Thinking of Trying a Pop-Up Shop? Here’s How to turn that into Lifelong Customers

Today, I’d like to discuss how to use an event that your business sponsors or hosts and turn it into lifelong customers. Let me first clarify what it is I’m talking about: an event where your brand has some sort of experience to sell rather than just an advertisement.

That could be a pop-up shop at the local high school football game, a food truck, or an aesthetically pleasing booth to sell your goods. As long as you’re posted up at an event of some sort, this tactic can be utilized.

Let us start with defining the end goal here: to get your brand or logo posted on social media by your customers- for free. This is beneficial for several reasons.

First, exposure anywhere is always a good thing; more eyeballs on the logo that holds your blood, sweat, and tears. Second, your customers who post your logo online are spreading your message to their friends and family. That adds immense credibility to your brand in the eyes of those seeing your brand name for the very first time on a post from their neighbor.

Now, let’s get into the juice. To keep the train of thought consistent, we will maintain the scenario of having a booth at a high school football game. The main theme here is beautification. Put considerable effort into making your booth vibrant, extravagant, and “happy”. Have some pretty lights, music playing, and your friendliest employees working the booth. Here’s the defining variable: you’ll need an area just to the side of your booth staged like a photo shoot.

An attractive backdrop, a couple of lights pointing in that direction, and ample room for people and their families to gather for a photo. The idea is that once your product is sold to someone, you direct them to the photo booth where you’ll take a complimentary photo or two of said customers and friends. Ideally, you have someone on your team there whose sole purpose is to photograph, even if it is merely taken on a smartphone.

Remember, you want this to be a micro-experience within their quick stop to your booth. You are friendly, you sell a good product (it doesn’t matter if you sell coffee cups, t-shirts, or pet hamsters), and they get a free photoshoot directly after. Your logo should most definitely be plastered on that beautiful backdrop at least once.

If executed properly, you’ll be able to take advantage of a concept called social currency. If the backdrop is attractive enough, and the lighting is above average, there’s a pretty solid chance the high schoolers will be antsy to post that on Instagram. That goes for everyone, people want to share what a good time they had, or what looks like a good time.

If you can make that happen for them, they will gladly share your logo all over social media without even knowing that’s what they are doing. Not that it’s a sneaky maneuver or anything, but that’s how seamless the tactic is if efficiently utilized.

If you want to take it a step further, there are plenty of ways to creatively provide incentives for your customers to tag your account when they post. Now you’re really cookin’. None of this works if their 5-7 minutes spent at your booth wasn’t exceptional, so make it exceptional.