Marketing your event can feel like a whole event in and of itself.
And today, I'm excited to have Kristina Bartold on the podcast to
talk to us all about event marketing. But before we get into
that, I gotta give a shout out to our sponsor, Riverside. Riverside
is the all in one recording studio I use to record this here
podcast. And my favorite part is a little magic they do behind
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and get 15% off your Riverside subscription by using the
code drea, that's d r e a, at checkout. With
that, Kristina, welcome to the show. Drea, it's a dream
to be here. I'm so excited. So thank you so much for having me. I'm
excited to have you because I'm just coming off of the high that was High
Vibe Women, your, signature event that you hosted this
past weekend in Kitchener, Ontario, and it was just absolutely
fabulous. So I wanna start the conversation with the catalyst, the
inspiration for getting into the event space because you come from
a marketing and social media background. So what why why events? What
started that line of business for you? Yeah. So similarly to
you, Drea, I loved my marketing agency. So we've been in business
almost 4 years. We do done for you social media and podcasting. We have 80
clients, like, love, love, love, no need for a side project. But something I had
noticed was a lot of the entrepreneurs, who I knew and who
we got to serve said entrepreneurship was lonely. And they talked a
lot about how they didn't have great entrepreneur friends. They didn't have people to
bounce ideas off of. Maybe there was a lot of gatekeeping in their industry. And
so I was really lucky that early on I was investing in a lot of
really great American rooms and was going over to the states and going to some
amazing events over there and just couldn't find anything comparable at home.
So we started throwing these little dinners. They'd be, like,
10, 15, 20 entrepreneurial women. We always joke that
our first one, we made $7, and then we realized we never even counted the
the gas that it took us to get there. So we're calling that one still
in the green. But, we would go and we would get together, and we had
kind of a little bit of a format of the discussion. And people would leave
with these amazing connections. Businesses were formed, like,
relationships, client relationships were made, and we realized we were kinda onto something. So
we started to run a little bit bigger events, you know, 30, 40 people. And
then last January, we ran our 1st 100 person event. This past weekend, we had
a 140 women. In March we're gearing towards a 200 person event,
but really focused around like how to help entrepreneurial women build
community and, you know, better their business. We know
that business is not really meant to be done alone. Our businesses are
stronger, better, I think, more profitable when we can do them with others. And
so, really just kind of leaning into that has has kinda how we got
started. Yes. And I could tell being in the room the
intentionality behind the connection piece because it
really did feel like we were all on the same team. Right? Like, even though
there were other even marketers in the room, other agencies,
like, everyone was there to kind of lift each other up.
And I think that that is some of the value of live events. And I'm
seeing that, especially, like, in this post pandemic world, we wanna
be together in the same place. But what do you think is,
like, one of the biggest takeaways of these live events outside
of the the connections that are made in the room? So a few things I
think come to mind when you ask that, like, obviously, the connections are are the
best part. But I would say, one is drawing inspiration for your business. Like, I
think that is a huge one. So whether it be like, I have been so
shocked by sometimes sitting next to someone at dinner who I think, like, in air
quotes, I'm gonna say, like, that might not provide value to my business. Right? Like,
you sit next to someone and they're a lawyer and you're kinda like, oh, like,
how are well, actually, lawyers are really gonna pour into your business. But, like, how
you know, someone who maybe not might be adjacent not be adjacent to your business.
And you might not think, oh, like, you know, that's gonna be a really fruitful
connection, but you have no idea what that person's experience or what they know or
what they've tried. Whether that be an amazing marketing idea, maybe it might
be a connection that they have. There's lots of really good
opportunities there. And so I think, like, the connections are,
great for the inspiration for your business. And I also think listening to some of
the speakers is so powerful because it allows you to borrow belief
from them as well. Right? So we had, a panel, a 7 figure
founder panel. And people, I can't tell you how much good feedback we got about
the 7 figure panel. And I was on the fence about doing it because
not everyone's very comfortable always talking about their numbers, and I didn't want people to
feel like they had to, you know like, maybe people don't wanna scale to 7
figures. Maybe that's not an aspiration of theirs. But it was really cool
to listen to people be like, oh, yeah. That's gonna be me one day. Like,
I can't wait to sit on that panel. I can't wait to be part of
that and really borrow belief from each other. So I think apart from the
relationships, I think that inspiration is what keeps us going and keeps us
really excited for, you know, changes that come in our business. And and that's
really helpful when, you know, your business isn't in an up season. Right? You need
that inspiration and and that joy. Yeah. It's so intangible
too. Like, the the dynamic of, like I love that you said borrowing belief
from people because we do need that as business owners, especially those of us
who work by ourselves for ourselves. It could be very isolating. And
so to have that camaraderie is so important. Okay. So let's talk about event
marketing. You know, when we sit down, start planning out our events, how
do we design an event that makes people excited to attend?
