You only get one chance at a grand opening. These unique ideas using photos and social media will help make the launch of your store or business a viral sensation.
It’s not exactly revolutionary to point out how popular social media has become. Social networks are everywhere, it often seems, and research backs up this conclusion: According to data compiled by Statista, 81 percent of Americans had a profile on at least one social media site. On a worldwide basis, approximately 1.96 billion users are on social media, with projections positing that 2.5 billion profiles will be active by the time 2018 rolls around.
Its imperative to consider how a grand opening will appear, not only for the attendees, but also how people in the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter-verses will react to and spread word about the event.
Use the right networks
Facebook is, by the numbers, the most prominent social media platform, having surpassed its peers some time ago to reach 1 billion users and claiming 1.5 billion accounts as of January 2016. As such, if you haven’t set up a Facebook page in advance of the big day, it behooves you to rectify that sooner rather than later.
Fit Small Business emphasized the high value of Facebook-based promotions, and particularly how ideal they are for grand openings. Your company should post some photos of the finished location (exterior is better, for aesthetic reasons) as well as pictures of its products, if applicable. But don’t neglect other networks per se: If the company has a broad demographic appeal, add Instagram, Twitter and other platforms to the social media mix.
Stage the opening like a party
There’s a reason for the use of the word “grand” in the term “grand opening.” It’s supposed to be a celebration! Your event should be worthy of the large-scale joviality that such a phrase is meant to indicate.
As Entrepreneur magazine pointed out, it will be prudent to budget the event like a party, albeit not a massive one – after all, you will soon need to be allocating your financial resources toward day-to-day business expenses. But it’s no massive expense to purchase a red carpet backdrop that you can place within the entrance, to aesthetically whet the appetite of incoming potential customers. If seeking to further the impression of a gala affair, a backdrop with the company’s logo stitched diagonally across will stand out quite prominently.
To help persuade grand-opening attendees to post images of the event on their own social media profiles, consider staging a contest for the goofiest photo, or the most appealing pose that incorporates the company’s product. With the right hashtag, this can blow up online faster than you might think.
