7 Tips for Promoting Your Business at Community Events

Are you looking for new ways to market your Recruitment for Business?

Even with a solid digital marketing advice strategy, some businesses struggle to get their name out there, especially with their local communities. There are so many local businesses; how do you make yourself stand out?

Have you considered making yourself known at community events?

Many businesses haven’t, and this puts them at a disadvantage (and you at an advantage). There are many types of events to choose from, and these events can (and should) be a part of your local marketing strategy.

Not sure how to get started? Don’t worry, we want to help. We know how to get your town to notice your business. Keep reading for some of our favorite ways to promote your business at local community events.

1. Choose Events Wisely

Not every event is going to be a great fit for your business. You don’t want to bring your brewery booth to recovery events, for example. That’s a better fit for local music festivals, food and wine festivals, sports events, and even fairs.

For those in the medical or fitness fields, healthcare community events are great places to market your business. You know that the people there are looking for new and better ways to keep themselves healthy, so you’ll fit right in.

Anyone offering some kind of handmade product will be a great fit for local art festivals or farmers’ markets.

Make sure you choose something that works for you and your business. You want to be a unique addition, but you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

2. Pick a Great Space

This can be tricky. You’re probably competing with other businesses and vendors to get the best spots at the community event, so act early and plan ahead.

How large do you need your space to be? Would you rather people see it upon entering, in the middle of the event, or when they’re about to leave?

If your business is in food products, we suggest trying to place your space somewhere near the beginning of the event area. This is where people tend to grab food to walk with, and they’ll remember you as they walk around in case they need to return.

If you’re a business that offers something intangible, try to find a space near the middle where people are spending a lot of time.

For vendors of non-edible goods, picking an area in the middle or closer to the end is a good choice so people don’t feel disinclined to buy things as they’re walking around.

3. Offer Promotional Items

Regardless of what kind of business you are, promotional items are always a great choice. Everyone loves free things.

You should pick something good for the event, not just your standard stickers or matchbooks. We love things like tote bags, drink koozies, and promotional apparel (like t-shirts or hats). Apparel is great because your customers will be promoting your business for you as they walk around in it.

4. Consider Local Charity Support

People love when businesses give back to their communities. Consider making a donation to a local charity or program during the event.

You can have a jar for people to put change in, or mention that a percentage of each sale is going towards whatever program that you had in mind. People will be more inclined to look further into your business if they know that your business is supporting things that they care about.

Beyond this, it’s a good practice to donate to charity in general. If you want your community to support you, you need to support your community.

5. Network With Other Businesses

Most other businesses at the event won’t be in your specific niche. This is a great opportunity for networking. Pair up with someone else and work together to share potential new customers and market each other.

If you want to share an area, you’ll bring community members who are interested in one of your businesses and potentially get them to look into the other one as well. For example, for food businesses, you could pair a soft drink company with an ice cream company.

You can also trade business cards or flyers with another business at the event so customers see you at their stand and them at your stand.

6. Get Friendly With Potential Customers

This is the best time to connect with your community, so take advantage of it. When you’re a local business, you’re already at an advantage. More and more people are interested in supporting local businesses over major corporations.

People will feel warmer towards you if you make the effort to interact with them. Remember, you’re a member of the community first and a business second.

When you connect with people, they’ll be more inclined to visit your business outside of the community event.

7. Be a Supplier or Sponsor for Community Events

If you’re able, use your business to sponsor a community event. This way, your name will be mentioned throughout and people will know who you are without even visiting your area.

If this isn’t possible for you, why not offer your wares at the event as a primary supplier?

This doesn’t work for every type of business or event. If you’re in the food and drink industry, though, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your name on the event.

This is a more expensive way of marketing yourself at the event, but the increase in customers is worth it.

Community Events are Perfect for Local Marketing

If you’re not taking advantage of community events as a part of your local marketing strategy, you’re missing out. As a small local business, your community is everything. Help them notice you by showing up at events and communicating with them.

Regardless of your industry, there’s an event that you can take advantage of. You just have to look for opportunities.

If you’re looking for more helpful business advice, marketing, and more, check out the rest of our site!