Welcome back! How’s your week? Are you thinking about event season? It’s here! I already have October & November events scheduled.
I’ll be honest with you even when I was a provider in the treatment room I didn’t love events. I never have. I’m an introvert and crowds just don’t do much for me. But I know how important they can be for businesses to have for their existing and future clients. Events, when planned well, can increase your revenue and help you grow and scale your business.
In this blog we are discussing– should you have an event? What to do if you are in a solo suite and you don’t have the space for an event? And most importantly, the things you need to think about and focus on for your event to be successful and profitable.
I’ve attended a lot of events in my role as a Business Development Manager and I’ve helped plan them in the spas I worked in. The most successful events that I’ve seen and attended have had a lot of planning and preparation behind them. So obviously, my #1 piece of advice: if you are going to choose to host an event, be sure you are planning early.
Some of the reasons you may want to host an event?
It helps you Build Relationships: It's an opportunity for you as an esthetician or business to interact with clients on a more personal level outside of the treatment room.
Educate and Showcase Expertise: It’s a perfect time to talk about new treatments and educate your new and existing clients about what they can expect and gain from the treatments or products that you offer. It’s a great opportunity to demo so that your guests can ask questions and learn more about the treatment or product.
Events when planned will help Boost Revenue: Hosting an event is great for increasing sales of high-ticket treatments and retail products during and after the event.
Ultimately it’s a great way to get the Word Out & Create a Buzz: Events can attract new clients and help you grow your business through word of mouth and social media exposure.
Planning a Successful Event
Set a clear goal and intention for your event: What is the purpose for your event? If you have a specific goal it will make planning your event easier. It’s going to help you create direction and purpose for your event.
Based on your goal, what will you be highlighting at your event: Are you going to be doing treatments, demo’s, will you be providing skin care or treatment consultations, are you launching a new treatment? Set yourself up for success and prioritize what you want to highlight.
Picking a Theme or Focus: Create a clear focus (anti-aging, fall skincare, acne solutions or body contouring) by picking a theme you can determine who you are marketing to and where your focus is going to be.
Budgeting and Event logistics: Set a budget and choose the right date and time. Market research has shown that typically events have shown to do best Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays between 4-7pm
Who do you want to target to come to your event: Talk about targeting your ideal clients for the event and promoting it through social media, email lists, or even collaborations with influencers.
Set Measurable Goals: So we are going to determine what the goal of the event is and from there you set a way to track and measure your results. Because if you're not measuring your results how are you going to know what worked and what didn’t for future events. So this is great to measure current success but also future event success.
What are some Key Elements you can include in your Skincare Event
Education: offering demos of your treatments, mini-workshops on treatments and skincare consultations.
Hands-On Experiences: You can offer mini facials or product sampling, giving clients a firsthand experience with your services. If you are offering mini-treatments rsvp’s would be a great idea.
Exclusive Offers: Special discounts, exclusive bundles, or VIP packages that are only available to event attendees.
Raffles or Giveaways: You can host a raffle or giveaway for skincare products or treatments to create excitement around your event.
Marketing & Promoting Your Event
Timeline: Start marketing early 2-3 months before is best but no later than 4 weeks before depending on how big your event is going to be. Large events can require up to 6 months or more of planning.
Social Media Strategy: You need to be posting about your event at least weekly and adding content to stories to create buzz. The closer you get to the event the more I would be posting about the event. It’s a great idea to create a launch calendar so that you know what content you need to prepare ahead of time and you already know what you will be posting.
Email and Snail Mail Marketing: Send out personal invitations to your current clients by mail first and then by email. You will also want to send out reminders closer to date. Be collecting email addresses from new clients that come in to see you and let them know that you will be sending them a reminder about your upcoming event. Start creating excitement.
Collaborations: Partner with complementary local businesses (like hair salons or makeup artists) for cross-promotion and a wider reach.
Virtual Event Success
Why have a Virtual Event? Virtual events have become a powerful tool for estheticians, especially those working solo or without a large physical space. Hosting a virtual skincare event can expand your reach, connect with clients from anywhere, and offer the same level of education and engagement as an in-person event.
Some Ideas for Virtual Events
1. Live Skincare Classes: Host a live demo or tutorial on how to perform a facial at home or teach clients about skincare routines tailored to specific skin types or concerns.
2. Product Launches: If you’re introducing new treatments or skincare products, a virtual launch event allows you to showcase the benefits through live demonstrations and Q&A sessions.
3. Exclusive VIP Webinars: Offer small group webinars for your most loyal clients where they get insider tips, skincare secrets, and access to exclusive promotions or discounts.
Tips for Hosting a Successful Virtual Event
1. Choose the Right Platform: Platforms like Zoom or Instagram Live, facebook live for virtual events, offering easy accessibility for your clients.
Zoom: Great for a more interactive experience, where clients can ask questions and engage in real-time.
Instagram Live: Perfect for quick demos or casual, real-time interactions with your followers.
2. Plan. You still need to start prepping for your event at least 1-2 months in advance. Start collecting emails so that you can send reminders. Set a reminder button on your instagram post. Create a facebook event. When it gets closer to-date add a countdown on your instagram.
3. Prepare Visual Aids: Use slideshows or close-up demos. Canva is great for creating visuals, slideshows or documents that you will need for an event. So make sure you're making a list of what you need ahead of time so that you can have that created beforehand and you're not stressing at the last minute.
4. Engagement is Key: Keep your virtual attendees engaged by encouraging them to ask questions, offering live polls, or incorporating giveaways and contests throughout the event. You can mention ahead of time that you have prizes for those that are asking questions. The more interactive you can make it, the better.
5. Create a Kit or a Freebie for Attendees: If you have the resources, prior to the event, send out a mini skincare kit to your attendees that RSVP with sample products they can use during the virtual demo. This enhances the experience and makes the event feel more personal.
6. Offer Exclusive Deals: Incentivize by offering exclusive discounts on products or treatments only available during the event.
7. Follow Up: After the event, send a follow-up email thanking your attendees, recapping what you discussed, and including any event-exclusive offers or further details on how to book treatments with you.
Virtual Events can be great for any business to have but especially for the solo estheticians who may be in a suite or not in a space that is large enough to host an in-person event.
low overhead costs
the ability to host from anywhere
Virtual events can still give you that opportunity to connect with clients, build relationships, and generate revenue—without needing a physical space.
Post Event Success Tips
For those that rsvp’d but did not attend follow up with a call and extend promo offer to them.
Call clients who attended and did not purchase and answer any questions and extend offer one last time for them
Send post-event thank you email to attendees
Share any photos you took at an event on social media. Make sure you have a designated person taking photos.
My quote for you this week: “Every minute you spend in planning, saves you 10 minutes in execution. This gives you a 1000% return on your energy.” Unknown.
Planning and preparation are key to a successful event. So always be sure you put in the time and effort to reap the rewards of an amazing successful event.
Wishing you a prosperous and joyful event season. Send me your questions and topics you want to see covered in the blog and on the podcast.
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