Our town has some incredible events and campaigns, from the bustling Christmas Festival to our VE Day celebrations, to smaller campaigns such as Wedding Week. But how do you make sure your business truly benefits from them?
We’ve been chatting with some businesses that have taken part and got great results from doing so and have put together a friendly guide focusing on how you can get the most out of these fantastic community events.
It’s All About Marketing and Engagement, Not Just Sales
Our Christmas Festival and VE Day events were very popular, bringing over 10,000 people into town and creating a great community atmosphere. How can your business benefit from this?
The businesses that fared best focused on engagement over a direct, hard sell, instead they created an experience. Here’s what made the difference:
- They had fun! They embraced the festive spirit and were part of the event, either by dressing up or putting up decorations to show their support.
- They were visible. One business had a snow machine at the Christmas festival and ran a competition, which attracted attention and meant they collected many contact details so they could keep in touch with people ongoing. They came outside their shop so were very visible to passers-by. They used the opportunity to engage and be visible to customers, which pays dividends over time.
- They gave a reason to return. The most successful businesses collected sign-ups for newsletters or encouraged people to follow them on social media. Having business cards or flyers ready to hand out can help keep you in people’s minds to return. Some businesses also gave out an offer that if you returned you would get a discount off a purchase at a later date, or a small free gift.
- They went to where the people were. Several businesses came outside their shop to engage with the crowds, but also so they could feel more involved and soak up the atmosphere of the event.
- They promoted their activities. They either let “Hello Dorking” know what they were doing so it could be publicised, or they promoted it themselves, or even better they did both.
- They made sure they knew what was going on. We share lots of information about events and campaigns via our weekly business email update. If you are not receiving these please let us know.
Your Action Plan for Events
To help you get started, here’s a simple check list you can use for any Dorking event.
- Set Your Main Objective: What do you want to achieve? Maybe it’s to build awareness of your business or to make a specific product seem more accessible.
- Brainstorm Ideas: Think of creative, low-cost activities. For example, an antique shop could have a couple of stock items (or photos) and ask people to guess which item is worth more, offering a small prize for the correct answer. Or you could simply set up a welcoming display with decorations, balloons, or a fun chalkboard sign.
- Give Customers a Reason to Come Back: This is the most crucial step. Use the event to get people to sign up for your mailing list, follow you on social media, or share an offer for a future purchase.
- Tell Everyone About It: Don’t be Dorking’s best kept secret! Promote your part in the event or campaign on social media and in-store with posters. Tell existing customers when they come in the store or by email. Tell other businesses about it. Let Hello Dorking know what you are doing so we can help spread the word too.
Case Studies: Hear From Your Fellow Dorking Businesses!
If you’re still on the fence about getting involved, here’s what some local business leaders have to say about their experience with Dorking’s events and campaigns.
Claire Peers, Marketing Manager, Downs Solicitors “At Downs Solicitors, being part of the local community is at the centre of what we do… It gives us a chance to give back, connect with people face-to-face, and play a role in making Dorking such a vibrant and welcoming place… While the primary goal for us isn’t new business, the visibility and awareness these events generate are invaluable. It’s about building relationships and trust in the community. Over time, that naturally leads to new business and referrals.”
Anita Puttick, Putty Cakes “It was such a fun day being part of Saturday’s event. After trying our bubble tea tasters, lots of lovely new visitors came to find us at the coffee shop. It was a fantastic advertising opportunity for us.”
Davinia Hedley, Practice Manager, Specsavers Dorking “The town is unique in the way that the sense of community is so strong… The Dorking BID has made it so easy to be involved… The VE Day was AMAZING. The town had such a lovely vibe… Although it can be hard to measure, I absolutely think that by getting involved and promoting the Dorking BID events, this will bring new people to us via the local Facebook groups and word of mouth. 100% it is worth it. To spend a little bit of time getting to know the BID and to be part of these events, you would wonder why you haven’t done it before!”
Dorking Halls “It is such an incredible response (to our events). People absolutely love (the events) and we’d love to carry them on with you!… It is all about awareness, especially for the family shows, and it definitely boosted café sales … Do it!”
The Power of Collaboration
Remember, “Collaboration is multiplication”. By teaming up with other businesses, you can both reach a new audience and make your efforts go further. We have seen a pre-loved clothes store team up with an upcycling furniture shop, and a butchers team up with a lingerie store for the ultimate stay at home Valentine’s package.
When you collaborate, be sure to:
- Find a good match with similar values.
- Be clear about roles, responsibilities, and costs.
- Agree on what you want the results to be.
Let’s work together to make Dorking’s events and campaigns be the best they can be for all of us! If you need any help with ideas or logistics of how to get an idea to work please do get in touch – we’d love to help.
