If you’re tired of your business only appealing to people in your immediate area and are ready for growth, it may be time for a marketing tour. However, you can’t drop everything and get on the road without planning. There are some important steps to take before going on your business marketing tour. Planning and preparation are crucial for ensuring your tour is successful, and you don’t run into any roadblocks along the way.
Find Wiggle Room
No matter how much planning you do regarding financials and timetables, something like a marketing tour always throws a wrench in things. With tours like this, you need to find some financial wiggle room and extra time. Scheduling things too closely will only set your business up for failure.
For example, if you need to get to the next tour stop and set up in five hours, but the drive there takes four hours, you haven’t given yourself enough time. Take what you think is the right amount of wiggle room, and double it. Allowing this much extra time ensures any emergency that arises won’t derail your operations for too long. The same goes for money. You should assume things will be more expensive than they first appear. When creating your budget, be sure to account for accidents, no matter how big or small they may be.
Get the Right Trailer
One of the first things you need to do to make sure your marketing tour goes smoothly is to get the right trailer. When going on these tours, you’ll need some form of a trailer or display that draws attention to your business, but each business has different needs, meaning you’ll need a unique trailer. Thankfully, you can customize a drop trailer for your business needs. So, if you run a food service business, you can install a kitchen and other safety measures. Jumping on the road without ensuring you have the right trailer will only hurt your business. People want to see what you have to offer, and the best way to do that is with a trailer that lets you show off your unique products and services.
Open Yourself Up to Feedback
In addition to preparing your business for the best tour possible, it’s important that you also realize these tours are a great way to learn and grow. In addition to putting your products and services on display for audiences far and wide, it’s an opportunity to get hands-on feedback from average consumers. However, it won’t do you any good if you’re not ready to receive feedback. Learn to be receptive, but also consider prepping some questionnaires to see what your business can improve on to better reach your desired consumer.
To ensure your business marketing tour goes smoothly, you must take some necessary steps to prepare. Tours like this don’t just happen automatically—they require a lot of work on your end to organize, show up, and get your products and services in front of potential customers. Additionally, to help generate buzz, you must also consider advertising your tour stops. Success isn’t always the easiest to achieve, but with the right planning, it is possible.