This post is a follow up to What Goes Into Launching Pop Up.
Congratulations! You’ve just successfully completed a pop-up to increase brand exposure, get customer feedback on new products, or test out the retail landscape. Now you can relax and enjoy Netflix on your couch right? Wrong! To maximize all the hard work you put in launching a pop-up, follow this to do list to see a return on your investment of time and money, i.e., sell more products and foster relationships that will lead to future sales.
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Send the organizers and event partners a thank you
Take the time to thank hosts or event partners for letting you use their space, securing sponsors, and reaching out to the press. It takes a village to produce a seamless and well-attended pop up. If you are like most designers, marketing is probably not your strong suit. It pays to partner with organizations or boutique owners who can successfully promote your event so you can focus on presenting a flawless product line. Send a quick thank you email the next day to build rapport with the business owners to let them know you want to work with them in the future. If the pop-up was hosted at a boutique, include a link to your line sheet in the email with a promotion for the buyer as a thank you for hosting your event. If your items sold well at the pop-up, then the buyer may be interested in carrying your line.
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Follow up with new subscribers and customers
Hopefully you used the pop-up as an opportunity to build your email list. Make sure you have a sign up sheet ready at every pop-up event you host or exhibit. If you are shy about asking people to sign up, hire a salesperson who isn’t or display a sign promoting a giveaway or discount to incentivize people who sign up at the event. After the event, follow up with the new subscribers with an email campaign that thanks them for coming and ends with the promotion or winner announcement.
Make sure you include a link to the homepage of your website in the email. This will give the pop-up attendees and opportunity to learn more about your brand’s story on the website. You want to start developing the relationship with the potential customers even if they didn’t purchase at the pop-up. Rarely will anyone buy your product the first time they meet you, or the second time, or even the third time. Savvy marketers estimate that in order to close a sale it takes anywhere from 7 to 20 times before a prospective buyer warms up to you to make the purchase.
The reason is because people buy from you because they trust you. In order for them to trust you, they have to get to know you first. And to get to know you, they have to like you. If the attendee met you at the pop-up and signed up for your newsletter, then they probably already like you and your product. You definitely want to follow up with new customers who purchased at the pop-up to thank them and later ask for feedback on the product. You can segment your email list of potential buyers from customers to tailor your messages for a better click rate on your email campaigns.
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Connect with new contacts from business cards
Pop-ups are are a great opportunity to connect with bloggers, stylists, photographers and other small business that can lead to ongoing partnerships or new projects. My best mentorships and network all started from meeting at live events. But you can’t develop the relationship if you don’t keep in touch. The easiest way to connect is to follow them on IG. If they don’t have a business card handy, then ask for their IG handle. That way you can quickly see their work and stay engaged by liking and commenting on their posts. If they do give you a business card, don’t stuff it in your wallet and forget about it. Jot down a note on the back of the card that will help you remember them later. When you go home after the event, send them a follow up email to let them know it was nice meeting them and how you can collaborate in the future. Take a picture of the business card so you will always have the contact information saved in your phone.
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Plan your next Pop-Up
The day after the event, take time to reflect on what did or didn’t go well at the pop-up. Did you forget to bring a portable charger for your point of sale machine? Should you have sent more social media blasts prior to the event to generate a buzz? Maybe you didn’t get the feedback you were expecting on your product or the audience at the event didn’t represent your target customer. Whatever aha moments you experience at the pop-up, make sure you write them down use the information to help you plan for your next marketing event.
Hosting a pop-up is only the first step to connecting with potential customers and partners. To see an increase in sales, you need to continue to build relationships with buyers and business owners by following up quickly and keeping them engaged with content and future events.
Markisha Velazquez is the designer of Junior Baby Hatter, a new American heritage brand that specializes in handcrafting Tiny Caps for Tiny Chaps. Markisha’s collection of vintage inspired caps makes classic style easy and accessible to the modern family. Since launching in 2014, Junior Baby Hatter’s signature matching father & son hat sets have appeared on: Humans of New York “Today in Microfashion”, “Baby Must-Haves” on Mornings on FOX 58, and have been featured multiple times in Little Hoboken Blog. Markisha has also been featured in Forbes and guest blogs on Maker’s Row where she shares her secrets to other fashion startups of how to maximize brand exposure on a small budget. Find the perfect accessory for a little gentleman’s wardrobe at http://juniorbabyhatter.us/. (I reference two previous MR blog posts, 5 email marketing tips and launching a pop-up.)