What are some of the things you think about when you're planning your next event?
Yeah. So in terms of when we're actually doing the actual planning, I think the
the thing that we have noticed the most is actually and it's funny because I
think this is actually counterintuitive is people think that speakers are
what people come for. And we've always been so, like, blessed by our
speakers. Drea, you spoke. You were fabulous. We had some amazing speakers.
But I actually think people come more for each other. And so really when we
start to think about our experience, we start to think about, like, what
can we do to foster connection with each other. We
think about what kind of things we'd want people to be talking
about. What we think backwards a little bit. Like, what would we want people to
describe our event as? What and then then we start to fill in the programming.
Do we want people to feel like there was tons and tons of information? Do
we want people to feel like there were lots of opportunities for connection? Do we
want people to feel like, you know, there are a lot of photo ops? Do
we want people to think that there was, you know, like, a lot of great
snacks? Like, what whatever those things are. And we kinda plan from that point.
And so I think that that's kinda what's made this, at least
successful to this point has been there's been a lot of intentionality around the feedback
that we take from people of of what people like and what people don't like.
And we really use that to help, you know, build hype around what
we're doing. And so I actually from a marketing perspective, you know, luckily
being a marketer, like, I'm able to, like, actually use the words that people
say about our event in the marketing. Like, when I hear people say, like, you
know, I love meeting new people. I'm I'm really here for, like, you know, the
people at my table were amazing. Okay. The next time, I'm gonna actually let
people talk more at their tables. Like, when I hear that people are like, hey.
I actually didn't really care that much about, you know, the snack break, but I
really would have loved more movement. Okay. Great. How do we implement more of that
stuff? So I think when thinking about building an event, really just listening to what
people have to say about your event is helpful not only on the marketing side,
but then also in the design perspective. And we always too
when it came to social, I can't say enough that when you're planning an
event, invest in the video, invest in
the photography. You know, invest in the content creator. We had, like, at one
point, there was our, like, videographer was standing and then I saw our photographer was
standing in front of her and then it crouched down was a girl with an
iPhone. And I was like, that is the way it's supposed to be, people. We
need this content because people wanna feel part of something. They wanna feel part of
that emotion. So that's why our first reel that we always post after event,
there's lots of people in it because we want people to look for themselves and
see themselves in in there. So I think really focusing on on your
people makes such a big difference. Yeah. A 100%. Like,
show them what it is instead of describing it. And I do wanna talk more
about your marketing because I think that the challenge with
events is that sometimes as the event planners, I I I work with a
lot of event planners, they wanna just go, it's here. Sign up.
Yes. And, like, we want people to just go, oh, yeah. I'm in. But
there's a strategy behind just like, come to our event. Come to our event. Please,
beg it. Come to our event. So talk to me about about the marketing
strategy, like, leading up to event. What are some of the things that you're making
sure to put in there to to to sell out the event? Yeah.
So we were really blessed with this past event that we sold out that event
in 10 days. So we were really, like, lucky and and before we'd even really
announce speakers. So we were, like, getting close to like, we were still
announcing speakers and the events had sold out. That was like, sorry speakers, your friends
can't come. Like, it was actually getting, like, getting a little tight in there as
you saw. But one of the things I think that we did well with that
was we learned a lot from the first time we ran our 100% where we
didn't sell out. And why I think, there was that
difference there is one, I think proof of concept is very important. I think
when you are selling an event for the first time, go easy on yourself.
