(#556) FOUNDATIONAL GUIDE: GRAB-AND-GO REFERRAL EVENTS
WHAT IS GRAB-AND-GO?
Picture your team smiling, as everyone takes off for school or work, handing-off a quick breakfast packed up and ready to go.
You’ve successfully hosted an event that works for every resident’s schedule and boosted your referral stats. This an easy event that requires a little bit of planning and gives you a lot of payoffs.
We’re focusing on breakfast here, but there are so many ways to do Grab-and-go events!
To list a few:
Pizza
Cookies
Dog Treats
Kids’ lunches
WHY GRAB-AND-GO?
Bottom line: Your residents are busy. They work, go to school, take care of children and pets, tackle their own goals and ambitions, just keep their lives going. This is a great way for your onsite team to become a cog in your residents’ “machine of life” and take a task off their plate — by putting something on it.
Referrals: Get your residents excited and talking about you. You’ve helped them with their day and given them some marketing materials to take to work or school. A grab-and-go event will get your residents talking about it or get coworkers asking, “Hey! Where’d you get that muffin?”
HOW TO GRAB-AND-GO? (The simple way)
1. Prepare your breakfast and referral designs
2. Inform your residents. Download a couple of our social squares and invite them to come by the office for snacks!
“Just a little thank you to our wonderful residents! Come in for our Grab-and-Go Event this month! We’ll have _______ (Treats) from ______ to ______ at _______ (hours and location) Can’t wait to see you there!”
3. Bring the event to life!
Get your team aligned
We want everyone to be on the same page and fully committed to the idea that referrals are both critical and easy to get.
Hosting events for your residents isn’t just a way to hit your marketing goals. We want your teams to realize that you are truly making a difference in someone’s life! Put your heart into it and your residents will notice.
Sprout is in your corner! Don’t fret about ideas, designs, and bringing it to life. Each month, we have new daily doses that are specifically geared to Grab-and-Go events.
Search hundreds of event designs here. Search “Breakfast” and narrow your design purpose to EVENTS.
These are the foundational principles your Grab-and-Go event should cover:
Get closer to your referral goals by including your referral bonus info either:
On the breakfast itself. Think label or quarter-page flyer attached to the package.
Have a referral automation station set up next to the breakfast. If you’re hosting this in your office, self-serve style, show off your referral info next to it!
This is supposed to be easy for your residents to take on the go.
Doing breakfast puts your event at the beginning of the day when you may have a little more time to prep and they’ll be on their way out the door.
PRO TIP: Tell your residents well in advance of your event and have them RSVP by a cutoff date if it’s a more involved breakfast. Giving them at least a week to find out and respond gives you time to prepare, making sure you have enough breakfast and supplies for everyone.
WHEN TO ASK FOR REFERRALS?
Breakfast on the go, grab-and-go, whatever we call it — it’s referrals and retention. You should always be looking for referrals.
Make it part of your monthly marketing plan. Every month Sprout gives you at least one Grab-and-go event you can make happen. Not sure where to start? Visit our planning page here.
Treat your residents in a way that inspires referrals. Asking for referrals is great. Getting them without asking is even better. Host a Grab-and-go event to make your residents fall in love with you. They’ll rave about you without you having to ask.
Keep it simple. Reap big rewards.
Effective events don’t need to be huge and over the top. Keep your sanity and your team on board by hosting a small event that reaps tremendous rewards.
While outreach marketing can be intimidating, the easiest way to get started is to focus on your home turf — with current residents. They have already bought into your community. So the easiest way to turn one resident into three is with a kick-butt referral program.
Make them remember why they love living in your community and then give them something to talk about — and eat.