Event marketing is an excellent opportunity for businesses to reach new customers, spread the word about their brand, and boost in-person engagement. That said, do you know how to plan for event marketing?
In this event marketing guide, we go over tips on how to make an efficient marketing plan, create a timeline, set a budget, and much more. Make the most of your marketing campaign before the event by using these tips.
How to Create a Successful Event Marketing Guide to Follow
Event marketing allows a business to catch the buyer’s eye using displays, exhibits, and presentations. Depending on the type of event you plan to host or attend, it can be a great time to build or expand your network, make connections, and reach new customers.
However, long before the day of the event, you need to craft the right marketing strategies. This involves understanding your goals and building an actionable plan toward reaching them.
Decide now why you’re attending or hosting the event and what you plan to gain from it. For instance, maybe you need to generate new leads or build brand awareness.
Create a Detailed Event Marketing Planning Timeline
The first step to mastering event marketing is to implement a timeline. Understanding how much time you have prior to the start of the event gives you a timeline to work with.
Once you set your timeline, set your deadlines. If you’re feeling lost, start by addressing these promotion tactics:
- Email marketing
- Creating an event website
- Outlining and finalizing an event-based strategy
- Social media marketing
- Advertising
- SEO
How much time you should put into each of these depends on several factors, such as the size of your business, your goals, the point of the event, the size of the event, and so on.
Event Marketing Budget
No event marketing guide would be complete without mentioning the budget.
This number will vary depending on the type of business. The SBA states that B2C companies spend more on advertising overall than B2B companies. The size of your company also plays a part in how much you should set aside.
You’ll also need to address how much to spend on the event itself. This can vary widely depending on the size of the event, the location, accommodations, and so on.
Look at the company budget, and then calculate the ROI.
Select Appropriate ROI Metrics
The next step is to take the costs and compare them to the benefits (return on investment) you can reap from the event.
Benefits include direct revenue from ticket sales, sponsorship deals, product sales, etc. Attributed revenue from demos and conversations drive future sales. These opportunities impact your future revenue and should be considered an investment.
Don’t forget about brand exposure and equity. While this is tough to measure, building brand equity is vital to creating and preserving your brand. Understand your audience using analytics prior to the event to make the most of event marketing.
To further understand your audience and hold their attention at the event, you need to define them. Brand your social media and use this to promote the event.
Lastly, to make the most of your ROI, you need to invest in the right website. Enhance the event website to drive interest, define your brand, and make your business look more professional.
Use Ads, Email Marketing, and Blogs
Prior to the event, you need to promote it. The best way to do so is through blogs on the event website, social media ads, email marketing, and the other tips we mentioned above.
Another great idea is to create an early bird discount for the event. This encourages people to buy tickets early and is a win-win for both you and the attendees.
Establish Last-Minute Promotion and Engagement Tactics
Finally, create some last-minute promotion tactics. These can help create interest and boost ticket sales closer to the event, especially if you create a sense of urgency. Use our tips in this event marketing guide to get started.
If you need help creating your marketing strategy, check out our services and give us a call!