Like, it's so easy when you see other people. I have friends who run large
scale 1,000 person events, and it's so easy to compare yourself and be like, oh,
you know, people just don't want what I'm offering. Like, people aren't looking for
that. But if you provide one really good experience, the second is easy for
you to put on as well. It's just you just need that practice. It's like
putting in your reps with anything else. So I think that's the first thing. The
second is we did really focus on a lot of, like,
FOMO creation in terms of content. I hate
saying that because it sounds like non inclusive that I'm trying to, like, create FOMO
for people. But we really wanted to show people, like, what they were missing
out on, if they hadn't been there, the relationships. And
and because we use so much content of the actual participants,
it was so cool to see them, like, be like, oh my gosh, this was
the best weekend ever. And then people are seeing their friends comment. Right? And they're
like, oh, that's like that's the trust. And I think we know this as as
marketers ourselves, like, we can say whatever until we're blue in the face,
but that's nothing compared to someone else's, like, trusted
friend or source saying it. I think about, like, anything I ever
buy, I'm like, oh, I got hit by an ad for this. But, Drea, if
you tell me to buy it, I'm definitely gonna buy it. Right? So we really
like, we have a lot of trust in our people. So how do you actually
get a lot of your ambassadors ready? And that's something that we did really well
the second time was we were very honest with, like, you know, our friends
and our entrepreneurial friends who are gonna be there. Like, hey. Like, it's our goal
to sell sell out this event, and the tickets are gonna go on sale on
this date, and here are the assets. And we made it easy for people to
promote. Like, we didn't say, like, oh, we have this event that's coming out on
this date. Like, you know, can you talk about it? It was like, hey. Here's
an email you can send. Here just here are photos. Like, making it very, very
simple for people. And there's also a rule too and,
like, I think that this is something that we see with all forms of marketing,
but event marketing too, is the more that people see something, the more it
resonates for them. Right? So when people see something over and over again and they're
like, oh, Drea went to that event. Oh, Kristina went to that event. Oh, like,
this person went to that event. Then they start to kind of build a narrative
around, like, what it is for good or for bad. And
so I think, really, again, building that hype and asking people to share and
be part of the messaging and the sharing of it, I think, was was kind
of one of the keys that we had in in building it out. Yeah. Yeah.
And I love that you talked about the ambassadors too because there is,
a power in community. And I think when you're when you're talking
about event, it literally is a community in and of itself. Right? And
so having the ambassadors is a great amplification. It's like
showing what that community is like. I'm I'm so
guilty of this. When I go to events, I'm always like, well, who's gonna be
there? Who who's gonna be in the room? Right? A 100%. And so that's
what your ambassadors are doing. Yeah. And you know what? It's so interesting because
I I've been that person too where even though there was an event
recently in New York City I went to and there there was 75 people going.
And my friend was, like, was running the event. She said, you should come. I
was, like, yeah. I'm definitely gonna come. And I didn't buy my ticket. And I
was, like, I was, like, oh, like, who's who's gonna be there? Like, who who's
in the room? Like, who am I gonna step aside? Like, what what's the situation
even though I was pretty bought in? And so we think it's the same for
for anything that we do. It's like people want no one wants to be the
first to do anything, so that's why social proof is really important. And whenever I
tell anybody who's, you know, selling an event, something that we do that
is so little that makes such a big difference is we will
take screenshots of, like, receipts of people buying, like, with no
personal information. No, like, Dreodon is buying a ticket. But, you know and
we'll say, oh, look. There's, you know, 25 people who purchased. And I can tell
you the how many times where I've been like, oh, you know, get your tickets.
Like, we've we've, you know, we're at 60% sold out. We're at
80% sold out. That those numbers that sit with people, they create
urgency. And so something I see with a lot of people is they don't create
any urgency in their marketing plan for, selling events. And
so then they're like, why aren't people buying tickets? Why aren't people buying tickets? And
then it's 2 days until the last day and they're like, oh, 10, 20 people
bought a ticket because they were waiting. So what can you do to actually spark
some excitement and some urgency in in folks so that they make a quicker choice?
Okay. I wanna talk more about urgency Yeah. Because I I think it can be
challenging depending on the timeline of the events. So when we're
thinking about urgency, you know, sometimes when I work with event planners, it's like
raising the price of the tickets over time. It can be things like,
speaker announcements, booking rooms, you know, refund
deadlines. What are some of your favorite ways to deploy urgency
in marketing, especially when it comes to event marketing?
