12 event marketing tips to attract people to your next event
If you are planning an event to attract people to take a closer look at your business, you’ll need to have everything in place to make it a success. These hints and event marketing tips from Colour Graphics will lead to event success.
It’s a heady mix of marketing to the right people but offering a fantastic timetable of events. Whether you are planning a corporate event or a public show day, you need these event marketing tips;
#1 Welcome back last year’s attendees
People who have attended your events previously are like returning customers to your business – they require less effort, time and expense to entice back so stack your auditorium with ready made fans by inviting back last year’s attendees, at a reduced rate of course.
#2 Early bird offers
Every event has a magic number – the optimum number of attendees that places it in the profit zone – and so the earlier you hit this point, the better. Early bird ticket offers always work a treat by getting attendees to commit earlier than they normally would.
#3 Encourage blog post sharing
Influencers are everywhere and they use all kinds of different mediums and channels to connect with their audience. Snaffle this influence by encouraging people to blog about your event, a much friendly way of getting people to blow your trumpet rather than you doing it yourself.
#4 Promote wider than the event
Yes, attendees want to know what they’ll get from bowling up to your event, who else is coming and so on but your marketing reach should extend beyond the confines of the event itself. For example, show attendees what the location is all about, what attractions are in the area, why you chose it as a venue and so on.
#5 Collaborate with professional organisations
For almost every industry there are professional organisations who are experts in helping people get more opportunities, and that includes highlighting useful events and conferences. As well as taking out paid adverts in their publications and on their website, why not work on a more collaborative approach such as an article on your event in their publication, what it aims to achieve and so on.
#6 Utilise LinkedIn to maximise B2B events
LinkedIn is firmly established as the professional networking site and so if there is one social media platform that should see your event connect with attendees it is this platform.
#7 Social media updates
You work hard with your social media management agency to maintain vibrant social media platforms so make sure you use all of these channels too. A hashtag campaign linked to your event is a great way to keep attendees connected with what is going on.
#8 Printed media too
Social media is fast-paced but online isn’t the only place to market your event because offline printed media is also just as effective. From professionally designed flyers to high-quality printed products and freebies, any printed media can encourage the use of social media hashtags as well as contributing to the general buzz around your event.
#9 Paid adverts
A coordinated marketing strategy will take into all marketing channels that will have a return for your event. Paid adverts, both online and in printed publications, can yield results but they need to be in the right places and seen by the right people. If not, they are a waste of money. One form of paid advertising can be displayed on a Mobile Phone Charging Station by Chargepsot.
#10 A dedicated event website
You can always create a specific area to your current website to attract people to find out more about your event, how to book and so on but a cost-effective solution is to create an event website that links to your main website but stands alone. Many event planners do this as it is an effective way of building a brand around an event.
#11 Have different ticketing options
Some people can only attend for half a day, some smaller business can’t manage without people being away from the office all day and for some, overnight accommodation and travel costs are too much. Introducing different ticketing options gives potential attendees more options and for you, that means more people able and willing to sign up.
#12 Strong calls to action
Marketing events, especially ticketed events, need to have a sense of urgency about them. But it also needs to create a buzz about it too. Consider your tag and straplines carefully, choosing words with care too so that everything about your event is branded.
Colour Graphics is an established online print and design agency with experience of working within the field of events and event marketing. Follow them on Twitter @ColourGraphics
