Your Fall Follow-Up Plan: Keep Customers Coming Back After the Event

Your Fall Follow-Up Plan: Keep Customers Coming Back After the Event

Fall festivals are winding down, the tents are packed up, and the dust is settling on Main Street. You’ve had a great season—new faces, good conversations, maybe a few lessons learned along the way.

But here’s the question that always hits me after an event:

When the crowd goes home, how do you stay connected to them?

If your answer is “I’ll post on Facebook,” you’re not alone—and that’s exactly the problem.

Why Social Isn’t Enough

Facebook and Instagram are great for building buzz, but they’re not built for long-term connection. Algorithms change, posts get buried, and your best customers may never see what you share next.

If you rely only on social media, you’re leaving those relationships to chance. Owning your audience means creating a direct way to reach them—and the simplest, most reliable tool for that is still good old-fashioned email.

Start Collecting Emails (Without Being Pushy)

You don’t need fancy marketing funnels or pop-ups that chase people around the screen. A simple signup form and a clear reason to join are plenty.

Here are a few easy ways to start:

• Add a signup link to your website or Facebook bio. Tools like Mailchimp make it easy—and the free tier is plenty to start.

• Offer something small in return. “Get next year’s event lineup first,” “Exclusive updates,” or “Local deals and news” all work fine.

• Use moments you already have. Drop a QR code at your checkout counter or on printed receipts. Add a line on your ticket or invoice: “Want updates? Join our list—it only takes a second.”

You’ll be surprised how many people want to stay in the loop if you just make it easy.

Keep It Simple Once You Have Them

Your goal isn’t to become a professional newsletter writer—it’s to stay top-of-mind.

Send one short update a month. Talk like you would to a neighbor: what’s new, what’s coming up, what you’re proud of.

And keep yourself organized. I use Trello for big-picture planning—like mapping out the next few months of content—and Todoist for the smaller day-to-day tasks (drafting, editing, scheduling). It’s not complicated, but it keeps me consistent.

Consistency builds trust. Folks sign up because they want to hear from you, not from a faceless brand.

Small Wins Add Up

You don’t need hundreds of addresses to make this worth it. Start with ten. Those ten people already know you and your work—and they’re the ones most likely to buy again, tell a friend, or show up next year.

“If you collect five emails this week, that’s five people who chose you over the noise.”

Closing Thought:
Building your list isn’t about marketing—it’s about keeping your community close. A little effort now means you won’t lose touch when the busy season ends.