So one of the things I will say I'm very passionate about is being
honest about things. So, like, I think people sometimes create fake
urgency. And, like, I've seen this before. I've gone to events actually
before where they're like, it's 90% sold out. And I'm like, this is a a
1,000 person here event, and there's 65 people here. Like, that's there was there
was no 80% sold out. Right? And so that's a faux pas, and people don't
like that, and people won't buy an event or ticket twice. Right? But I think
for for when I think about creating urgency, it's it's really around,
one, I love, the pricing structure of it. So something that
I'm really also passionate about, maybe this is a hot take, but I don't
like the, like, yo yo on the pricing. So where it's like,
you know, you go with 4.99 and then and then it goes up to 5.99
and then it's 2.99 and then it's back up to 5.99 because the people who
bought at regular price are not happy about that. And and, for me, it's really
important about kinda creating that experience for people. And this is something that we
we were a bit the hard way, right, where we would be like, oh, you
know, we get even this past weekend, we gave a code and bunch of people
didn't use the code. And they're like, can you refund me the money for the
code? And it creates kind of a logistical nightmare. So really, like, I think
that early bird is really important and being really strategic with that early bird
of, okay, I'm gonna give it a week. You know, maybe do a, like, a
but and thinking about, like, what is a what is perceived value for people? So
maybe it's, you know, a $100, $200 off, but it also could be cut like,
could it include a breakfast? Like, could you add an extra something in a
swag bag? You know, we had, our friend Jordy who
does IVs. Like, could a b 12 shop be included? Like, can you
do something like that that's creative and adds value that maybe doesn't hit the
cost too hard? Then I would say as you're getting closer, I would I would
just think about bonuses in different ways. One of my mentors what they would
do if if they were ever in a in a pickle on people is they
would offer, like, a hotel bonus. That would be, like, get 4 people to buy
a ticket and we'll cover your hotel room for the night. Like, you know, thinking
about different ways that, you know, is of respect still to the people who bought
the tickets, but also can get creative if you need people kinda in the
doors. But hopefully, the thing I will say too, Drea,
in running an event, we didn't start with a 200 person event. And
so I think when you're running an event, like, knowing kinda what
your audience size is and, like, what people would buy
is really important. So you don't have to, like, depend on urgency. Because
I think that that's something I've seen people make mistakes on where they're like, I'm
gonna run a 1,000 person event, but they don't have the 1,000 people who are
gonna purchase an event, and maybe at that price point. And
so even things like that, keeping those things in mind, and that's why market research
is really important. But I would say for urgency, the big stuff is really just,
like, on the front end. I think, like, what can you do to, like, create
that kind of instant buy? Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love this
conversation. And one of the things that stuck out to me too about what you
said is building trust with the urgency so that there's,
higher potential for them to come to the next event. Right? It's like looking
beyond just this isolated event and going, this is a long term
strategy. And that's what I really loved about your event as well is the
amount of people afterwards who messaged me, and they were
like, this was amazing. Will you be at the next one? And then also the
people who messaged me was like, man, I missed this one. I need to go
to the next one. Why do you think that is? Like, why do you think
your people are so loyal to your community? What are the
moves that you're making so that the next one sells out just as much as
this one does? Mhmm. Well, firstly, I'm honored to hear that because,
honestly, like, I I don't take that for granted at all that people are interested
in coming to these events. Like, me and Maria always joke around every time we
book a venue, and our next one's larger and was quite a hefty deposit when
we put it down. We're like, well, hopefully, it's not just me, you, and the
stage, you know, up here. So every time someone buys a ticket, we're like, another
one. So the first thing I will say is, I'm
in a very privileged position in the fact that, there
isn't a lot going on where I live. And so that is something to to
keep in mind with folks. Like, I have a friend who lives in New York
City, and she was like, how do you get your events to sell out so
fast? I'm like, you could do something different every minute in New York.
I live at just outside of Toronto, about an hour out.
And there there aren't isn't a huge entrepreneurial scene here. And,
or it is and I'm unaware of it. I don't know. Someone I always say,
if someone knows it, please invite me to it. I'd love to come. So I
think that's one piece that's really working for us is that, you know, we're kinda
going first in a lot of ways and kind of really just, like, kind of
building, which is great. I think what keeps people coming back, which we have a
really high return rate for events. Like, it's very rare we see somebody only one
time. So whether that be the small to the big. I think really
a big piece of it is Maria and I's energy around the event. And I
I think the leadership that people show in events is so important. Like, you know,
I I take time to try to, like, meet everybody. I, you know, we go
with, like, I'm great with names, which is a gift, but, like, really try to
remember things about people's businesses, really try to make those connections.
