There are countless methods to engage in event marketing. Depending on your position within your organization, the approach to event marketing can vary significantly. One fact remains clear: effective promotion is essential for events, whether they are conducted in person, online, or in a hybrid format.
By leveraging integrated technology, data, and analytics, implementing event marketing becomes a straightforward process that can be executed across various events and at scale. This handbook on event marketing will elucidate the concept of event marketing, outline the steps to develop a successful strategy, and provide guidance on executing that strategy to enhance your events program.
Defining Event Marketing
The term ‘event marketing’ encompasses a wide range of interpretations. So, what exactly does event marketing entail? Generally, it can refer to either the marketing strategies employed to promote events or the strategic utilization of events as a marketing tool to advance an organization, its mission, or its products. In both cases, whether you are promoting your events or using events as a marketing avenue, they hold significant power.
For numerous organizations, events constitute a substantial portion of their overall marketing expenditures. In fact, 14% of marketing budgets are allocated to event marketing, positioning events as the second-largest investment after online advertising.
This allocation is logical, considering that experiential marketing is recognized as the most effective marketing strategy among industry experts, with a significant portion of the experiential marketing budget directed towards events (24%).
Categories of Event Marketing
If your approach to event marketing includes curating a schedule of events that aligns with your marketing strategy, then your planning and strategy development will require a more intricate and detailed process.
So, you’re looking to whip up an event marketing strategy that really gets the word out? You can break it down through these handy marketing channels:
Event Website and Registration: First things first, you gotta have a snazzy event website and a registration page. It’s a must-have for any event marketing plan!
Event Mobile App: Think mobile apps are just for keeping track of who’s coming and saving on paper? Think again! Modern event apps can connect people, amp up engagement with games, and even send push notifications to keep everyone in the loop.
Email Marketing: It’s a classic for a reason! Email marketing for events is a solid way to share event details and keep everyone informed with links to register, the agenda, travel tips, and more.
Social Media Marketing: Why not tap into your own social media channels? It’s free! Make some easy-to-share posts and graphics that your network can spread around. And don’t forget to use that #eventhashtag!
Paid Advertising: If you want to reach new people who might not get your emails or see your posts, paid ads are where it’s at. They can help you connect with potential attendees that you might otherwise miss.
Organic Search / SEO: Getting your event out there organically is super important. Optimize your event website and blog posts to help drive traffic your way. People will find your event website when they search online!
Event Sponsorships: Don’t just think of sponsors as cash cows. They can actually help promote your event too! Find sponsors who will spread the word and make sure everyone knows about your event.
Live Event Marketing During and After Events: The marketing doesn’t stop when your event kicks off. Keep promoting during the event, whether it’s through live social media updates or creating fun moments for attendees to share with their friends.
Continued Promotion After Your Events: Don’t forget about all the fantastic content your event creates! You can reuse and promote it later, plus you’ll have new leads to help grow your marketing strategy.
How to Create an Event Marketing Plan
So, you’re planning an event? Awesome! But let’s face it: events can get pricey, which is why having a solid marketing plan is key. Your budget, goals, resources, and target audience are all going to guide the type of events you throw and how you promote them.
To kick things off, take a moment to think about your organization’s marketing and sales goals, plus any big-picture business goals. Consider how events can help you get there. They can be great for bringing in leads, boosting the mood among customers and employees, launching a new product, and a whole lot more.
Once you know what you want to achieve and how your events fit in, you can start crafting your event promotion strategy, all while keeping those big goals in mind.
Feeling a bit lost on where to start? No worries! We’ve put together some handy event marketing tips for you, along with different promotion tactics. Think of this as your go-to template for getting your event marketing plan rolling.
1. Get a Grip on Your Event Basics
Before diving into the nitty-gritty, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of what your event is all about. Here’s a simple outline to keep you on track:
Event Name: This is the first thing people will notice, so make it catchy! If you plan on doing this event more than once, pick a name that sticks. This way, you can nurture a brand for your event that builds excitement and loyalty, making it easier to market to those who want to come back.
