Marketing plan and strategy
Event marketing and events go hand in hand, and corporate marketers tend to get into their camps depending on their support definition.
Traditionally, event marketing has been defined as executing a series of activities designed to promote an organization’s products or services at a live event. However, the basic concepts of event marketing remain constant for any business, regardless of size or industry.
Event marketing can be used in almost all industries but is most effective when tailored to the audience attending.
Event marketing campaigns are usually short-term and cover only one area. They entail the organization’s participation in special events such as festivals, fairs, competitions, etc., to attract new customers or retain existing ones.
When planning for different types of events, you have to develop customized marketing strategies that will best fit their unique nature for them to be successful.
Companies mainly undertake internal events to reward employees’ achievements or organize gatherings involving partners, suppliers, etc., usually held within the office. The advantage of hosting these events is that you can meet up with your employees face-to-face.
Also, this allows you to share company updates and other relevant matters with them in person. Hence, for this type of event, utilize social media channels such as Facebook or Twitter for your company’s followers/subscribers to know about it, especially if they cannot attend it personally.
Meanwhile, when planning consumer events, make sure you include activities that will maintain your guests’ interest while providing sufficient information about your brand or business’s offerings by way of giveaways or raffles. It should also be noted that inviting famous personalities who are endorsers of certain brands can further boost your event’s hype.
The core purpose of hosting promotional events is to let your potential customers know about the arrival of your business’s new products or services and learn about their features and benefits.
Hence, this requires developing a comprehensive marketing campaign to effectively reach as many people as possible to maximize your ROI (return on investments).
As for public and other special events, it is best to use those marketing strategies that allow you to be visible regardless of where they are held, such as billboards, aerial banners, radio ads, etc., since these provide greater exposure than those conducted offline.
This way, more prospects would become familiar with what you have been offering regardless of whether it is an award-giving ceremony, religious gathering, or product launch.
As much as possible, avoid creating marketing campaigns too close to the date of your event since this would not allow you to garner enough time to promote it. Hence, it is best to start them 6-8 weeks before the actual date to maximize your reach in maximizing its impact on potential customers’ behaviour.
If you are hosting an internal event, then present them with a timeline that consists of three steps promoting your upcoming group activity:
For promotional events, start your marketing campaign 4-6 weeks before the actual date of your event. This would give you enough time to build up the audience’s excitement since you are giving them a heads up that something exciting is coming their way soon!
You can do this by sending out invitations via email, social media posts, text messages, etc., especially if it is for an exclusive invite-only kind of deal. Also, be sure to create teasers or trailers related to what will happen on the scheduled day using video ads, remarkable imagery (i.e., memes), and other engaging materials like infographics.
Meanwhile, use digital signage to inform employees about the upcoming public or particularly well in advance to prepare and get ready. You may also use this technique for the same reason in your promotional activities.
One of the most effective strategies to successfully promote your event is getting referrals or testimonials from famous personalities who are notable endorsers of certain brands such as celebrities, well-known public figures, etc., especially if they have a massive following on their channels.
This could give your business’s products or services more exposure since people tend to trust them more than ordinary individuals like you and me. Plus, their endorsement will automatically make whatever they are endorsing appear more trustworthy, making others want to check it out immediately.
You can also gain more leads by having a giveaway event for those who share the news about your upcoming promotion on their channels.
In terms of gaining greater exposure among potential customers, it would be best to hire celebrity spokespersons. This would make your event appear even more special and memorable because they are famous personalities after all!
Thus, as long as it fits your budget and you have identified the right spokesperson to promote your event, then this is worth trying out.
Plus, you can even select a specific spokesperson based on what events they usually endorse. There is a high chance that they will be familiar with the brand already, resulting in a higher chance that they will agree to work with you.
As part of your event planning process, it is also advisable to test every marketing strategy with the use of data so that you can determine what works best for maximum exposure among your target market.
This allows you to choose which ones are worth implementing in future events and which needs modifications (e.g., time frame, promotional materials) for maximum engagement.
As mentioned earlier, no matter what type of event it is or how big or small your business is, event marketing strategies remain relevant because it enables them to maintain their visibility despite everyone’s daily busy schedules and be able to stay at top-of-mind even if they are not in front of the customers physically.
Therefore, to give your business an advantage over others, you have to ensure that you utilize event marketing properly by following the steps mentioned above for maximum sales conversions.