Customer Engagement and Personalization

In this episode, we examine ways to build customer engagement and create personalization while staying true to both your brand and the event theme. This is mission critical for event vendors!

Transcript

Welcome to Festival Vendor, the podcast that takes you on a journey through the vibrant world of festival vending and traveling, as we uncover the challenges, rewards, and inspiring stories of those who've embraced the road and transformed their businesses into adventures." I'm your host, Raven, and today, we're going to delve into a topic that’s essential for any festival vendor: customer engagement and personalization. Whether you’re a seasoned vendor or just starting out, whether you vend at themed events or not, understanding how to connect with your customers can truly set you apart.

Customer engagement isn’t just about making sales; it’s about creating memorable experiences that resonate with your audience. Today, we’ll explore why engagement matters, practical strategies to implement at themed or non-themed events, and the power of personalization in making those connections meaningful.

Customer engagement is the heartbeat of any successful business, especially in the dynamic environment of themed events. These gatherings offer a unique opportunity to immerse customers in a world of creativity and excitement. When done right, engagement at themed events can turn casual passersby into loyal supporters of your brand. If you have attended or if you’re already vending at themed events, you know how dedicated the attendees are. If you aren’t quite sure what I mean, I highly suggest joining some Renaissance festival groups on Facebook or doing a quick search on Instagram or tick tok. What you’ll see are hundreds of people who sew their own costumes, who sculpt and carve their own drinking goblets and enchanted walking sticks, who plan for months in advance where they will camp and what booths they will visit first. These are a loyal and devoted bunch of folk who take a lot of pride in being friends of their particular faire. They are why the theme works, and they are most definitely on your side before they even see what you have to offer! If they know that you are providing value to the place they love, they will support you. If they support you, you’ve already won half the battle.

Engaged customers are not only more likely to make purchases but also to become advocates for your brand. At themed events, where emotions run high and experiences are heightened, this effect is amplified. Creating memorable interactions can leave a lasting impression that extends far beyond the event itself.

Let’s dive into some practical strategies you can implement to maximize customer engagement at themed events:

1. Pre-Event Engagement

Before the event even begins, leverage social media and email marketing to build anticipation. If your event is a themed one, tailor your messaging to reflect the theme. The easiest way to “ren” up your advertising for a renaissance festival is to add “huzzah” to your messaging. Use graphics that stay on target, like scrolls and knights, things like that. If you’re participating in a strawberry festival - and I know this seems obvious, but it’s worth saying - incorporate strawberries into your messaging. Be “berry” excited to see everyone. Buy in to whatever that event embraces. For example - one of our summer shows calls itself an “epic arts party.” So our pre-festival messaging uses the word “epic” and invites people to be a part of the “biggest party” around. Share behind-the-scenes peeks, teasers of themed products, or even sneak peeks of your booth setup. Again, make sure this ties in - a new kind of strawberry jam for the strawberry festival, a new line of hand carved wands for the ren fair. By generating excitement early on, you’ll draw attendees who are already eager to engage with your offerings.

2. In-Event Engagement

For themed events in particular, once at the event, immerse your customers in the theme. Either way, Your booth design should reflect the ambiance of the event, creating a seamless experience for visitors. Consider using themed decorations, costumes, or interactive elements that invite attendees to explore and engage with your products. Let me go back to my strawberry festival example. Add some vines and flowers to your tent to make it gardenesque; find some strawberry print tablecloths or even just fabric with a related print and add them to your tables. Personally, I wouldn’t dress all in black for a strawberry festival - that might seem silly, but I promise it all adds up to the way your brand is perceived. Remember, the more authentic and immersive the experience, the more memorable it will be for your customers.

3. Post-Event Engagement

After the event concludes, continue the conversation with your customers. Send personalized follow-up messages thanking them for visiting your booth. There are a few ways to do this. You can make a general announcement on social media, which is a no-brainer. But various other tools are available to you as well. For instance, If you use Square as your POS, there is a feature - and it’s an optional feature, which means you have to pay for it - that allows you to use their system to send text messages for marketing. So it would be a snap to send a message to everyone who paid electronically and say thanks for stopping by. Share highlights from the event and invite feedback or testimonials. This not only reinforces the positive experience they had but also keeps your brand top-of-mind for future events.

Personalization -

Personalization goes hand-in-hand with customer engagement, especially at themed events. It’s about understanding your audience and delivering an experience that resonates with their interests and preferences.