Event Purpose: Think about why you’re hosting this event from the perspective of everyone involved: your organization, attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. Your event needs to serve different purposes for different folks, so keep that in mind.
Target Audience: Who are you trying to reach? Picture your ideal attendee. What are they looking for, and how can your event meet their needs? Figuring this out will steer your planning and help you hit your goals.
Event Type: This is where you link your purpose to the format. Will it be a conference, webinar, training session, workshop, VIP gathering, or something else? Pick the type that best fits your vision!
Event Format (In-person, Virtual, Hybrid, or Webinar): With your goals and audience in mind, decide on the format. Are your attendees scattered around the globe? A virtual setup might be best. Do you think in-person chats will seal the deal? Then go for that. Just make sure your event management platform can handle whatever you choose!
KPIs to Measure Goal Performance: Once you clarify your event purpose, set up some ways to track how well you’re doing. Think about event KPIs (key performance indicators) like revenue, registration and attendance rates, engagement scores, or sales leads.
Theme: Whether it’s a one-off or a yearly event, craft a theme that resonates with your purpose, is timely, grabs attention, and fits well with your programming.
Tagline: You know those catchy slogans that just stick with you? (“I’m Lovin’ It!”) Your tagline might not be a classic, but if you can whip up something fun that encapsulates your event, it’s a great way to make it memorable.
Color Scheme and Brand Imagery: Your event branding should align with your company’s look and feel. Plus, if you’re doing this more than once, think about creating graphics and guidelines that make your event recognizable every time and easy to spot in all your promotional materials.
2. Build Your Event’s Website
Your event website is going to be where potential attendees go to check things out. It’s the spot where they can find all the important details they need to decide if they want to join in and stay updated on what’s happening.
Just like all your other promotional stuff, your event website should have the same vibe as your company and event branding. Keeping everything looking cohesive helps attendees trust that it’s your company running the show and makes it super easy for them to spot info about your event.
Here’s what your event website should have:
– Event name and catchy tagline
– Date and time
– Location or virtual platform information
– Ticket prices
– A clear call to action that leads to the registration page
– Exciting details like who the keynote speakers are
– A section for FAQs
Make Registration Easy on Your Website
Using event registration software, you can smoothly integrate the registration process right into your event website. This makes it super easy for attendees to sign up, plus it helps create a more personalized feel for their experience.
3. Get Your Mobile Event App Up and Running
Let’s face it—event apps are now a must-have for any event marketing plan. They work great alongside your event website and come packed with features that help you keep attendees engaged and dive deeper into your event details.
With a solid game plan, your event app can be your best buddy from the moment people register. As soon as they download it, you can send them fun push notifications about new additions to the agenda. This not only builds their excitement but also gets them to spread the word on social media!
And don’t think the fun stops when the event is over! You can keep the convo going through your app and keep attendees hooked all the way until it’s time to sign them up for your next event.
Link Up with Attendees via a Virtual Event Platform
If you’re rolling out a virtual or hybrid event, you’ve got a fantastic chance to use your virtual event platform to show off your brand and stay connected with attendees throughout the event with a cool virtual attendee hub.
4. Event Email Marketing
Email marketing is a must-have if you want your event to stand out. If you’re not already on board with an email marketing tool, it’s time to get one! They make crafting and automating your emails a breeze, especially when you can sync them up with your event management tools.
When you’re putting together your email campaigns, keep things simple and personalize as much as you can. You want to strike that sweet spot where your emails stick in people’s minds without becoming annoying. Nobody wants their inbox cluttered with spam, no matter how awesome your event is!
Also, try to sort your contact lists based on what your recipients are into. Sending the same generic email to everyone just doesn’t cut it. Tailored emails that speak to attendees based on their industries, job roles, interests, or even how they registered will have a way bigger impact.
The goal here is to create some excitement about your event and get your registrants hyped up, so they actually look forward to hearing from you, whether it’s before, during, or after the big day.
Here are a few quick tips to help you make the most of email marketing for driving registrations:
– Use email marketing software to easily manage and segment your contact lists. Targeted campaigns can really make a difference in getting those registrations rolling in.