And I think that itself creates a ripple effect.
I have a a mentor that I love and I I go to a lot
of their events and they're the same. Like, you know, they they'll meet somebody and
it's like, I'm like, oh, I there's no way they remember that person. And they're
like, so sorry. I don't remember you. What kind of business do you have again?
Oh, I have a great connection for you. Like, really just like that generosity
goes a long way. And then people start to do that with each other. Yeah.
And I think the nice thing about these events, Drea, is that once people
start coming, it's really not about us at all. They're not coming for me and
Maria. They're They're coming for each other. Like, it's like you go back to camp
every summer. You don't really go for the counselors. You're going, like, for your friends.
And that's kind of what the the vibe has become where, you know, they're like,
oh, I see the next High Vibe Women thing. I'm so excited to see you.
Like, and Maria and I are just kinda like the minions organizing it over here.
And so, I think that that's it. And I think around the piece about
selling out, you know, I I'll be vulnerable in telling you that
moving this to a 200 person event at a hotel, like, has a different feel
for it for sure. And, different level of investment on our end and
and, like, really a lot of things. But I think what we we were so
passionate about was just actually, like, could we we could have fit
more people in, but the roundtables are really important to us. Us. Like, we wanted
people to have seats where they could sit with lots of people and they could
get to know a table rather than just, like, 1 or 2 other people. You
know, there were there were little things that we kept, like, you know, having an
accessible stage is really important to us. Like, little things like that
that, you know, really keep our keep us at the forefront, I think
are what make our events our events. And so, it's really
easy, I think, when you're thinking about, like, how am I gonna sell up this
event? Like, you know, do I you know, do a sale? Like, do we, like,
you know, do I send a message to every single person I know? And but
I'm actually noticing that our people are actually selling the event in a lot of
ways for us. And, like, we're seeing people posting on Instagram being like, hey. Hi,
Vibe Women. Like, there are 60% sold out of their VIP tickets. Like, if you
want 1, grab 1. Like, and we're not even saying it, which is awesome. So,
yeah, long winded, but I would say, like, really, it's keeping it to the the
at the core of the energy of, like, what you wanna bring to the event.
And, I think also, like, really using that community in your network to be
able to to help you you move in in front of new people. Yeah.
I wanna talk more about the energy piece too because I think that this is
hard to capture in marketing, especially for events,
especially for the first event. Right? Yeah. I think subsequent events, you can
use the videos from the event. But, you know, for someone listening who's thinking, okay,
I'm gonna start my first event, and I do wanna capture what
that energy is like. What kind of advice would you give that person as
they're they're planning their marketing? Yeah. So I would say if I was doing
this all again and I was running my first event and I was trying to
get, like, you know, a content creator or I was trying to give advice on
what kind of person I I wanted, I would say really
making it so much less about the people on the stage and making it so
much more about the people in the room, and really
capturing content of them rather than of you on
stage or of your speakers even. Like, getting great shots for your speakers is so
important, and and getting shots of you is important. But really making it
about their experience and being quick with it. That's
something that actually, like, my my friends who own Crate and Cultivate in the States,
like, they actually post I think this is nuts and I like, in the best
way, I've just never been able to actualize this myself, but they
post fully edited photos day of. Like, we'll be at the
event. Like, right now, a fully edited photo will be posted. And I think
that's amazing, and it adds a very high level of professionalism,
that I personally am not available for. Like, I'm I'm a tired woman. I'm like,
I'm not gonna be editing these photos. But, but it was it's such
a cool idea, but I think, like, what's even better is, like, how do you
capture the spirit and the energy quickly? So if
you're there taking video, it doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be
fully edited. But, you know, hiring a content creator to come and make 2 or
3 reels, and then the next day you're posting the reels while people are still
so excited about it. I think that makes a big difference and
really you wanna make it so people see themselves in it. So that it's not
about you speaking, like, you know, you probably did a great job speaking
and, or accolades for you. But, really, like, it's about
how do you, like, really capture the spirit of the event and the people in
the event. That's gonna make the big difference on selling the next one.
Yeah. Yeah. Speed is key too because I feel like there's something
about the psychology behind it as an attendee too. When we
see the stuff happening after the event, we're more likely to, like,
engage with it and share with it because we're still living in the moment. Right?
