A well planned marketing campaign is crucial to the success of any event or exhibition. It’s about much more than simply advertising the content, time and date of the event. Here’s a look at the latest developments in event marketing, and how to put together an effective strategy.
Incentives and discounts
It’s now a common strategy to offer early bird discounts to encourage people to sign up rather than dither or put it off until it is too late. Stagger the ticket prices so that they become gradually more expensive nearer to the date of the event.
Social media marketing
Social media platforms are ideal for publicising events. It’s a word of mouth format so launch your campaign early to allow your posts to travel through shares, retweets and so on. Tailor each piece of content to the platform rather than posting identical content across the board.
For example, LinkedIn is best for B2B promotion and to target people in specific job roles, while Twitter is useful if you want to make use of news and current affairs in your marketing campaign.
Short form video content is now highly popular on social media as it is easy to view and share on smartphones. Therefore if your budget and timescale allows, you might want to consider making a short promotional or behind the scenes video about your event.
Research has shown that consumers respond well to user generated content on social media, because it is seen as more authentic and trustworthy than traditional advertising methods. You may want to consider working with an influencer who has an affinity with your brand and has a loyal follower base.
It is possible to augment your social media campaign with paid advertisements. It is best to do this early to boost fresh content and ensure that the message reaches as wide an audience as possible.
Analytic tools for targeted advertising
Technology can now be used to analyse data from previous events which provides an insight into audience needs, desires, and future patterns of behaviour. This can help to create more precisely targeted content. For example, different aspects of the event or exhibition can be highlighted depending on which section of the audience is being addressed.
Audience behaviour and preferences can be assessed to help shape future programmes and marketing campaigns, making them more relevant and personalised.
Collaborations
It is now a popular practice to work with sponsors or collaborators to help raise awareness of your event and share some of the costs. Reach out to businesses or brands whose products or services complement your own but who are not direct competitors.
Email drops and press releases
Mass email marketing may not seem very cutting edge in 2023, but it’s still a highly effective way to get your message in front of a target audience. Make sure that the email contains a catchy hook line, is straight to the point, and includes a call to action.
Finally, don’t ignore the power of the press release; it’s still an essential part of your event marketing toolkit.
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