What is a successful event?
We are inspired by businesses whose events naturally attract their fans and customers, and wonder what drives their success. One of the not-so-secret ingredients is expanding beyond the business at hand and giving back to the community, through good works.
Maybe you are running events because they reliably drive demand and because you have always included them in your marketing calendar. While you should encourage people to learn, share and shop through events, we suggest taking a minute to consider your higher purpose and outcomes.
Getting to inspiration
A successful giving-back event starts with identifying a community cause that interests you, calls out to participants, creates connections and ultimately helps your brand get better known and appreciated.
Perhaps your passions intersect with business priorities. Are you all about improving the environment, promoting good health, aiding individuals in need, selling properly-sourced products, volunteering time or raising money for charities?
Sometimes it’s challenging to come up with a particular cause. You have likely heard of companies whose customers or employees suddenly experience hardship, and there’s a groundswell of support. Everyone gets asked to volunteer or donate, the company chips in, and there’s a sweet halo effect.
Helping others, helping yourself
Let’s take a look at one Seattle (WA) area yoga studio, Get Zen Hot Yoga, which throws a 4.5 hour Yogathon every year:
“All proceeds (100%) from Yogathon 2019 will go towards Mary’s place, an organization dedicated to providing a safe environment, a community of support as well as unfaltering hope for homeless women, children and families.”
By creating fundraisers among other events, this studio seems to have several goals in mind: attracting members, offering yoga experiences and developing a caring culture.
Good works translate into results
Of course, the impact of community events goes beyond feel-good benefits. Depending on your efforts, you may be able to count attendees or participants, online response or buzz levels, money raised or items donated as relevant metrics.
You should also track your growing alignment with values shared by your fans and customers. We believe that your digital reputation grows from good works, which present your company in a different light — and may be measured through sentiment analysis.
With brand switching so easy to do, creating value that customers see and appreciate becomes something that’s not only right to do but also right for business growth. The next time you want to host an event, try to create a higher purpose along with your regular activities and offers.
We hope you are inspired here! Consider giving back and getting repaid in psychic and financial rewards. #CompanyGoodWorks
by Amanda Worrall, Mar-27-2019