For many direct marketers, special events account for a large portion of their annual income. Fall festivals, harvest celebrations and corn mazes, to name just a few, concentrate buyers in one place at a specific time. The benefits of these events are large-scale sales. Two other benefits are increased visibility and customer feedback.

Increased visibility can show portions of your operation that customers may not always see. This can help you more fully tell the story of your unique business. By highlighting areas such as harvesting and post-production, you allow customers a sneak peek behind the scenes and a greater appreciation of what all is involved in bringing your product to them.

We are all curious people and most of us will enjoy seeing what all is really involved in producing your finished product or service. This will present special challenges as you pick and choose what parts of your operation you want to highlight that will be of interest to your target audience.

For this increased visibility you must be sure that your employees are knowledgeable and properly trained to explain and demonstrate these key parts of your operation.

As they used to say, “The customer is always right,” so feedback is essential for the best return on your investment. A special event is the perfect time to expand your customer base and also ask for feedback by gathering contact information and encouraging comments on your visitors’ experiences.

But now that you’ve gathered the feedback information, how do you use it? Does it change how you present your product? Does it change how you present your business to your customer? Does it change your marketing plan? In short, feedback can be used as a tool to fine-tune about any aspect of your business.

Special events are just that – a special way to take advantage of customer interaction and make all the hard work of hosting a special event pay for itself.

The above information is presented for educational purposes and should not be substituted for legal or professional business counseling.