If You Build It – They Will Come! Event Marketing

Is event marketing a big part of your growth initiative this year? I remember when event marketing was as easy as ordering a tray of sandwiches and preparing a slide show. “If you build it – they will come.” Well, times have changed and now the event marketing space is flooded with high tech presentations and immersive experiences created to educate your prospects so they will realize how valuable your product or service is to their growth.

Events – Workshops – Lunch & Learn

No matter what title you use, the point is to create an experience that will fill your room with potential clients.  And it doesn’t stop there. You will need an extensive follow-up plan of emails, post touches and 2^nd and 3^rd tier messaging.  Unless you really put some thought behind your event marketing strategy chances are, you will fall short. This holds true for both online and offline events.

When, Where and Why

It’s all about letting people know the details of your event and the WIFM (what’s in it for me).  People want the guarantee upfront that their time spent will be valuable and will directly impact their sales. Is your goal to educate prospective clients, organize donors or volunteers for the launch of your charitable event, create interest in your startup and gain potential investors? No matter your purpose, having all the elements in place and a plan to disseminate the information is crucial to your success. A successful marketing campaign will put you on the path to filling the room with prospects. So how do you make your event marketing effective?

1. Put Your Best Foot Forward: Ensure your image and branding are professional and make a WOW impact.  Use bold vibrant colors and graphics that stir emotion. Create an edifice for your project that is memorable.  Through color analysis studies we know certain colors spark emotion in people and intuitively have different meanings.  See our blog  The Psychology of Color to learn more.
2. eMail is King Without a doubt, email marketing continues to be one of the most effective mediums to connect with your prospects and clients.  No matter what email marketing service you use, event gurus all agree that utilizing emails to drive people to your event is the most important factor in your success. Using a service allows you to send professional, dynamic and custom emails. Create an outbound calendar or campaign prior to your event.  After the initial invite, send reminder emails and "nudges" weekly or more frequently to keep the interest up.  Use fun creative messaging and content and your leads will stay engaged and you will increase your retention rates.
3. Social Networks Don’t underestimate the debt and distance your message can travel on social networks. Every day I hear from business owners that their company is not “right” for social media.  In fact, there are a couple of industries where posters and marketers do need to abide by compliance and regulatory rules – but even they benefit from using social media as an added voice to their marketing platform. With FaceBook and Instagram, you have so many options for promoting your event. I use the Ads features to spread the word an find an audience beyond where emails can reach.

There are so many more elements to building a rock-solid event marketing strategy. Check back to our blog to learn more or call us today: (678) 727-0678