Are You Hitting the Mark?

Defining your target market is very important when you're planning an event. I have a few tips to help shape your event as you're planning to make a large impact on your community, as well as on your pockets.

Numero Uno: Identify who you are planning it for. Nix the idea of saying you're planning for women. Women fall into a goo-gob of categories. Is this for single moms, working moms, single working moms, moms over 30?, women over 30?, women who like to ski, etc. Make sure you are specific. Knowing this off the bat will help design and cater your event.

Nombre Deux: Make sure you know the NEEDS of your market. Planning an event with a theme in regards to providing daycare to women who have no children, nor are planning to have children will only reap you a few women who are just coming out of sheer curiosity or because you almost held them up at gunpoint to come to support you. Develop creative ways to find the answers. Social media is the "in-thing" now. Post surveys (small ones) to ask around about what people think. People love to show off their knowledge. Incorporate that to get information. Create contests to get other people's opinions. Those work pretty well also.

Number Three: Create engaging content. Get their ideas and implement them in developing content that will engage your attendees. You need to have something at the event that will not only solve their problem, or provide for their need, but it will also be something that's interesting to them. Give them more than just your product or service. Provide them with speakers that are sympathetic to their problem or need and games or entertainment that can relate to them in a positive and educating way. 

If you are trying to sell your health supplements to a crowd of vegans, having an icebreaker game called pin the tail on pig might not go over well with them. For example, when I did my launch party for my virtual assistant business, we played The Weakest Link. The questions related to business topics that I knew that my attendees were not as familiar with as I was. This showed two things: they learned that they possibly needed these skills to grow their business, and they saw that I was versed (or least knowledgeable) on the subject and could HELP them. 

Whatever you decide to do, make sure your event is not about you. Make it about the attendees. If you're trying to sell something or get recognized, don't put that at the forefront of your purpose for the event. Your target market is your blueprint in developing the event. So, take into consideration these tips to make sure that you hit the mark. Success is waiting on you!