Have you ever been to a trade show or a promotional event and you just knew that brand had not prepared enough? Don’t let yourself be that brand. Two words: Plan Ahead.
When it comes to online and offline events, online event marketing is key to success in order to engage your audience pre-event, during the event, and even after the event.
Use your social media presence, your online prowess, and your awesome marketing team to succeed at marketing your event.
Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, you name it…
You know the age old saying, “be where your audience is”… if your audience is engaging with you heavily on Facebook or Twitter, why not help promote your event to them there? Start early and update as the event approaches with new tidbits they may want to know.
Do you have a cool speaker? Special giveaways? An early bird entry fee? Your audience wants to know! And don’t forget a fun branded hashtag to corral the conversation so you can listen in and so can your followers. That hashtag can be used before during and after the event in order to keep the conversation flowing and get a larger audience to over hear what an awesome event your brand is having.
Event Page(s)
Why pay when you can leverage free offerings. Eventbrite allows for advance planning of events, social media integration, ticket fees and more; a great way for people to easily purchase tickets or sign up for an event online or through their mobile app.
Best part – you can keep track of sign-ups as they happen and alert the attendees as needed.
Email Isn’t Dead
Have an email list? Use it. Send out an email newsletter each month? Use it. Tell the people you already have in your arsenal and ask them to share with their friends too. Two words: Cross promotion.
Leverage Audiences
Have a partner for your event? Know some awesome influential bloggers in your space? Ask them to help spread the news too. Collaborate on promotion with your partners with the same hashtag. Ask your friendly bloggers to help review the event during and after.
Make Them Feel Special
Brand audiences love feeling special and unique to a brand. Want your audience to feel more special? Give them a sneak peek to the event, allow them privileges the general audience may not receive, etc. In short, show your audience they are valued but not just through words, through actions and the event itself.
These five steps are great to get started in your event marketing. However, it’s important to remember that your event marketing does not stop – it continues through the event and even afterward. Follow up with your audience and ask what they thought.
Would they want something different next time? What worked? What didn’t? Let your audience be your pulse. And for those who may have missed the event – give them a chance to receive a recap with pictures and video if possible. Show them they didn’t really miss out!