By Sangeetha Shreekar
Event marketing describes the process of developing a themed exhibit, display, or presentation to promote a product, service, cause, or organisation leveraging in-person engagement. Given with all the new digital channels being introduced and virtual events taking over the industry, event marketing has just got challenging. Every event has a different content, audience and hence its marketing needs to be unique and well planned. If you are new to planning an event, here is our fool-proof checklist to get you started.
The benefits of event marketing are plenty, it:
- Builds brand awareness
- Increases customer engagement
- Generates leads
- Educates prospects and customers
- Upsells customers
According to a recent study by Cvent, the metrics for event marketing success encompass financial results, event attendance, lead generation, overall awareness, and post-event analysis, all aligned with the company’s overall business goals. Event marketing objectives help guide strategy and create a baseline to determine event ROI.
Events can drive organizational success. Without promotion, no one would know that the event was happening. Through the use of event technology, promotion is easier than ever.
The line between the brand you represent and the event you are hosting is often blurred. However, it’s critical there is a clear distinguished plan for event marketing which is set aside from your regular brand marketing goals. Cross-promotion is definitely one of the tools, but do have a stand- alone strategy for your event.
Event website is by far the first and foremost thought process. It allows you with a definite platform to market and engage your potential customers. Follow a definitive guide in creating the event website with theme, colour code, page flow and CTA in mind along with the social media plan. Events are still sought after and preferred by most people for networking. Let your event website provide solutions for post event analysis and networking.
Events planning can be overwhelming, but we have you covered for the best practices for event marketing:
- Understand the goals and budget of the event
- Create a plan to meet event goals
- Set goals so that you can measure success
- Schedule promotion in advance based on important event dates
- Use discounts and sponsorships to increase attendance
- Use event marketing software to decrease time spent on manual task
As you plan your next event, take the time to outline an event marketing plan. At Planit, our 25yrs + of event experience gets you access you to the industry experts in ensuring your next event is well marketed to the right audience at the right time. Drop us a line at info@planit.ie and let us have a chat.