– Break down your email audiences. Instead of blasting the same message to everyone, take the time to segment your audiences and tailor your email content to what’s relevant for each group.
– Make sure your emails match up with your event website to keep your brand consistent and recognizable.
– Save time and boost audience engagement by pre-scheduling emails, automating updates, sending out confirmations and thank-yous, and sharing specific updates that match different audiences’ interests.
– Don’t forget to check the reports! Your marketing software will help you see open and click-through rates so you can figure out what’s working and what needs tweaking.
Bonus Tip: Always test, tweak, and keep an eye on your emails to maximize your campaigns’ effectiveness. With the right tools and a bit of creativity, you can easily adjust your strategy on the fly.
5. Dive Deep into Social Media Marketing
When it comes to free promotion, social media is like having a secret weapon in your marketing toolkit. You and your team should definitely be hanging out on as many platforms as possible—think LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X (yep, that’s still Twitter to some of us!).
Now, remember, your event’s promotion should really speak to the crowd you want to attract. If your dream attendees aren’t scrolling on Instagram, shift your focus to where they actually spend their time. It all boils down to knowing who your audience is and how they like to communicate.
Here’s a fun tidbit: on average, people clock in about 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones daily, and a good chunk of that—about 2 hours and 23 minutes—is spent on social media. Those stats should nail down why social media marketing is an absolute no-brainer!
Assuming you’re on board with the idea, let’s chat about how to make the most of social media for your event marketing:
Get Hashtag Savvy
Hashtags aren’t just those quirky labels people toss at the end of their posts for kicks (though when used poorly, that’s pretty much what they are). They’re actually fantastic for categorizing content, helping people discover related posts, and pulling in engagement from specific audiences—all while raising awareness about your topic.
For your event marketing, think of hashtags in two ways:
1. Create a unique hashtag just for your event. This way, you, your attendees, and even your sponsors can easily tag their posts, making it super simple to find all the buzz around your event and amplifying its reach.
2. Jump on hashtags related to your event’s theme and industry—especially the ones your target audience is interested in. If you want to pull in hoteliers, for example, figure out what subjects they care about, check out the trending tags, and start weaving them into your social media content.
Keep the Posts Flowing
Just throwing one lonely post on each of your social feeds won’t cut it; you can’t leave it all up to your followers to spread the word for you. Get a plan in place! Set up a posting schedule that keeps your event fresh in everyone’s minds and serves up exciting news as the day approaches.
To keep from flooding your followers, consider using both your company’s social media accounts and your personal ones to share content and boost your reach. With each new post, get creative on how to switch things up and amplify engagement on every single share.
Get Chatting with Your Followers
So, here’s the deal: don’t just toss up a post and walk away! The beauty of social media is all about the back-and-forth. When your followers like, share, or drop a comment, dive right in! Don’t be shy—respond to those comments, follow new folks and pages that are showing you love, and grow your circle. The more you engage, the more your posts will resonate.
Launch a Brand Ambassador Crew
Okay, this one might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you find the right people, brand ambassadors can really help you push your message out beyond your usual crowd. Think of them as your hype squad! You can offer some cool perks, like freebies or gift cards, in exchange for helping to spread the word about your brand and events on their social media.
Pick brand ambassadors who are already loyal fans. If you’ve got someone who’s been jazzed about your event for years and has a solid following, team up with them! They’ll probably love sharing your event with their friends, plus a little free swag will definitely sweeten the deal!
Host Fun Contests to Boost Engagement
One of the coolest things about social media? It makes online connections feel super real! Who would’ve thought you could find such great vibes and friendships online, right? But there are so many chances to create those genuine experiences.
And social media contests are a fantastic way to do just that! Whether it’s an online scavenger hunt, daily tasks, or live meet-ups, there are tons of fun ways to bring people together and spark some friendly competition. So why not give it a shot?
Going Beyond the Basics: Fresh Ideas to Promote Your Events
Alright, so you’ve got the basics down for promoting your event, but why stop there? There’s a whole world of marketing strategies out there that you may not have thought about or might have been tempted to skip.
