Crisp wind in the air, trees speckled with orange, pumpkin spice in every cafe – the signs of fall are here. You and your business are ready to embrace the season. Perhaps you’ve already “fall-ified” your storefront with some decorative gourds and launched a fresh social media campaign to boost your engagement marketing. All hands are on deck as you begin to prepare for the biggest shopping day of the year!
The reality is, that when it comes to thoughtful event team staffing for the holidays, the time to prep is already here: Black Friday is right around the corner. The trick? Start thinking of the holiday not just as a busy day of shopping, but as an event that requires careful planning and execution. Big crowds, long hours, and the intense energy of shoppers hungry for deals are all important factors to consider when placing your event staff.
Inspiring your promotional workforce as a retailer means making sure that your event team feels supported, prepared, and valued. Here are three ways to ensure that your day of deals is a success:
1. Be Generous and Transparent
Team staffing around the craziness of the holiday season is no easy feat: acknowledge this, and your business will thank you in the long run. Actively recognizing and valuing the length of hours your dedicated staff will spend on their feet – especially on a national holiday – will go a long way. Make sure to compensate and thank your team according to industry standards. Also, keep in mind that they’re choosing to help out on a day that they could be spending with family. Offering generous perks, shout-outs, commission bumps, and other incentives to work on Black Friday will give your event staff that extra boost of inspiration.
2. Hire Specialized Talent
Regardless of the industry, when it comes to event staffing, your best performers will be the ones who have specialized expertise in your company’s product and message. Smart hiring for a food and beverage retail event, for example, means working with staff who will know how to prepare a sampling tray – that will look a lot different than putting together outfit sets for a display! For more inspiration on successful in-store product sampling, check out our blog post here.
3. Boost In-Store Engagement
Finally, how you guide, train, and treat your event staffing on the big day will make or break whether your event goes smoothly. Make sure that all your hires are well-prepared with knowledge about your product offering and any special deals you promote. Whether it’s polishing up displays or creating a fun hashtag for your shoppers to engage with on social media, a little thought about distinguishing your brand goes a long way!
At the end of the day, your event staff is your biggest asset. After all, they’re the ones that build up the reputation of your business, engage with customers, and ultimately directly contribute to your engagement marketing – not just on Black Friday, but year-round.