Event Marketing Strategies – Tips, Tricks, And Suggestions

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, event marketing has emerged as a dynamic and influential approach to engage audiences. From corporate conferences to music festivals, organizations are constantly seeking innovative strategies to make their events unforgettable experiences.

Here, we discuss the evolution of event marketing strategies and explore how blogging has become an essential tool for event promotion. We’ll also look at the crucial role of public relations in amplifying event reach and offer effective Twitter marketing strategies for event planners. Get ready to discover the game-changing tips, tricks, and suggestions that will elevate your event marketing to new heights.

Evolution of Event Marketing

Efficient event marketing requires careful planning and time investment. To assure success, ample time and resources must be allocated to marketing efforts. But what are the most effective methods for event promotion? Over the years, event marketing has evolved significantly due to technological advancements, leading to changing expectations and emerging challenges.

Event planners and marketers now face the challenge of delivering a higher return on investment for customers. Building strong relationships between customers and brands has become paramount, as audiences expect meaningful engagement and personal value from events. To make the most of the customer experience, organizations need to embrace technology before, during, and after events. Mobile technologies and social media platforms provide opportunities to increase the value for event attendees, extend the event’s lifecycle, and enable more engaging marketing interactions.

Leveraging mobile event apps can significantly enhance the effectiveness of event marketing. These apps streamline online registration, drive engagement on websites and social media, collect valuable attendee demographic data, provide real-time event updates, extend organizational branding, and Improve networking abilities. Mobile technology not only reaches the audience before and after the event but also encourages attendees to use their devices during the event, staying connected with other participants and the organization.

Integrated event campaigns that leverage multiple communication channels, including custom event apps, are particularly effective at involving audiences. Attendees now expect easy technological experiences, and organizations can communicate better with their target audience as technology advances. Integration also allows for accurate measurement of Return on Event (ROE), so important for defining future event budgets and program growth.

Custom event apps offer the ability to capture valuable audience data, allowing personalized experiences throughout the event lifecycle. Companies can automate post-event follow-ups and tailor outreach based on individual guest data, creating better customer involvement and improving sales cycles. Lead generation is facilitated through conference apps or event apps, as face-to-face interactions at events improve online connections with potential customers. Participating in social media conversations and targeting the right demographics are vital for increasing visibility and attracting the ideal event audience.

Upselling at events is possible by introducing attendees to new products and services that address their needs. Encouraging attendees to think outside the box establishes a deeper connection with both new and existing audiences, increasing the chances of attracting new attendees.

Before implementing an event application, consider building a model to understand its impact on event ROI, conduct brainstorming sessions to generate unique ideas, employ multiple promotional channels, incorporate social media, and gather feedback for continuous improvement.

Blogging Should Be an Integral Part of Your Event Marketing

Blogging is a critical component for driving traffic and engagement to your website, making it the heart of any social media marketing campaign. Here are ten reasons why including blogging in your event marketing mix is essential, as it will help you generate more business.

Reasons to Blog for Event Marketing:

• Building Brand Value: Blogging assists your company in establishing itself as a thought leader in the industry, showcasing your knowledge and expertise. By communicating through your blog, you can build rapport with potential customers while driving them to download your mobile event app.
• Social Media Promotion: Blogging is very important for a successful social media marketing campaign. It allows you to share core content with your social connections on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest (using images, pictures, or videos). Think of your blog as a content hub to be shared with your connections.
• Keyword Strategy: Incorporate a keyword strategy into your blog to improve your search engine rankings. Focus on targeted keywords, including local or GEO targeted terms, which potential customers may use to find an event professional.
• Team Involvement: Involve your team by having your customer service and sales managers (or staff) contribute guest posts to your company blog. This allows them to discuss topics they have in-depth knowledge of, such as the best event app features.
• Guest Blogging: Use guest blogging to promote and strengthen your relationships with vendors. Guest posts diversify the voices on your blog and expand the range of topics being discussed. This is especially valuable when organizing conferences and managing a diverse audience.
• Foster Interaction: View blogging as a two-way conversation for your event firm. Encourage comments and social sharing, as they extend the reach of your blog and make your website more dynamic. Blogs are also effective in promoting user acceptance of your conference app.

How to Write Blogs for Your Event:

• Integral to Content Marketing: A blog is a crucial part of your overall content marketing strategy, driving traffic to your site and amplifying your business’s voice through social media. Other industry professionals will refer back to your blog and website, further expanding your reach.
• Embrace Multimedia: Blogging goes beyond text. Use your smartphone to create “VBlog” content—short interviews or Q&A sessions on topics your customers will find interesting. Upload these videos to your WordPress blog or website and share them via your YouTube account.
• Leverage WordPress: Utilize WordPress for your blogging needs as it is a free and easily integratable platform. It can very easily blend with your website design, or you can even use WordPress as your primary website platform. What’s more, WordPress offers a number of plugins to enhance its functionality.
• Engage with Your Audience: Use social media to ask your customers what they would like you to blog about. This drives better involvement with your social media accounts and provides fresh topics for your blogging endeavors.
• Mobile Readiness: Remember that event attendees will access your blog through the event app. Ensure your blog is mobile-ready and compatible with top-tier smartphones. Be sure to explore the best use of mobile event apps to get the most out of them.

Using Public Relations for Event Marketing

Using Public Relations (PR) as a tool for event marketing can be a highly effective and cost-efficient strategy. With a budget of $300-500, which includes outsourcing PR creation and distribution of press releases, you can publicize your event successfully.

