Event marketing is an essential strategy to boost your business. It involves presentations, conferences, exhibits, displays, or cause-related activities to increase sales, build awareness around your company, and improve brand image. Events can be done in-person or through webinars.
It allows you to have a connection with audiences as you board on making intimate and engaging experiences with them. But event marketing and management are not that easy. Some shell out money just to have a break-even profit at the end.
But, why is event marketing important? How can you launch events that won’t make you go broke?
Advantages of event marketing
Participating in events puts you in an engaging and intimate position with your audience. Events can mold your brand with positive imagery and emotions because people see you in-person or virtually face-to-face. It creates trust, credibility, and authority. But what are its other implications?
Build networks and relationships
Events are opportunities for people to network. Networking is a good way to make beneficial connections with people from your industry, e.g. company and supplier. That way, you can leverage each other’s knowledge and build channels and solutions for your products, customer services, and internal operations.
Talk directly with the target audience
For exhibits, displays, and trade shows, the chances are higher because attendees of the same industry are looking for products and services for their needs People who attend these events are within the spectrum of where your business is leaning into. So, you get to talk directly with prospects who might be interested with your wares.
People get to interact beyond the virtual world
Brands that commit to live events want to form in-person connections other than being digitally active. Even Google, HubSpot, and Adobe hold conferences, workshops, and tradeshows where people can meet and greet other users of the program. What’s more, whenever people see their favorite businesses or channels holding live events, they get to trust them more so – earning them to be as loyal customers.
Serve as sales and revenue channel
Most events allow merchants and businesses to sell or showcase their goods and services. It makes sense that events help generate leads, conversions, or sales. It improves customer queries as they get to ask their questions right then. Take this as a chance to showcase the best of your business and close more sales deals.
Serves as PR strategy of your team
Public Relations is about creating a good image of your company’s name. If you’re thinking of doing charitable works for the community, it helps improve your reputation because it portrays a positive look on you. What’s more, giving back to the community who buys your products seems like a good way to cater to their sentiments.
Common types of events
Events come in a variety of systems, location, organization, and whether they’re offline or online. Here are common types of events you can participate or launch on your own.
Conferences. Conferences are big events that gather industry-specific attendees to deliver informational or educational content.
Seminar. These are presentations or workshops similar to a classroom lecture held in a traditional style of information sharing. They’re a lot smaller than conferences.
Webinar. Webinars are simply seminars involving lectures or workshops that are delivered online. They can either be filmed on-demand or live.
Tradeshows. Tradeshows feature different companies that display and exhibit their products to a targeted audience. Usually, these companies hold forums, seminars, or conferences on the side also.
Charity. Giving back to the community is a surefire to boost your PR strategy and brand image. Community events and environmental efforts are a perfect example to show how your company cares.
How to organize events
Organizing events can be exhausting, and not to mention, pricey. Sometimes, it can make or break your career, destroy relationships with employees, or ruin your financial standing in the competition. So, how are you going to survive all through this mess?
Set up goals
What do you wish to achieve when organizing an event? Believe us, most events fail due to poor knowledge of event marketing goals. If you don’t have a goal, you don’t know your measurable steps to attain them. Always create SMART goals – simple, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
For example, instead of saying, “I want my event to be successful,” say:
“I want to generate at least $100 from registration in the next five months.” Or –
“I want to generate 75 participants for the blood-donating activity within three months.”
Brand your event
Branding an event deals with incorporating a theme or cohesive feeling you want to portray to attendees. It helps curate a seamless and unique experience with people. What’s more, you avoid being too cluttered, generic, and confusing. If you want to brand your event, think about potential swags to use such as uniforms, shirts, bags, decorations, or hats.
Make a detailed plan of action
Planning an event is not that easy. You need detailed steps on how to achieve each task. Remember to have a specific budget in mind and who to delegate assignments for each event. For instance:
- Budget
- Stick to a budget
- Provide the maximum amount you can invest
- Seek partnerships, sponsorships, or ex-deals
- Always have a daily or weekly financial review
- Always keep documents, receipts, and vouchers
- Logistics
- What supplies you can use
- Who are the key people to organize with you
- Any volunteers or community involvement with the group
- Arrangement from third-party organizations
- Task delegation
- Who will cater to customers’ needs
- Who will host the event
- Who will cater to speakers
- Who will do the documentation and media efforts
- Who will run for errands
- Promotions
- How to advertise the event online and offline
These are just ideas on how to make a detailed plan. You can further make a more comprehensive action plan out of the event you’ll have.
