To host a successful event, it’s crucial to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that integrates various channels effectively reaching your target audience. By carefully coordinating these elements, you can enhance your event's visibility, attract more attendees, and achieve your desired outcomes. A well-crafted plan will help you build an engaged audience, create a memorable experience, and leave a lasting impression on your community.
"I had the wonderful opportunity to work with the LONDONmiddlebury team to develop a marketing campaign to spread the word about my store relocation and grand reopening. This was the first time I ever worked with an outside marketing firm, and their collaborative approach made them feel like an extension of my own team. They are very thoughtful and took the time to truly understand my brand and its unique voice. The team created a thorough plan to stay within my budget with clear deliverables and responsibilities. Not to mention, they were extremely knowledgeable with determining the ideal advertising channels for my specific business. I was juggling so many things during the relocation, so having LONDONmiddlebury's support was critical for this relaunch. The campaign far exceeded my expectations and surpassed the goals we set at the start of the project!"
- Beth Bluestein, Sparrow Art Supply Owner
Painting a marketing campaign for the right audience
Sparrow Art Supply, a beloved gallery and art supply store in Middlebury, Vermont, is dedicated to fostering creativity and making art accessible to individuals of all skill levels. The store operated in its first location for several years but found arising issues in terms of accessibility of the physical storefront. The team decided to move around the corner to a new home directly on Main Street, offering more visibility and convenience.
Eager to celebrate their new location and generate excitement among their audience, the Sparrow Art Supply team decided to host a Grand Reopening. To ensure the event's success, they collaborated with LONDONmiddlebury to develop a comprehensive and purposeful marketing strategy.
Putting the pieces together
To create a holistic and impactful marketing campaign, we crafted a multi-faceted approach with a strategy, production calendar, and schedule. We worked with Sparrow’s owner, Beth, to share the workload in a way that made the most sense for her and her budget. This strategy seamlessly integrated various elements, including a dedicated event landing page, an informative blog post, engaging social media content, targeted digital advertising, eye-catching print ads, strategic public relations efforts, and personalized email marketing.
The synergy between these elements allowed us to create a comprehensive and memorable campaign that not only informed but also excited potential customers about Sparrow Art Supply's new location and the enhanced experience it offers to the community.
Landing Page + Blog Post
The cornerstone of our marketing strategy was the creation of a dedicated landing page on the Sparrow Art Supply website. The landing page served as the primary source of information, providing visitors with essential details, the theme and artists in the gallery exhibit, and insights into the store’s decision to relocate.
To provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the move and its significance, the landing page strategically linked to an in-depth blog post. This blog post delved into the reasons behind the relocation, the store's vision for the future, and how the new space will better serve the needs of the artist community. By establishing the landing page as the foundation of our marketing strategy and seamlessly integrating it with the blog post, we created an information hub for the Grand Reopening event.
Social Media
Recognizing the importance of social media in reaching and engaging with our target audience, we focused on optimizing Sparrow Art Supply's presence on various platforms. Instagram, being the store's most frequently used and successful channel, already boasted a loyal and interactive following. However, we identified an untapped opportunity to connect with a broader demographic on Facebook.
To capitalize on this, we created a dedicated Facebook account for Sparrow Art Supply, allowing the store to expand its reach and engage with a new segment of potential customers. This strategic move not only enhanced the store's overall social media presence but also laid the foundation for the targeted Meta ads that formed a crucial component of our digital advertising strategy.
To generate buzz and keep our audience informed about the Grand Reopening event, we developed a series of social media posts, stories, and reels. These included announcements of the new location, gallery exhibit theme, the soft opening of the store, and two event reminders. Each post was crafted with attention to visual consistency, featuring cohesive branding elements such as colors and fonts. The accompanying captions were descriptive and engaging, designed to evoke excitement and encourage participation.
Digital + Print Advertising
We knew that Sparrow Art Supply’s loyal customers would be interested in the Grand Reopening event, but we wanted to reach an even larger audience with art interests. Meta gave us the opportunity to create targeted ads based on audience interests and location. Digital ads are an effective way to reach audiences; for Sparrow Art Supply, the price was $1 per 1,000 impressions less than local print advertising options.
While digital marketing is a total game-changer when it comes to cost-effectively getting your message out there, we didn’t want to sleep on the power of print advertising! Recognizing the value of a multi-channel approach, we developed a print advertising strategy that complemented our digital efforts. Executed by Sparrow’s owner, Beth, and guided by the design of the digital collateral we created, the print materials followed the same visual language and branding elements established in our other event content, ensuring a cohesive and recognizable aesthetic across all platforms.
Print Materials
Flyers might seem old-school, but don't underestimate their impact! 
The Grand Reopening Flyer hung in several places throughout Addison County, from local businesses to Middlebury College bulletin boards. In the month leading up to the event, this served as an initial introduction and a reminder for those who walked past the flyer multiple times.
People in Addison and Chittenden counties with a previous interest in art received invitation postcards with details about the event right in their mailbox! This way, people didn’t have to go on social media or leave their home to find out about the event, with the event information coming straight to their front door.
Public Relations
The public relations portion of our marketing campaign included a press release and event postings. The press release was distributed to a list of journalists, publishers, and media outlets in the region, announcing the relocation and inviting them to the reopening event. It focused on promoting the event and Sparrow Art Supply’s brand story as a local business.
The press release got picked up by several news outlets, including interviews with Sparrow’s owner, Beth. The Addison Independent wrote a story leading up to the event to stir excitement. Seven Days Cofounder and Art Editor, Pamela Polston, interviewed Beth for a feature in the paper’s Visual Art section.
Additionally, Middlebury College’s student-run newspaper, The Middlebury Campus, shared excitement from students about the local art opportunities.
Email + SMS Marketing
Sparrow Art Supply had an existing weekly newsletter with loyal readers. We provided the store with content to include in the newsletter to promote the event. These blurbs shared the details about the event, the loyalty program benefits available there, and a link to the landing page so readers could find more information.
We advised the Sparrow Art Supply team to use SMS marketing to stir excitement for the event. It’s hard to ignore a pop-up text message on your home screen. It’s the perfect channel to share details about an event, offer deals and discounts, or inform loyal customers about a new product or service. In fact, the average open rate for an SMS campaign is 98 percent, compared to email’s 20 percent. For Sparrow, we advised a more personal text to avoid any possible feelings of intrusion.
Both lists had a very low unsubscribe rate, meaning people found value in receiving these updates and messages from Sparrow Art Supply.
The big picture: a Grand Reopening with many visitors
Each of these elements came together to create a strong marketing strategy that drove community buzz and foot traffic for the event. Over 300 people stopped by to see the new space.
The Grand Reopening event wasn’t the end of our marketing efforts! The team was able to leverage this event for ongoing marketing, including a raffle to drive loyalty program signups. The day after the event, they saw their highest number of customers in a single day, the event’s marketing having a long-lasting effect on local consumers.