I love that. I wanna shift gears a little bit and talk about success because
this is something you mentioned earlier with your first event being
$7, but you didn't count the gas. So I know that for
a lot of events, people treat them as marketing assets
rather than, business. So I'm curious about what you
define success to be with your events, monetary, but
also outside of that. Like, what what makes it, like, yeah, this was
a win for me? Yeah. A 100%. And I was actually gonna bring that
up earlier was that there's an it depends on what you think success is in
an event and what your ideal is. Like, so a lot of people sell from
stage at events, which is is very common where people will sell a
program and that they actually don't care about making money about in on the ticket.
It's about, you know, you're selling you're doing an upsell and you'll make $500,000
on on a program. Like, that's great. That hasn't been our our
goal. And truthfully, like, not to sound like Mother Teresa over here,
but, like, really where where we came from with this was very, like, we're
doing this out of, like, goodness. Like, we were, like, we just wanna bring women
together. Like, we're we're not sure if it is to love or make money. We
don't we this we don't actually need this to make money because our other business
is doing fine. Right? So it was really at first about us being, like, what
would happen if we brought women together? And we were using it as marketing. It
was not uncommon for us to run one of these events and then get a
client out of it, which is what we know to be true when we go
to events in the US. Right? Like, that's how our business scaled so fast. And
so I and I I love that. But at the same time,
as more and more effort went in, we actually have to start being honest about
the fact that we were like, oh, we're actually we've created a second business.
And, you know, we're running events that are costing upwards of a $100,000. We
probably should be trying to make some money. Like, we should probably try to figure
this out. And that's where things like sponsorship come in and and all of that.
So would I say I'm super clear on the metrics of
what success looks like to us? Because Maria and I are very touchy feely, so
we're both kinda like, but did you see the impact? And did you see
these people connecting with each other? That person found their business best team. Did you
see them collaborating? Like, they wrote a podcast together. How cute. Like, we
are in that energy. But for us, really trying to increase the profit margins
of these events has been big and not doing enough, expensive the
tickets for, for the the people coming. We haven't tried to make
these, like, you know, super expensive tickets. We want this to still be very accessible.
But the other thing that's been really successful or, like, a metric of success for
us has been about partnerships. And this is something that I think
is really underrated that people do not do when it comes to events. There's people
who do it and they do it so well, and then there's people who don't
do it at all. And I'm somewhere in the middle, I think. But where people
are are really connecting with brands and,
organizations, businesses, even solopreneurs who wanna get in front of
the audience that you're running an event for and finding ways to
amplify them. And whether that be through a social media
partnership, whether that be partnership day of, and
really trying to move the needle there. And that's actually been an area where we
found success and that's made these events a lot more profitable because it's been
easier for us to find these people who, you know, are gonna serve these
women. That's always what we always say when we when we go in partnership. It's
it has to be win win and they have to serve these women. It's not
a, hey. Come and pitch on stage for 20 minutes. But,
really, like, I think those partnerships go such a long way and, can
really grow the impact of an event. Yeah. That's so beautiful. And I
think the same thing with that you mentioned earlier, you're, like, touchy feely. I'm the
same way when I run the events of, like, who cares about the numbers? 2
of my attendees are now doing a podcast together because they happen to sit next
to each other at the VIP dinner. You know what I mean? Like, I'm always
like, oh my gosh. This is, like, what I dream of. And also, like, we
have to make sure we're not doing it at the sacrifice of our business. So
I love that you've identified that partnerships is that way for you.
Okay. So I wanna talk about challenges, especially
with marketing and community building, because
they go so hand in hand when especially when you're event planning. The
marketing of the event all comes from the vibes in the
room. Yeah. And sometimes we have those moments where we're like, oh, no. The
vibe's off. It's not working. Or just in marketing, we're like,
oh, this thing was supposed to happen. Or what are what are some of the
oh, no moments in your community building or marketing, and how did you turn them
around? So I would say I am
generally pretty optimistic as a person, which is, like, both my,
crocs and my joy is that, like, I kinda see the good in most things.
But I would say early on, like, where something that
we really struggle with with the marketing of community. And and I don't know, Dre,
if this is where you're going with this question, but I will share this and
be vulnerable for a sec is that, like, when you are
building a community of of entrepreneurial women, lots of women, there
it's very hard to, like, uphold boundaries sometimes around some of this
marketing as well. And people expect you to, like, share
everything that they post because they've invested with you or, you know, and that's
something we kinda got into really early where people would be like, I have this
launch. Like, would you mind sharing it? And, like, would you mind doing this? And
it's I'm, like, such a big believer even with my own clients. I said this
on stage, on on Saturday that, like, you know, I've we work with
a luxury rug client. Anytime I could think of anyone who needs a rug, I'm
like, you need to work with this man. Like, that is how my brain works.