If you really want to make your marketing plan shine and grab the attention your event deserves, you should tap into all the marketing channels at your disposal.
Don’t Sleep on Paid Digital Ads
Sure, there are plenty of free ways to get the word out, and they definitely have their perks, but let’s not overlook paid ads. They can make a big difference, especially if you’re looking for fast results. Here’s why they’re worth considering:
Reach and Visibility: Paid ads help you cast a wider net quickly, targeting the right audience. This can give you a much better return on investment compared to just relying on organic methods.
Analytics and Insights: When you go the paid route, you get access to a treasure trove of data—everything from how your ads are performing to click rates and conversions. This info lets you make smart, data-driven moves to up your marketing game.
Competitive Edge: Not everyone can splurge on paid advertising, which means you could end up snagging those top ad spots for the right keywords.
In the end, it all comes down to your budget. If you’re trying to reach a larger audience and can swing the cost of ads, they could be a fantastic way to go. Just ask yourself a few questions before you dive into a paid ad campaign:
– Is spending some of your budget on paid ads the best use of those funds?
– What key performance indicators (KPIs) are you going to track to make sure your ads are hitting those ROI targets (like impressions, click rates, and conversions)?
– How well are your other (free) promo methods doing? Will adding paid ads make a significant impact, or are you already in a good place?
SEO: Get Your Event Website Noticed for More Organic Traffic
When it comes to online marketing for your event, nailing your SEO (search engine optimization) is super important. With a few smart tweaks and the right approach to your content, you can easily pull in organic traffic to your event website.
So, what do I mean by that? Let’s say you’re organizing an AI-themed event in Chicago aimed at helping small businesses operate more efficiently. You definitely want to catch the eye of small business owners, middle managers, and IT decision-makers. Think about where they might be searching online for info about events like yours.
In this case, keywords like “AI conference” or “AI in business” are key. You’ll want to dig into a keyword research tool to discover which phrases are the hottest, then sprinkle those throughout your event website. That way, you’ll boost traffic and get a better spot in search engine results.
Don’t Forget Sponsorships in Your Marketing Plan
As you map out your event marketing strategy, remember that you’re not just targeting attendees—you’re also catching the attention of potential sponsors. Sponsorships can really help lighten your costs and create buzz around your event.
Choose your sponsors wisely—those who share a similar audience can be incredibly beneficial. They can help with cross-promotions on their social media, which is a win-win.
When reaching out to sponsors, make sure you present a clear value proposition. Show them why partnering with your event can help them achieve their goals, too.
While you’ll be promoting your event across various channels, an event management platform can streamline a lot of this for you. With the right tech, you can handle your website, registrations, email marketing, mobile app, and sponsors all from one place.
Keep the Buzz Going During Your Events
Promotion shouldn’t hit the brakes just because your event has kicked off. You can do a lot by continuing to promote it while it’s happening! Live marketing during your event not only creates FOMO (fear of missing out) for those not there, but you can also repurpose that content for future marketing efforts.
Picture this: You weren’t able to fit an awesome annual event into your budget. But as you follow along on social media—watching live videos, attendee shout-outs, and clips from keynote speakers—you start feeling a serious case of envy. You’ll definitely want to make it a priority for next year!
This is exactly the vibe you want to create by keeping your promotional activities alive during the event. Plus, it’s a fantastic chance for companies that didn’t sponsor this time around to see why they absolutely should jump on board for the next one!
Make the Most of Your Post-Event Marketing
After your event wraps up, you’ve got a goldmine of content just sitting there! From on-demand session recordings to fun video clips and awesome photos, there’s plenty to share on your social media. Don’t let that valuable stuff go to waste—use it in your future promotions!
Plus, don’t forget about all those great leads you gathered during the event. This is a perfect chance to shake things up in your marketing strategy, grow your audience, and reach out to anyone who showed interest in what your company has to offer. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! If you found it helpful and want to stay connected, feel free to reach out via the contact form or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Have any suggestions or objections? I’d love to hear from you! Drop an email at ask@navnishbhardwaj.com — your feedback helps me improve and grow!
