Top 5 Steps for a Successful Pop-up

5 Steps for A Successful Pop-Up Shop

Build it and they will not come. As a pop-up shop, you’re likely starting as an unknown entity. Even if you have an established brand, you don’t have any history in your new brick and mortar space. It’s up to the pop-up to plan their pop-up event to not only be profitable but also grow brand awareness and trust.

The good news is that with the rise of cheap short term rentals and boutique urban shopping, pop-ups are more popular than ever. Include these 5 steps in your pop-up plan, and you’ll be on the path of success. Neglect them and you kill your pop-up before it can get off the ground.

Advertise more than you think you need to

For a successful pop-up, your customer needs to know you exist. Word of mouth won’t be enough, social media won’t be enough, and in some cases paid advertisements aren’t even enough. It’s our opinion that you should advertise more than you think you need to, starting earlier than you think you need to. Get a buzz going on social media many months before the event by running ads and contacting local influencers in your niche. You can also do a blog tour, posting on popular blogs in your space, which can make your site more visible and drive ticket sales.

And it’s important to note that it’s not enough to advertise big – you’ve also got to advertise smart. Your goal is to capture profits from the pop-up, to prove that a brick and mortar location can be profitable. Spending an obscene amount of your budget on advertising is going to make that goal very difficult to reach. Rather than splurging on splashy advertisements, find ways to specifically target your demographic through targeted online ads, influencers in their niche, and guerilla tactics.

One of the slyest and often most effective advertising techniques harness the fear of missing out, or FOMO, to pull customers to your shop. Consider paying a group of people to form a line outside your shop and head inside. This paid foot traffic will generate a long line out your door during peak hours, so passersby will notice, take photos and get in line just to see what the hype is all about.

Make sure your everyone who you pay to be at your shop signs a nondisclosure so they don’t tell anyone they were paid, and avoid jealousy. These paid people should also be required to take a social media photo and post on IG/FB with your hashtags and location pin. They should be paid and given enough money to also get food at your space. Be sure to know the peak hour of your target customer so you can arrange the line to be out the door at the right time.

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