I love to support my people. But it also we had to set kind of
like some precedents around, you know, what that felt like. And that doesn't feel good
in community. Like, when you're in community with other people, it doesn't feel good to
be like, no, sorry. I'm not gonna reshare that post because if I reshare your
post, I have to reshare everybody's post every time they have a launch. So that
was a really hard thing that we kinda came across, and we actually got some
pushback on it where people were kinda like, we thought you support women. And we
were like, we do really support women, but, like, we also need to not do
this 247, like, where, you know, like, maybe we need to create a system or
maybe we, you know, like, maybe we need to charge and and and create better
assets for people. Like, it was, like, it started a bit of a spiral for
us. And so I think for me, that was one of the big things with
marketing community building where we had to really start to actually push back
and be like, okay. What's important to us? What's important to the brand long
term? How do we add the most value to people? What's gonna feel the most
fair? And that's, like, not the space I like to live in. Like, the space
I like to live in is, like, let me repost this and then also do
a story and then also buy the program myself. Like, that's, like, where I live.
I think YouTube probably, Drea. And then the other thing I would say
too is that one of the things that, like, I've been really struck with, more
lately is, like, you know, when things don't go perfectly at your events, like, not
owning it. And I think the more that your events grow, like, whether
it be small or so large or whatever, whether that
be in, like, from a marketing perspective where you're like, oh, I thought this would
sell more tickets or it's like, you know, something happens at the event, it's not
perfect or or whatever. Like, these events can't be reflections of, like, who we are
as humans. And so really just, like, taking that step back and being like,
okay. Like, what's going well? Like, what what what do I have to be proud
of here? And what can we change for the future? But, like, what do I
have to be proud of and, how do I how do I continue to move
the needle that way? Yeah. Not owning your yeah. Not
owning the things that go wrong. I feel like that I needed to hear that
personally because it is challenging as the organizer, as a marketer, as
a community, like, space holding person to, like,
feel responsible for everything and everyone's
emotions. And I wanna share everyone equally and not, like, you
know, do one thing more for another person. So, yeah, I think this is just
part of, you know, being a leader and being very publicly a leader in
this space. One of the things that I also really love
about the way your events bring community
together is that it feels very natural. And I've been at events
where it kind of feels a little maybe
orchestrated, like, over overly done. And so I
think that part of that does come from the marketing of it, attracting
the right people. So what are some of the things that you do as
sig signals for your community to make it feel natural that that they're
like, yes, I need to be in this room? I think a lot
of a lot of the pieces around the marketing aspect of it is around the
language that we use. Like, we're very, very key about, like, you
know, high vibe is one of these words that could literally mean anything. Like, it's
very vague. Actually, somebody asked me recently about, like, is this, like, a
marijuana community? I'm like, no. No. But thank you so
much for telling me this that someone else might think this. Thank you.
And so it's funny. I was like, if you want it to be, it can
be, but it's up to you really. But, really
for us, it's really we talk a lot about community. We talk a lot
about collaboration over competition. We talk a lot about,
everything you need is in the room or one step away. Like, we talk
about relationship. We talk about the follow-up, like, fortunate in the follow-up. Like,
those are things that you will hear every time you come to one of our
events. You're sit seated next to the person you're meant to sit sit next with.
Like, we, in our smaller events, we choose everyone's seat
and, intentionally. And people will be like, oh, they really came
with my friend. And I'm like, nope. Not today. You didn't. You you came you
came alone, and you're gonna meet this person. And then afterwards, always without fail,
thank you so much. This was so helpful. I got to know someone different. We
give them the the tools to have the conversations. We set people up. Something that
we do in our smaller events, which is why a lot of the women tend
to know each other is we have every single person go up and say
who they are, how they help people, and something they need. And it's amazing
how many people are like, I need a web designer, someone's like me. Another person's
like, I help people, like, unblock money trauma. Someone's like, I didn't
even know I had money trauma, but thank you for, like, bringing that to my
attention. Like, let's do it. Right? So it really I think we do a lot
of those efforts in our smaller events so the bigger events feel more homey because
these people all already know each other. And I think a lot of it comes
from the way that Maria and I wanna show up, which is, like, we wanna
be like, we're always, like, we were laughing a bunch of the high vibe women
like they did something together. And Maria and I were like, where was our invitation?
