11 Proven Steps to a Good Event Marketing Strategy

“If you really understand how marketing works these days, you know there's no individual six-month campaign; there is only the 365 day campaign, with new content every day.”

― Gary Vaynerchuk

Marketing is the mysterious concept that makes people come to your event. It's actually not that mysterious if you break it down into smaller tasks.

In this article we look at some tips on how to ensure a good event marketing strategy.

We are going to look at…

Goal audienceEvent websitesSocial media contentSocial media influencersPotential Event SponsorsMailing ListsPress releases

 

 

1. Know your audience (and where to find them)

Marketing is about reaching people. But before you can reach someone, you need to know who they are and where they often go.

In other words, you need to identify your target audience . The more specific you get, the better.

First of all, try to find information about their…

AgeSexmarketPersonal interestsFavorite social mediaMotivation to come

Focus your marketing on the channels your target audience uses. If they read online magazines and use SnapChat, don't market via email and LinkedIn.

Look at social media insights

Leverage social media insights to help you collect the data you need to specify your target audience. Platforms like Facebook , Linkedin , and Twitter all provide you with data insights and analytics.

Social media should be part of your event marketing strategy.

Create a customer persona

Once you've gathered information about your audience, you need to create a customer persona. Give this character a funny name and think of him or her when making a decision.

2. Create an event website and social media accounts

You should register a domain name for your event website as soon as possible . Also create social media accounts so that no one else can steal your name.

Use these channels to publish content about your event and start generating interest early. The content about your event ends up on your website, blog and social media profiles.

3. Write event blogs and guest blogs

Start writing blog posts related to your event. If it's a conference, you can talk about the industry you're a part of. If it's a music festival, you can write about the artists coming.

You can also try writing guest blogs for other websites so that you can reach new audiences. Some sites charge money, while others will be happy that you are doing them this favor.

Get more - Free Event Ticketing System

4. Plan social media content

Find out what kind of content works on the social media platforms you target. Use tools like Canva to ensure images have the right dimension.

Hootsuite and Buffer are great for scheduling content in advance. Remember, you need to connect with your online audience through calls to action and replying to comments.

With social media ads you still get the most bang for your buck . Invest some time learning how paid promotion works on social media.

More than 20 percent of emails are opened. Use these as part of your event marketing strategy.

5. Build a mailing list and send updates

Event emails are still valuable as a marketing tool. They open on average at least 20% of the time . And that's good news for you.

You should set up a mailing list as soon as possible. Use a website like MailChimp to track subscribers and quickly design email campaigns.

6. Find event sponsors

Event sponsorship is a great way to get more marketing budget. Creating a value proposition for other businesses should be part of your event marketing strategy.

Try to find sponsors as soon as possible. More don't give up if they don't bite right away. Some companies see how far along you are before they even think about sponsoring you.

7. Contact influencers

Social media influencers are huge in marketing. They are trendsetters, who can make or break your marketing strategy.

The Fyre Festival was a perfect example of how important influencer marketing can be. Unfortunately, it was also a perfect example of very poor event planning.

Partnering with the right influencer can be an important part of your event marketing strategy.

8. Send press releases about your event

Press releases are still used, although they are now seen as old fashioned .

If your target audience reads certain publications, it may be a good idea to send out a press release about an event.

Most publications will also have an associated website. If your press release is part of it, there is also a credible source that links to your website.

To write a good press release, you must…

Send a personalized email to the publicationComing up with a good story for your eventList all practical details (date, location, etc.)Process links to your website and social mediaProcess images or link to your promo video

Publications receive a lot of emails, so make it as easy as possible to understand your press release.

9. Offer Early Bird Discounts

You should offer early bird tickets as soon as you are sure the event will go ahead. This way you ensure funds for your event early in the process.

Tickets for events often get more expensive the closer the date gets:

Super early bird: 6 months before the event, 20% discount.Early bird: 3 months before the event, 10% discount.Standard: 1 month before the event, no discount.

Use your email campaigns and social media content to remind people of these offers. This creates more urgency and FOMO .

10. Use former guests as champions

Influencers aren't the only people you can use as champions of your event. If you've hosted a similar event before, you can ask your guests for references.

Remember that everyone interacts with other people. And that it is very likely that their friends are interested in the same events.

11. Define your idea of ​​success

Before doing all of the above, it's important to define your criteria for success. In other words, you need to determine how many people you want to reach, and for how much money.

You can look at existing stats for email open rate and social media engagement . This will give you a better understanding of whether your current approach is working or not.

Bring it all together

Once you know what to do, it's time to map out your event marketing strategy. The tips we've discussed here are roughly in chronological order.

But what works for some people may not work for others.

You may already know certain social media influencers. It might be a good idea to check with them before worrying about emails and guest blogs.

Set up a timeline for the tasks in your event marketing strategy. Download an event marketing timeline template and use it as a frame.

Good luck with your event. Let us know how it goes in the comments below!