From the Desk of Mary
Event Manager - Entrepreneur - Adventurer
Whether event or company marketing, it’s important to keep your marketing efforts diverse and consistent. As daunting as it may be, there’s a community out there that wants to be in the loop - your loop.
Especially for events, all the hard work of great event planning - venues, catering, accommodations, speakers - only pays off if people show up. A great event manager cultivates a community around the event, building excitement and attendance up to the final day.
At Occasions, Inc., we’ve learned over the years that you have to do your homework, develop a strategy, and jump on it right away to build the right momentum. These proven tips will help you transform your next event!
Know Your Audience
Every event is unique and will appeal to only a select group of people. Take time to research demographics and understand your target audience. This also is instrumental in helping you decide the logistics and agenda for your event.
Identify Channels
Part of understanding your target audience is knowing where they go for information, and understanding the different channels. Decide which channels you’re going to include in your marketing strategy, such as social media, public calendars, emails, direct mailing campaigns, website/blog content, or print advertising. You don’t need to do all of them, but selecting at least a couple means that your event shows up in more places.
Streamline Registration
Nothing is more of a deterrent than a cumbersome registration process. Simplify the steps needed for a guest to sign up for your event and make payments as easy as possible. This can include eliminating fields, making the registration form online and responsive to mobile formats, and incorporating e-commerce options into a website.
In addition, offering and promoting incentives for sign-ups is a great way to generate traffic earlier in the marketing lifespan of an event. Not getting a lot of traction? Offer an early bird discount to bring them flying in!
Promote Easy Sharing
In addition to an easy registration process, it should be very easy for your guests to share the event with others. Post about it on social media and encourage readers to share the content. Include share icons on your registration form, website, blog, and anywhere else you’re promoting the event. Create an event hashtag, event pages, ready-made social media/blog posts about the event for others to use, share icons, and printed materials that make it easier for your guests to spread the word.
Connect the Dots
Find and attend other events with the same target demographics to promote your upcoming, similar event. You might reach more people with social media, but in-person connections are more meaningful and lasting, and give you invaluable feedback on your target audience. This is not only a fantastic way to reach your audience, but also to network and gain ideas for future events.
Help Guests Visualize
Showcase pictures and videos from past events to show your guests what they can expect. Highlight images of people who are engaging in event activities, smiling, and having a good time. Videos and spotlights on a particular speaker, entertainer, or other facet of the event can also build excitement.
If possible, include testimonials from past events to provide legitimacy and authority for your event. Promising a great time isn’t quite as compelling as showing your guests you can deliver on it. A potential guest is much more likely to spend money on your event if they can be confident it’s a good investment. What do you think?
Can you do some of these to promote your next event?