You know, but it was fine. It's, like, felt like the teacher of of the
school. But it was just, like, a reminder to me that it wasn't about us.
Right? And that it's about the connection and the community. And so I think the
signals that we give people is that this is a very community oriented space that,
like, anyone's welcome. And I think another thing that we really prioritize when
we're taking video and that when we're inviting people, when we're choosing speakers
is, like, diversity. And and, like, whether it be ethnicity, whether it
be age, whether it you know, like, all different types of women. We want we
have women we've had women come who are 75 getting started, and
we've had people who are new grads come and join us. Like, and those 2
women will sit together and they will plot world domination, and and that's the beauty.
So I think really just, just showing people,
like, what our expectations are, I think people tend to fall in line.
And and I'll be honest, sometimes people come and they don't have a good time.
Right? And and I have to release that of, you know, I want
everybody to, like, love everything that I do. I'm the only child, so my parents
love everything I do. And so I'm like, oh, you must love this.
But recognizing, like, not everything's for everybody. And, you
know, maybe that's not a fit for them, and I'd love for them to find
the space that is the right fit. It might not be with me, but, I
know I'm still doing good stuff even if it's not for everyone. Yeah. So
much goodness there. And I feel like there's, like, the everything you
said is the magic sauce behind building a
community that truly is energetic. Right? Like, being intentional about the
smaller events and that the larger events feel homey. Making sure
that, you know, people sit next to the right people in the room, whether
that's accidentally or intentionally, like, all of it is supposed to happen.
And I feel like these are all of those signals that we
put in our marketing that do they do attract the right people. Right? It's, like,
every little detail matters, and all of those details
are, like, chef's kiss, what makes everything flow so nicely
together. So I wanna end our conversation with the story. So
you mentioned that the words that you choose in your marketing are very
intentional, and I know that you have a story starter guide for us. So
tell me about the starter guide. Yes. So, yeah, our
story starter guide so it's so funny because, Drea, I don't talk about events that
much on podcast. So this is like a this is my debut, my foray.
But I would say, you know, our marketing agency, we do a lot of work
with folks on on helping them, like, tell their stories. Right? And and actually that
helps them be better when they're at events, and they're able to kinda meet with
people. And so we have an awesome, story starter guide that gives you a,
different story starter for every single day so that this way, for 30 days, you
don't have to think twice about what you're gonna say when you, show up on
your Instagram stories. And I'm gonna tell you when you practice these things,
what your elevator pitch comes way easier when you're in person. So, yeah, I
recommend you guys downloading it. Awesome. I'll put that link in the show
notes. It's online dreya.com/331. Where else can
we connect with you online, Kristina? Well, any friend of
Drea's is a friend of mine. So feel free to come on over. Shoot me
a DM. Let me know what you think. I also had Drea on my podcast
called community, with Kristina Bartol. It's actually, like, maybe the 5th most
downloaded episode. So, Drea's rise in the ranks. Let's go
to number 1. But, we talked all things building a genuine community. Love for you
to listen to that. And, yeah, come on over and let me know what resonated.
Yes. Check that out. I'll put, that episode in the show notes as well as
all of Kristina's socials, soccer, because her
socials are fun, honestly. Love it. Thank you so much for being on the
show, Kristina. This was great. Oh my gosh. My pleasure, and I'm just so grateful
for you. And thank you, dear listener, for tuning in to another episode of the
Mindful Marketing podcast. Make sure you rate us 5 stars on Apple
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Coming up, if you're not in the Mindful Marketing Lab, why
not? You gotta come on in and join us. We're doing a 2025 planning workshop
on November 13th. That's the day after this episode. If
you're listening to it live, come on in. We're gonna plan out and plot out
our marketing for the year. Yeah. 2025 is almost here. Dive
on into all the things that we have available in the lab as well. I'd
love to see you there. Next episode, I am doing my 2025
predictions episode. This is the 5th one that I've done. If you want me
to predict, take out my crystal ball and show you the future of social
media, this episode is for you. Stay tuned for that next week. I'll
see you then. Bye for now.