Achieving a successful event requires good event marketing. Unless you really put some thought behind your event marketing strategy, chances are the footfall will be meager, if at all. This holds true for both online and offline events.
What is event marketing?
Event marketing is all about letting people know that you are hosting an event and how much it would mean to you if they joined in. It is essentially the strategy to promote an online or offline event through various channels.
Why you should consider event marketing strategies
A successful event marketing campaign gets you the attention and attendance (whether virtually or in-person) that you need to get attendees to attend your events. It is also important to know what you marketing budget is. Understanding what resources are available and your budget will help drive your strategy.
There are many other reasons why event marketing strategies work, like reaching the right target audience in an effective way, knowing the best way to make an impression and most importantly, creating awareness around your event.
Success for an event all starts with a solid event marketing plan. From the moment the idea to host an event is conceived to the point that the event actually takes place, the right event marketing strategies are required throughout the entire journey from start to finish.
So who are these attendees and who is your target audience?
One of the key elements of making an event a success is knowing and reaching out to your target audience.
To know who your target audience is, you first need to know the goal of your event and then find the people who fit in with that goal.
For example, if you are hosting a Donation Camp to raise funds for your nonprofit, everyone who supports your cause is a part of your target audience.
Strategies to try for your next event
Now that you know who you are wanting to reach, it’s time to think of the best ways to promote your event to these people.
So how do you make your event marketing persuasive and not pushy? Well, you can try some of these event marketing ideas and strategies to start with:
Social Media
The age range of audiences who are on social media is constantly growing. Do not under estimate the power of social media no matter who your audience is. Social media is one of the top places to connect with audiences. Also never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing!
Go live
Yes, it’s going social again! Facebook is a huge space and a great platform to get the word out about your event. A Live Stream is a new trend in event marketing where you have a direct interaction with your target audience and invite them in. Use this opportunity to give your audience a peek into what lies ahead and make a compelling pitch about why attending the actual event is something they don’t want to miss.
Dedicate pop-ups and landing pages
Create a pop-up form on your event website to direct potential event attendees to a dedicated event page. While pop-ups can be annoying they are still effective. The content you use on the landing page and the pop-up is a key factor that will determine if people will get pulled in.
Email Marketing campaigns continue to be the most effective means to reach out to your consumers and invite them to an event. At 70%, email marketing is known to be the most popular event marketing strategy among people who regularly host events.
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
You will want to create the “Fear Of Missing Out” among your audience. Use content like video or imagery to show them how they will be at a loss if they don’t attend. People are more interested in an event when they feel they will lose out on something valuable if they don’t attend. “You don’t want to miss this event” is a simple but effective email marketing subject line, social media campaign or blog post to generate curiosity about your event.
Promise a good time (and deliver!)
Use multiple mediums and channels to show people what a great time they’ll have at your event. A promotional video, images, user-generated content, and other details that will immediately spark interest are all great resources to excite your audience. It’s like any movie; when the trailer comes out people start talking about it and can’t wait to go see the full movie. A sneak peek–visual or text–will show them that you have taken all the efforts to make this a memorable, fun and rewarding event for all your attendees- it’s an incentive you offer in exchange of their attendance.
Each of these event marketing ideas is tried, tested and highly recommended to use as part of your event marketing campaign when promoting your next event.
