Are In Person Events Worth the Effort? The answer to this one is it depends!
It depends on what type of person you are, what type of business you have and what you’re expectations are.
And as with everything, it depends on having an effective plan to make the most of in person events.
But it’s entirely up to you if you do them, or purely focus your efforts on online marketing.
Are In Person Events Worth the Effort for your Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Business?
Here are some Pros and Cons to consider and some tips to make the most of in person events;
Pros of In Person Events
It’s great to meet people, and for them to meet you – you can’t beat meeting face to face with pet owners to show them how passionate you are about your business. People will trust you much quicker if they have met you in person.
It can be great exposure for your business. If it’s a well known event there will be lots of people there that may not search online for services or may not even know that such a service exists.
It can also be a great place to network with other local businesses – which could lead to potential collaborations in the future. For example, you might meet vets, groomers, pet stores etc.
Cons of In Person Events
It’s a big time commitment for you/your staff – so make sure you have a plan in place to make the most of it using the hints and tips below.
It may be poorly attended and not a great use of your time. You never know with events if many people will turn up.
If you do not like networking in person then you might find events like this very hard – it does require you to proactively talk to people and share about your services.
Hints & Tips to Make the Most of In Person Events
Grow your email list while you are there. Make sure you have an offer or giveaway that’ll make it worthwhile for people to give you their email. And make it easy. You can have a link or QR code so they can easily give you their email and / or you can use an iPad to do it for them
Consider whether you could use the time/money more effectively for online marketing – these types of events can be expensive.
Speak to people who were vendors at the event in previous years and see what their experience was – was it well attended, how was it set out, did they find it beneficial etc.
If you do decide to go for it be well prepared!
- Consider a special offer just for the event or even a giveaway.
- Promote it in your own marketing – don’t rely on just the promotion from the event organisers.
- Collaborate with other exhibitors to promote to each others audience, if possible.
- Choose your event carefully and consider non-pet events e.g. home, motoring, wedding or family events so your business will stand out
Most importantly, enjoy the event and be sure to make the most of it.
