This week’s blog post is a guest feature from wellness business coach Kimberley Barnard, who tells us why in-person events create real impact and what the benefits are for your business.
Find out more about Kimberley on her website.
Have you ever thought about running events in your business but thought you didn’t know how or weren’t sure of the benefit for your business?
Events are a fantastic platform to connect with your ideal audience in what is now a predominantly online world.
So many of us use YouTube exercise videos, follow programmes sent to us by our trainers, do coaching over Skype or take part in online courses. But they don’t give us real-time human interaction.
The impact of events is powerful – whether you are doing yoga, coaching, reiki or giving a talk.
Why do you think all the big names do it? Tony Robbins, Marie Forleo, Gabby Bernstein and Dr Joe Dispenza all host regular events.
Events are the perfect way for us to switch off from the online 24/7 world, connect and network with like-minded people. Events enable us to give our full attention without interruption.
People are looking for this type of experience in wellness more than ever before. We are seeking to become more present and living in the moment.
If you love the sound of running an event but are worrying about all the intricacies of planning your first one, honestly, you have nothing to worry about.
The flexibility of running events is endless and you can create any type of event for any product or service for any size of audience and host it almost anywhere.
Before we delve into the benefits of events to your business, I want you to know I am speaking from almost 10 years of event management experience and have organised and executed events in the wellness industry as well as B2B. If you want to know a bit more about me and my journey, check it out here.
The benefit of events for your wellness business
Events are usually the last thing we consider when planning out our wellness product portfolio. However, the benefits and return on hosting an event can be huge.
Here are just a few of the benefits:
Events encourage engagement through a more intimate setting
For those of you who have social media or Facebook groups, I am sure you can think of one or more occasions where you have posted an engagement post and got nothing, crickets…
Events are where that changes.
People are more likely to share and engage in a smaller, intimate group setting. They are more likely to be vulnerable in these settings than on social media where they can be potentially seen by anyone.
Events are great for building community
Events encourage a community because you start to build a rapport with your attendees. This setting encourages support, guidance and networking not only from you but with other attendees. It also offers the chance for collaborations, ideas and growth, with like-minded individuals.
Events get face time with your ideal audience
This is possibly one of the biggest benefits of hosting events. You get to meet people who are interested in what you do but maybe are not ready to sign up to big ticket packages/services and this is a great way to build on your know, like and trust factor more quickly. People who attend events are more likely to buy sooner than those who may follow you on social media.
Events build on your brand
Events not only build on your brand but give it more exposure. Do you want to change a few lives or many? Events enable you to reach a larger audience, gain more exposure and grow more quickly.
If you are a coach and host a workshop or seminar for 20 people instead of just working one-to-one, the speed of growth, business/brand exposure and energy around the transformations you enable will be so much more.
What types of events can you run in the wellness industry?
When I talk about events, what do you think of?
I have definitely in the past visualised a room filled with hundreds of people, a stage and a lectern.
But the beauty of events is that you can choose any format, setting and audience size and create an event that plays to your strengths, passions and objective.
Here are just a few ideas for the types of events you can run in a wellness business:
Informal talks (for example coffee mornings or evenings)
Networking sessions
Workshops or seminars
Half-day or full-day events ranging from summits to intimate half-day panel sessions
Walks
Retreats
Trade shows
Product/book launches
Festivals
Parties
Classes (whether for cooking, yoga, etc)
Special events like runs, races, competitions
Webinars
Online summits
Online workshops
Events don’t have to be expensive or hard work if you don’t want them to be. Do events that you feel good about. They don’t have to be all-singing, all-dancing to begin.
What to do before planning and running an event
Get clear on the objective of your event
Do you want to raise awareness of your brand, educate, sell a product or service? What is it that you want to achieve by running your event? This will help you determine what type of event you want to run.
Make sure you do your research
Do your market research on whether there is a demand for the type of event you want to run, interview your ideal audience, find out what they want and how you can meet those needs.
About Kimberley Barnard
Kimberley coach wellness entrepreneurs on creating a success mindset and starting their own wellness businesses. Together with her clients she helps turn their passion for wellness into successful and sustainable passion driven and purpose-centred wellness businesses.
Contact Kimberley to learn more.
Latest posts
BACK TO THE BLOG
