We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day and are still savoring the sweet magical moments that accompany this time of year. Today, I would like to introduce you to Laura from Chasing Education with her professional take on hosting a Recessionista online party/shopping event. We tested out online parties a few weeks ago and are still working out a few details but exciting things are on the way. Should you be interested in more information regarding online parties/shopping events, send an email my way.

And now I give you Laura……

As a marketing manager I thought my Online Recessionista Party was no different from any other event that I needed to promote. I was ready to advertise product, price, place and promotion via mass media outlets like facebook, linkedin and email. Hm…I wonder how much an ad in the local newspaper would cost me. Then came my first email from Recessionista regarding party preparation: “have conversations with your guests about the party.” Wait, I shouldn’t just blast out coupon codes? I learned why very quickly.

If your friends have attended a Recessionista Party before, you have an advantage. I live in Sunny Florida, where no one had ever attended a Recessionista Party. (Though, I changed all of that!) I could blast facebook messages to 113 of my closest girlfriends all day, but without an explanation of what exactly an Online Recesionista Party is, they are unlikely to respond. There is way too much SPAM floating around the internet–people have become desensitized. Actual communication is the only way to assure your friends that a bot hasn’t taken over your facebook account and started spamming Recessionista propaganda. Once they know that it is, in fact, you promoting savvy shopping, your facebook statuses can serve as a reminder.

While you’re conversing with your friends you may want to ask what day and time is good for them. Take notes and choose a time when the most people are going to be available. Don’t get too stressed out over this, because as with most things in life, you can’t always make everyone happy. Evites.com is a great way to send out a formal invitation and allow people to vote on which time is good for them. It also allows them to RSVP so that you can get an idea of how many people will be shopping. Gmail also allows you to create events and have people RSVP to them. If you go this route, be sure to communicate to your guests that you will be sending them an invitation that requires them to respond.

If you don’t already have some sweet Recessionista accessories on hand, you may want to purchase a few before you consider hosting a party. Bargain prices often go hand-in-hand with questionable quality. If you’ve already purchased and debuted your high-quality Recessionista scarves, jewelry, handbags and/or shoes, it’s much easier to assuage your friends’ nightmares about knock-off bags and jewelry that breaks before you ever get to wear it.

Now, enough about how to promote your Online Recessionista Party. You know your friends, you know what they’ll respond to and what they won’t respond to. Take my marketing advice with a grain of salt. However, what I’m about to say, I want you to take very seriously.

What I love about online Recessionista Parties

• My long-distance friends could be a part of it. How often to you get to shop with your friends who live hundreds of miles away?
• No one has to drop what they are doing to come over. Mom’s don’t have to find babysitters, students don’t have to find a way to fit the party into their busy schedules–even those who are working can sneak in a purchase or two! (Don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss.)
• If your friends do want to drop what they are doing, you can always invite them over and you can shop online together. Set up a wireless network; the more computers the merrier.

• The hostess (in this case me!) doesn’t have to clean her house or provide refreshments.
• When you get your purchases in the mail and distribute them to your guests, it’s just as much fun as when you bought them–double the fun for the same price!
• Recessionista has something for every budget, so your friends who are on a tighter budget don’t have to feel left out.

My Recessionista picks of the week

• The burn out tee long sleeve in indigo and white
• Flowered black necklace and earring set
• Off white scarf (to go with the indigo burn out tee!)
• Trendy green floral scarf (to go with the white burn out tee)

And so I leave you with a twist on Recessionista’s very own slogan…Savvy shopping is always a party–even on the internet!

Laura – Chasing Education