1. Understanding Your Themed Audience

Take the time to research and understand the demographics and interests of attendees at themed events. This knowledge will guide your product offerings and marketing strategies, ensuring they align perfectly with the event’s theme. Again, I encourage you to check out a few groups online if you aren’t familiar with the crowd. Pirate events are not necessarily medieval ones; markets that identify as “vintage” or “shabby chic” have a different demographic than fine art festivals. 

2. Customizing the Themed Experience

Consider how you can personalize the customer experience to align with the event’s theme. Offer themed product bundles, exclusive discounts, or interactive activities that engage attendees on a deeper level. Explain why a product is unique to that event. By tailoring your offerings to fit the event’s ambiance, you create a memorable experience that customers will associate with your brand. They bought a special edition strawberry scented soap from you at the strawberry festival; they bought an amazing tricorn hat from you at the pirate festival; or they purchased a painting at the biggest art festival of the year. Is the product new? Invite customers to give feedback. Provide customers to the chance to “vote” for their favorite product. Create unique discount codes that are only for that particular event (if you use Shopify, this is really easy to do).

Challenges and Considerations for Themed Events -

While themed events offer exciting opportunities, they also present unique challenges. Balancing adherence to the theme with maintaining your brand identity can sometimes be a delicate dance. And we have seen this go badly. We used to do a regular market that had a very small town, hyper local feel to it. It was very family friendly. One of the newer vendors sold cookies, with really unique shapes and intricate decorations. After their first week, they started to offer adult themed shaped cookies with risqué, puny names. Now, on the one hand, I can’t imagine why the event coordinator allowed them to vend, knowing what they offered. But it isn’t up to the vendor coordinator to make these decisions - it’s up to you, to us, to the vendors. In that case, the vendor never came back, and I’m not surprised. We watched all of our regular customers walk right on by them - sometimes steering their kids as far away from that tent as possible! It’s essential to find a harmonious blend that resonates with attendees while staying true to what makes your brand unique.

A few last tips for engagement - talk to people. Don’t just have a series of one-liners you use; have those, but don’t feel like you are beholden to that pitch. In fact, do the opposite. Look at the people who are in your tent. Gather what clues you can about them based on what they wear, what they carry, how they hold themselves. Make your engagement personal by being personal. If someone is wearing a band tee shirt and it’s a band you like, ask them what their favorite song by that band is. Do they have a Superman tattoo? Ask them who their favorite Superman is. Compliment a pretty necklace. Admire an unusual pair of shoes. Ask if that cool looking specialty drink they are enjoying is worth the long line.  If you’re at an event where the patrons are in costume, find something cool about their costume you like and point that out; people work hard on their costumes, and that sort of kindness goes a long way. And make your engagement real, y’all. You don’t have to be inauthentic. If you think the necklace is ugly, don’t say the opposite! But it’s not hard to find things to bring people into a circle of conversation in a way that’s entirely genuine. 

Be lighthearted. Greet people as they walk by even if they make no indication that they intend to stop. If it’s a hot day, invite people in to your tent, where it’s shady (or maybe you have a fan they can enjoy…we do this and it’s real. We genuinely want to help people out when it’s really hot, and we have an extra fan for this purpose. Of course, once they're in our tent, we’re already halfway to a sale). Most themed events encourage some level of character-driven participation for vendors - have fun with that. Speak like a pirate; remember your “my lords” and “my ladies” at a renaissance festival. My husband has a great time with this; he is never mean or lewd, but he’s notorious for making silly jokes and things that bring people to our tent. Most of the time, his silliness is dad-joke level, so he gets a chuckle out of people; 80% of the time, they will engage back. And even if they don’t buy something from you, I promise you, they will remember you next time. This is especially true if you’ve done everything else we’ve talked about today to ensure that you were truly representative of the event and your brand.

Customer engagement and personalization when vending is critical. By implementing these strategies, you can create meaningful connections with your customers that extend far beyond a simple transaction. Embrace the creativity and excitement that each unique event offers as opportunities to showcase your brand’s personality and build lasting relationships. Remember, the world of themed events offers a canvas for creativity and connection.  Do you have tried and true methods of creating customer engagement? Or do you have other questions about engagement and personalization? Join us on the festival vendor Facebook group, or Leave us a message by clicking on “Send us a text message” on our Buzzsprout page. We read them all!

And speaking of engagement - if our content is helpful or just fun for you, please consider subscribing or just buying us a coffee - links for both are in the show notes.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, happy vending, stay safe, and I’ll see you at the fair.