Ideas Needed

[sitnspin]

Anyone else hear those crickets?  It is dead in here!

Anyway, every year our city has a Victorian Streetwalk down Broadway and it always has a huge turnout. They close down a portion of the street and people stroll around eating, drinking, caroling, and shopping.  My studio is in the middle of Broadway, but just down a little alley at the back of our building.  I hosted a holiday get together for my clients and had some randoms stop in to check out the studio last year.  We had cookies, hot chocolate, and other confections.  I also gave out some discounts if they bought them then and there.

It cost me about $600 at the end of the day and with sales, I kind of broke even-ish.  Should I do it again?  Do something different?  Just forget it and party like it's 1999?

Background: my main goal is to get together with our clients and give them a good time since they are so good to us.  Jerry says we cannot have alcohol due to liability reasons.

[sapphire bou]

If your goal is primarily to make your clients feel warm and fuzzy, ask yourself, did you have plenty of clients stop by? Did they appreciate your efforts? You can't really put a price on the warm and fuzzies. 

Even if you are breaking even, the new clients who signed up with a discount will hopefully renew their membership/pay for more classes. 

I say, unless it was completely miserable and you just flat out don't want to do it, why not do it again this year?

[sitnspin]

You guys are right and I was just being semi-lazy.  Our clients really, really appreciated it last year and it wasn't too much of a hassle.  Any ideas besides what I offered last year?

[Deleted]

I would continue to do the snacks and hot cocoa (who doesn't love free snacks?).

How about a raffle this year? Fill a basket with some goodies relating to the studio (if you have tanks or headbands, window clings, water bottles with your logo?) along with a coupon for free spin session. Do you have a website? Create the raffle tickets so that each person fills out their name, phone number and email adress. You can alert them if they won through email or phone, and then you'll have everyone's email addresses in case you ever have email blasts advertising new sessions/classes.

[sitnspin]

Nov 10, 2015 15:16:19 GMT -5 @psugrad said:

I would continue to do the snacks and hot cocoa (who doesn't love free snacks?).

How about a raffle this year? Fill a basket with some goodies relating to the studio (if you have tanks or headbands, window clings, water bottles with your logo?) along with a coupon for free spin session. Do you have a website? Create the raffle tickets so that each person fills out their name, phone number and email adress. You can alert them if they won through email or phone, and then you'll have everyone's email addresses in case you ever have email blasts advertising new sessions/classes.

Love the raffle idea, thanks!

[sapphire bou]

Great ideas, @psugrad!

You could serve apple cider in addition to hot chocolate. Maybe switch out some not-so-popular treats with something different this year?

You might already be doing this, but promote the event during your classes and ask them to bring friends. You could do a discounted class coupon for any current client who brings a new client that signs up that night.

[Deleted]

Nov 10, 2015 15:24:54 GMT -5 sapphire bou said:

Great ideas, @psugrad!

You could serve apple cider in addition to hot chocolate. Maybe switch out some not-so-popular treats with something different this year?

You might already be doing this, but promote the event during your classes and ask them to bring friends. You could do a discounted class coupon for any current client who brings a new client that signs up that night.

Yes, get the word out early. 

[sitnspin]

Nov 10, 2015 15:24:54 GMT -5 sapphire bou said:

Great ideas, @psugrad!

You could serve apple cider in addition to hot chocolate. Maybe switch out some not-so-popular treats with something different this year?

You might already be doing this, but promote the event during your classes and ask them to bring friends. You could do a discounted class coupon for any current client who brings a new client that signs up that night.

Good ideas!  We promote the hell out of it in classes and make sure they know to bring friends and families and many did.  We also give incentives for both of those things.  I also send out a blast email newsletter to remind them.

[sitnspin]

Nov 10, 2015 15:27:40 GMT -5 @psugrad said:

Nov 10, 2015 15:24:54 GMT -5 sapphire bou said:

Great ideas, @psugrad!

You could serve apple cider in addition to hot chocolate. Maybe switch out some not-so-popular treats with something different this year?

You might already be doing this, but promote the event during your classes and ask them to bring friends. You could do a discounted class coupon for any current client who brings a new client that signs up that night.

Yes, get the word out early. 

Always!