How to Take Your Event Marketing to the Next Level
As an event planner, you know that marketing your event is crucial to its success. However, if you're like most people in the business, you might be stuck on how to take your marketing to the next level and attract more attendees.
You need to have a unique approach that sets you apart from your competitors. The good news is that there are many ways to take your marketing to the next level through new and innovative event marketing techniques.
In this article, we'll share the most effective event marketing techniques that you can use to grow your business.
Marketing your event successfully is crucial to its success, and you know that.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that marketing your event is crucial to its success.
If you don’t, then now is a good time to start learning about it. But first things first: Why does marketing matter?
Because events are so expensive and time-consuming to produce, if people don’t show up there won't be anyone for them to enjoy or learn from. Your audience needs to know what they can get out of attending.
Why should they take the time from their busy lives and spend hard-earned money on something you're putting on?
Marketing helps them understand why they want to come and how they can benefit from taking part in your event.
But even if attendees do show up at your event, what will happen next?
How do audiences turn into customers or leads?
And how can marketers help build relationships with these valuable prospects so that attendees will become loyal fans who keep coming back year after year like clockwork?
I'll tell you how.
Know your audience.
The first thing you should do is look at who your target audience is, and what they want to see at the event. If that sounds like a lot of work? It is!
But if you’re planning a conference or live event, it’s worth taking the time to understand these folks so that your marketing efforts aren’t wasted on people who won’t benefit from what you have to offer.
Once you know who your target audience is, you can begin to think about how to reach them through social media. The best way to do this is by creating a persona for each type of person who attends the event. A persona is a fictional character who represents a specific type of person who attends the event. You can create multiple personas, such as “The Business Traveler,” “The Student” and “The Entrepreneur.”
Then, when you start creating content for your social media channels, you can think about how each persona would react to it.
For example, if you’re planning an event on mobile payments in retail stores and are targeting business owners who are interested in learning more about this topic, such as how to accept credit cards on their smartphones or tablets, and then writing blog posts about the latest developments in this area might be a good place to start.
How to use Instagram Stories effectively.
Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to create an ongoing series of images and videos that are displayed at the top of your Instagram feed for 24 hours. These posts can be shared with your followers, who can also leave comments on each piece of content.
The idea behind this feature is similar to Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging service, as both allow users to share information quickly without worrying about it being around forever.
To help promote your event and get more sales through Instagram stories, you can use the following tips:
Use Instagram Stories to create a teaser video for your event. This is a great way to build hype around what you’re doing and share some behind-the-scenes footage with people who might not be able to make it out.
You can also use Instagram Stories to live stream your event. This allows people who are following you on the platform to watch it in real time as it happens so they don’t miss out on anything.
Use Instagram Stories to create a post-event recap . This is another great way to get people excited about your event and share some behind-the-scenes footage with them. -
If you have a hashtag for your event, you can use it in your posts to get people talking about it.
Promote your event with videos.
If you're hosting an event, it's likely that you'll have to promote it in order to get people to show up. Promoting the event is what will bring attendees in and keep them interested in what you have planned for them—but not all promotional materials are created equal.
Video is one of the best ways to make sure people know about your event and come down when it happens!
Here are some reasons why:
Videos offer a unique way for people to see what they can expect from attending your event. You can use them before or after an announcement or as part of a marketing campaign leading up until the day of your conference or seminar (or whatever else). It's also easy enough that anyone can shoot their own video with just their phone, which means even more content being added into cyberspace every second!
Videos help explain why someone should attend something like this particular seminar rather than others; especially if there's competition between other companies holding similar events nearby at around same time."
Don't forget offline marketing.
It's important to remember that the digital world is not the only place where people gather. If you want to reach those who aren't connected with social media and other online networks, you'll need to think about how your event marketing extends into their lives in other ways.
For instance:
At the office—Use posters, postcards or even a simple email blast to advertise your event.
In person—If someone mentions attending an event as something they love doing, suggest yours as an alternative (and then follow up via email).
At home—Leave flyers on local bulletin boards or post signs in nearby businesses so that people are reminded of what's available. And don't underestimate good old-fashioned snail mail!
Promote your event with a touch of nostalgia.
If you have an event that's set in a particular time or place, consider incorporating elements of nostalgia into your marketing strategy.
You might use old-school photographs or videos of the venue or event space, or music from the era your event is themed around. For example, if you're having a 1920s-themed soiree at a speakeasy, look up some songs from that time period and play them during your event—it'll really help guests get into the spirit!
Build brand awareness with event hashtags.
Event hashtags are a great way to build brand awareness, connect with people who may not know you yet and reach a wider audience. It's important to create a hashtag that is easy to remember so that your attendees can share their experience with others within the community.
In addition, hashtags help you build an active community around your event by allowing users to engage with one another in addition to sharing their experiences through social media. This can be especially helpful if you're looking for new leads or customers or just want more people talking about what you're doing!
By creating an event hashtag dedicated specifically for each event (we recommend at least two) you can help foster excitement leading up until the big day itself by encouraging people who aren't attending but still want updates on major news happening throughout planning stages up until post-production.
Get social media influencers on board.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media. The internet is a virtual melting pot, where people from all walks of life and cultures come together to connect and share ideas. And we know one thing for sure: people love to be entertained!
If you can find the right influencers, they can help spread your message far beyond your event perimeter. But how do you know who to approach?
It’s actually pretty simple—look for someone with a large following who already has an interest in your type of event or industry (and if they don’t have that, maybe their audience does).
Reach out to these influencers directly by email or DM as soon as possible after making contact (ideally before your event). If it seems like they might be interested in promoting your event through their social channels (and remember: it doesn’t cost anything), offer them an affiliate code or discount code for attendees who use their link when registering for tickets.
Provide memorable experiences for people at the events.
As an event planner, you want everyone to have a memorable experience at your events. This is especially true for attendees, who are the ones who will be spreading the word about your brand and making memories that may last with them forever.
To make sure this happens, you can provide something for people to take home with them. This does not need to be a physical object—it can simply be an activity or interaction that they can share with friends later on in life.
Your team members should also receive memorable experiences as well! The key here is making sure they feel appreciated by giving them opportunities at work throughout the year (such as celebrating birthdays).
You don't want employees feeling like their job is just "another day." Instead, make sure they know their contributions are valued through positive reinforcement and recognition from others within the organization who notice what they've been doing right all along.
By applying these ideas to your next event, it will stand out from other events and attract more people.
You are probably familiar with the concept of “testing, testing, testing!” While taking this approach to your event marketing campaign may seem like a no-brainer, it is important to remember that when it comes to events and event marketing, there is no set formula for success. The key is to be creative, try new things and test them out. Once you find something that works for you—stick with it!
Remember that your event marketing campaign should be unique and exciting. If you are hosting an annual conference or seminar in London this year and last year, don’t fall into the trap of copying yourself or using the same materials from previous years at those events (unless they were wildly successful). Keep things fresh and fun by introducing new speakers or activities each year that will keep people coming back for more
Conclusion
Event marketing is a powerful way to promote your brand, build relationships with customers and generate new business. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about handing out pens and stickers anymore. You need to be innovative and creative if you want people to take notice of what you have to offer.
Need help marketing your events online? Feel free to click here and schedule a free event marketing consult with me and I will help you scale your event business!