

 motional tool. The best promo- 

 tional Items are those that have a 

 use to the customer and those that 

 "hang around" — like a magnetic 

 refrigerator note clip. 



B^ Have a contest and award a 

 trophy or prize. This makes 

 great local news for a press release! 



D^ Demonstrations and workshops 



are great at a special event. 

 Give a workshop on designing a 

 perennial bed, decorating a wreath, 

 or pruning a tree. And of course all 

 the Items needed you have for sale. 



I@^ Have entertainment. Anyone 



can be a clown. Develop a 

 business mascot that is always at 

 your business's special events and 



busy weekends. Music is always a 

 nice addition. 



C^ Put forethought into your 



event. Be sure your insurance 

 covers anything you are doing. 

 Check with your insurance about 

 outside vendors and how to treat 

 them. If parking could become a 

 problem, be sure you have an alter- 

 nate plan. 



The ideas and possibilities for a 

 special event are endless! Make 

 yours unique! If planned well and 

 promoted properly, it is sure to be 

 a big success! 



Remember — marketing is one of 

 your business tools to success! 



Tina Sawtelle , principal of 

 Sawtelle Marketing .Associates , 

 consults with a^icukurd direct 

 retail businesses on marketing and 

 merchandising. In addition, 

 she teaches agricultural business 

 management techniques at the 

 Thompson School at UNH. 

 For more information, call 

 (603) 659-8 J 06 in Lei 



■e, NH^ 



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