Hosting a fun event can help your business break out of a marketing rut.
My kids are almost finished with college. As you can imagine they have a
lot of papers to write and projects to complete, midterms, finals, etc., and of
course, they’ve got their jobs. Neither one likes their on-campus job very
much but they know better than to complain about them in front of my boyfriend
Tom because if they do, he’ll say “That’s why they call it
work.” Not sure where he learned that one and it drives them nuts but at
least it gave me an idea.
Who wants fun?
Raise your (virtual) hand if you’re using
fun as part of your marketing efforts. Ortho Pro Associates
in Miami, Florida just raised their hands. Last year it was Ortho Pro’s
20th anniversary. They had a big party at a park in Miami. Fun! Music, food,
bouncy castles and more. How fun is that? It was big fun and everyone had a
fantastic time. They didn’t just congratulate themselves for taking care
of people for 20 years, they celebrated the people — all the people who
are the reasons why they are in business and have been successful for the past
20 years. Staff, patients, referrers and, maybe even more importantly, family.
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Christine Cox, Ossur, and
Elizabeth Mansfield join in the celebration with Alabama Artificial Limb &
Orthopedic Services Carnival cruise to Cozumel. |
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Image: Mansfield, E. |
Patients, referral sources and staff should get thanked on a
semi-regular basis but what about family? They’re the ones driving to
appointments, providing insurance coverage, offering support, providing
encouragement. I bet they appreciated the opportunity to have some fun and were
very happy Ortho Pro Associates included them.
Fun can be traditional
The Alabama Prosthetic and Orthotic Association just raised its
(virtual) hand, too. Almost every year at the annual meeting the APOA rents out
what I call “the party patio” and has a barbeque and watches the
Birmingham Barons minor league team play. Big fun! I know people who come to
that meeting just so they can go to the baseball game. It’s fun, it’s
a tradition and it’s definitely something people look forward to every
year. Everyone who attends the meeting is automatically invited and of course
you are welcome to bring your family.
Speaking of Alabama…someone else just raised their hand. It’s
the fun folks at Alabama Artificial Limb & Orthopedic Services. They do an
employee retreat every year. It’s their way of thanking their employees
for all their hard work and boosting morale. Did I mention that employees are
welcome to bring along their friends and family, at their own expense, so that
it’s even more fun? There’s that family thing again. It’s not
mandatory, so you’re welcome to stay home or leave your family at home if
you think you’ll have more fun without them, but most people bring them
along. It turns a “work” trip into a fun celebration.
Boosting your name in the
community doesn’t have to be about only press releases
and brochures. You can build customer goodwill and spread the good word by
investing in some fun. Think big!