Growing a community today takes greater than creating engaging content on social media. It’s about meeting customers where they’re with creative in-person events. That is how Gym+Coffee scaled to turn into an eight-figure lifestyle brand that’s loved by its community.
CEO and co-founder Niall Horgan launched the brand together with his two best friends, and oversees events, partnerships, and retail expansion. Niall and his team plan well over 50 to 60 events a 12 months, totalling greater than 400 events up to now.
Niall shares the right way to plan and execute a successful event that establishes a loyal community and dedicated customer base.
Tips on how to grow your brand through events
While not all online businesses have the power to succeed in customers IRL, people who do should make the most of the chance. Connect with local customers with the following pointers from a successful founder.
1. Make it personal
“We’ve all been to events where you would possibly not know people, you would possibly feel a little bit bit awkward—possibly it’s your first ever fitness class. So we would like to interrupt those barriers immediately,” Niall says.
To make guests feel comfortable, Niall welcomes one and all that shows as much as the brand’s group workouts and hangouts. “We introduce them around, tell them about us, and discover a little bit bit about them,” Niall says. Individuals who attended the events became loyal customers, establishing a meaningful connection to the brand, its ethos, and the people behind it.
Exit of your approach to connect with everyone who shows up to your event, they usually’ll turn into supporters of your brand. “If Gym+Coffee was personified, it will be the primary person to welcome you to a fitness class as you are available in the door, while other brands is likely to be over within the corner taking a selfie,” Niall says.
2. Start small
“Our first events were small—20 people—but we used it to get the momentum going,” Niall says. You don’t have to have an enormous following to host a live event. If you happen to can start small, you’ll get feedback, and feel encouraged to maintain going.
The dedication helped Gym+Coffee grow the dimensions of its events every time. “We committed to a 10-week event series to start with. The primary one began with 20 people, and by the tenth week we had about 300,” Niall says. The people you’ll meet at your first, smaller events will encourage and remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing.
3. Collect information out of your attendees
Because the team welcomed increasingly attendees to their events, they made sure to grab their contact information and pay attention to which forms of events were the most well-liked.
Once the Gym+Coffee team took over their first retail space, they were capable of host events at the shop and track attendees’ online purchases post-event. Collecting attendee information permits you to proceed the conversation after the in-person interaction and construct trust. Niall also uses this data to grasp customer segmentation and profiles on a deeper level.
Establishing a well-liked event series can feel out of reach for brand new businesses, but starting small will assist you to grow into a well known brand with impactful activations. Concentrate on the individuals who show up for you within the early days—and watch as they grow into your most loyal customers.
Niall shares more in the total Shopify Masters episode.
