You might have an amazing idea for an event, and the
planning of it is all coming together smoothly. But how do you ensure that
people actually turn up to enjoy it? Marketing your event is one of the most
crucial parts of event management, and done wrong, can lead to the dreaded
empty room. Basic marketing techniques aren’t that difficult to learn however, so
if you follow these top tips that we’ve put together, you’ll soon see your
sign-ups soar.
Know Your Audience
One of the most important parts of pre-event marketing is
knowing what you are setting out to achieve. What is the purpose of this event,
and who is it targeting specifically? If you know the demographic of your
audience, then you are going to be able to market to them much more
effectively. How will you know if your event is a success? Knowing what you
want to measure and how, whether it be attendees at the event, impressions on
social media, or sales, is equally important. You won’t know if you’re
successful unless you understand how you’re going to measure it.
Start an Events Page
As soon as you have finalised the date and venue, you need
to have an events page up and running. Information can be added to this as you
go but the most important thing is to get it started as soon as possible. If
you’ve went for one of the riverside venues for hire in London, make the most
of this on your events page through pictures of the water and the interior.
Your audience will already be interested at this stage, even before you’re
announced any further details.
Update Your Events Page
By the time your marketing plan is in full swing, your
events page should be an informative and attractive place for your audience to
visit, which is why you’ll need to consistently update your site. If your event
is having multiple speakers, you will need to have good pictures of each plus a
short bio alongside these. Another great marketing tool for your event page is
to add informative videos. Every audience loves to be able to see a video in
relation to an event and this is just one way that you can boost your ticket
sales. Don’t forget to add a large ‘Buy Tickets Here’ or ‘Register Now’ button
that your audience can’t fail to notice.
Pre-Event Emails
This is a big one. If you’re a large organisation, you’re
going to have an email list from previous events and from customers you’ve
interacted with. Now is the time to utilise this in the correct way. If you’re struggling
to come up with an attention-grabbing email, it might be time to invest in a
direct mail copywriter, who will be able to produce this in a flash. Your
subject line has to be engaging and inviting to ensure that the recipients open
it. After that, you’ll need to show them why your event is worth going to.
Having a video thumbnail can sometimes help with this, as it’s a quick way for
information to be shared. You will also need to get across the benefits of
signing up. If you have an early bird offer, this is the time to advertise it.
If you have done similar events in the past, having some testimonials will also
really boost engagement. Don’t be afraid to send out a series of follow-up
email encouraging your email list to attend.
Social Media
Social media can’t be ignored, but how to utilise it in the
best way for your event? The answer is, by using it as much as possible. You
should be on every available social media platform you can, and you need to
ensure that they are kept regularly updated. Social media does bring in an
audience, but you need to put a lot of work into it in order for it to be
effective. Don’t shy away from investing in paid promotion, as this will help to
get the word out to as many people as possible. The main advice when it comes
to social media is to create a friendly persona. Run competitions to win tickets
and other goodies and ask questions of your audience to get them engaged.
Blogging
While you’re updating Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram left
right and centre, you might be left wondering what exactly you should be
putting in all of these posts. The answer is simple. Start a blog. If your
company doesn’t already have one, it’s a great way to not only improve your
Google ranking through SEO, but to have something fun and interesting to share
through social media. This will help you to build up your audience for future
events, particularly if you have an email sign-up option for interested
parties. Guest bloggers from your industry can help to boost this engagement
event further.
Media Release
While you might be focused on getting registrations for your
event, it’s important not to forget local media and news sites both far and
wide. Put together an engaging press release to send out with all of the
information required plus a few high-quality photographs. Invite select people
from the press to attend the event and make sure that you have a full press kit
ready and waiting for them. Don’t forget to send a news release around other
interested companies in your industry. Many will have their own internal
newsletter where they can share a snippet about your upcoming event.
Having a detailed marketing plan is essential for anyone planning
a large event. Knowing your strategy, and what needs to get done and when, is
one of the key ways that you can get your audience interested and keep yourself
as stress-free as possible.
Search