Setting PR Goals: Before initiating press release activities, it’s essential to define your PR goals. Determine what you aim to achieve with the event, such as generating leads or increasing brand awareness. Also, establish metrics for measuring PR success, such as website visits, event attendee form requests, event app downloads, or 800 number calls. Consider how many press releases you plan to issue for the event.

Standing Out Amidst the Noise: When participating as a vendor in a large event, it’s important to address the noise level associated with the specific occasion. Your PR efforts will be competing with other event sponsorship companies. To attract attendees to your sessions or interact with your company, create a unique and compelling message that motivates them to choose your event.

Key Elements of a Great Event-focused Press Release: A well-crafted press release for your event should include the following elements:

• Succinct Value Proposition: Make sure your press release provides value to the reader. Highlight how attending your event will make their business more successful or better informed. Use the “WIFM” (What’s In It For Me) marketing approach to captivate their interest.
• Compelling Call to Action: Encourage readers to take specific actions, such as calling a phone number, downloading the conference app, or visiting your website’s registration page. Make the call to action explicit and appealing.
• Newsworthy Information: Apart from announcing the event, include something of distinct value within the press release itself. Capture attention by sharing intriguing and noteworthy details about the event.
• Concise About Section: Include a brief 2-3 sentence section about your event company, along with links to your website and social media accounts. Provide contact information, such as an email address and phone number. Keep this section concise and impactful.
• Multimedia Integration: Consider embedding an image or video in your press release. A video could serve as a 1-2-minute introduction or overview of your event, encouraging engagement and understanding.
• Speaker and Guest Mentions: Highlight any featured speakers or special guests at your event. Incorporate a quote from a speaker or guest within the press release to promote the event and encourage attendee interest.
• Social Media Integration: Integrate links and references to all your social media accounts in the About Section. Leverage social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to further amplify your PR campaign.
• Backlinks for SEO: Include 1-3 backlinks within the press release that drive search engine rankings. Embed keywords aligned with your overall SEO marketing strategy to optimize visibility.
• Consistent Social Media Promotion: Don’t limit yourself to a single social media post about your press release. Repeat and diversify your social media marketing efforts. Consider sending PR announcements during unconventional times, such as evenings and weekends, to capture the attention of busy viewers and increase downloads of your mobile event app.

Twitter Marketing Strategies for Event Planners

When it comes to Twitter marketing strategies, event planners often find themselves short on time. In this blog post, we’ve compiled practical tips specifically tailored to busy event planners. Discover how to effectively market your event or company on Twitter and maximize your reach.

• Stay Within Twitter’s Limits: Twitter imposes specific follow limits and account restrictions. Although the exact numbers are not disclosed by Twitter, it’s estimated that you should not follow more than a few hundred individuals per hour. What’s more, your overall follower count is limited based on the ratio between followers and those you follow. As your follower base grows, Twitter adjusts this limit accordingly. Another important note is to avoid direct messaging more than 25-30 individuals or businesses per day to prevent potential account complaints or suspension.
• Focus on Quality Followers: While having a large number of followers may seem appealing, it’s very important to prioritize engagement over popularity. Go for a smaller, but highly involved, follower base. These are the individuals who genuinely want to hear from you and are interested in your business.
• Share Valuable Content: Creating and sharing great content is the key to driving followers and engagement on Twitter. Focus on delivering meaningful news and information tailored to your target market. Share links to videos, white papers, eBooks, and other valuable resources. By consistently sharing high-value content, you’ll build a long-term relationship with your followers and generate excellent marketing ROI.
• Leverage Other Platforms: Remember to expand your Twitter marketing efforts beyond the platform itself. One effective strategy for event planners is to share your conference app link on Twitter, along with links to your Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. This off-platform Twitter marketing approach can significantly improve your overall marketing strategy and drive more connections.
• Maintain a Balanced Self-Promotion Approach: Avoid overwhelming your “Twitter stream” with excessive self-promotion. It’s recommended to keep your promotional content under 20% of your overall tweets. By adhering to this rule of thumb, you can maintain a healthy follower count and better guarantee that your audience appreciates the valuable content you share.
• Pay It Forward: On Twitter, helping others leads to long-term benefits and goodwill. By actively engaging with others, you can generate positive interactions and encourage reciprocal relationships. Respond to messages, retweet others’ marketing messages, and participate in Twitter chats and conventions like #FF (Follow Friday) or #MeetingMonday.
• Harness the Power of Hashtags: Given Twitter’s character limit, brevity is vital. Use hashtags strategically to make your tweets stand out, particularly when promoting your event planning app. Using relevant hashtags increases your visibility to others who follow or search for specific hashtags related to your market, event, or business.
• Embrace the Twitter Community: Twitter has a unique user community, much like any other social media platform. Take the time to understand the platform’s marketing maxims and use them to your advantage. Remember that building a meaningful audience of involved, interested followers takes time, so be patient and consistent in your Twitter marketing activities.

FAQ

Q: What is event marketing strategy?

A: Event marketing strategy refers to the planning and implementation of promotional activities and tactics to create awareness, generate interest, and drive attendance for an event.

Q: What are the 5 P’s of event marketing?

A: The 5 P’s of event marketing are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People. These elements help in developing a comprehensive marketing strategy for events. The target market in an event refers to the specific group of individuals or businesses that the event aims to attract and engage with.

Q: What are the 4 types of marketing strategies?

A: The four types of marketing strategies are:

• Product Differentiation Strategy
• Market Penetration Strategy
• Market Development Strategy
• Diversification Strategy

Enhance your event marketing strategies with Grupio’s specialized in-person conference app designed exclusively for your business! Reach out to us today at (866) 374 0354 to explore the possibilities and unlock an extraordinary event experience. Looking for more information? Feel free to use our convenient “Contact us” form.