Live events are one of the most effective marketing channels. When talking about a successful event there are many elements to take into account, such as logistics, location, security, lighting, gastronomy, etc. But today we are going to focus on communication and marketing as a key factor for the organisation of a successful event.
what is event marketing?
Event marketing is defined by the tools, techniques and channels to be used to promote an event to a particular target audience. There are three basic and general guidelines to follow that should be part of the chronology of the event marketing strategy:
- Before the event: Prior to the event, efforts will focus on brand and event visibility, attracting attendees, and attracting sponsors and exhibitors.
- During the event: In this phase of event marketing, the focus is no longer on conversion, but rather on activating attendees and boosting the event's reach.
- After the event: Even though the event is over, the actions to be taken in this phase of the event marketing plan are also very important because they will help to measure its success.
The best strategies for organising an event
- Set the goals and objectives of your event: Long before you start organising and planning your event, you should be very clear about the purpose and objectives of your event. To do this, you should find the right direction and avoid having a vague goal for your event, such as saying you just want to find more customers. You can follow a simple but effective concept: go for your SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) goal. Also, ask yourself: What is the reason why I want to create the event, what results do I want to achieve with it, what do I want to transmit and how will I do it, which audience do I want to target, do I have the necessary resources to organise it?
- Create attractive content and mark the place and dates in the calendar. At this point, you must know what you have to do to generate interest in your event, strengthen the perception of your brand and increase the level of affinity with your target audience. Also, set some dates and times to achieve objectives. It is advisable that the date set for the event does not coincide with holidays. Similarly, keep in mind that the best months to hold the event are usuallyMay and October, followed by June and November. Finally, the selected space must transmit, communicate and empathise with the values of your brand and the area that hosts the event must be accessible (public transport, good location, parking, etc.)
- Create a professional website. One of the best ways to promote your professional event to generate interest in your audience is to create a website. To achieve better results in the long term, you can improve the organic positioning of your website in Google through SEO strategies.
- Reach your audience through email marketing. According to a Hubspot study, 40% of marketers say that the best way to promote an event is through email. With an efficient tool like email, you can reach out to your current customers and their contacts by making a newsletter full of compelling content to let them know in advance why they should accept the invitation and attend the event.
- Promote your event on social media. Social media has become an essential tool for individuals and companies. It provides many useful tools to make it possible to spread the word about your event. Choose well the social media you are going to use in your event marketing strategy, as you should keep in mind that not all platforms serve the same purpose and not all audiences are on the same networks.
- Choose a representative hashtag for your event. Once you have selected the right social networks, it's time to choose the best hashtag. This is a very important aspect as it is a perfect way to generate conversation around your event.
- organise your event online. One of the biggest trends we are currently seeing during live events is the initiative to create an opportunity to integrate those who cannot attend through a live stream. This is a great way to show interest to your entire audience and offer them exciting ways to connect with each other. Similarly, events with online streaming will allow you to engage current and potential customers in the room, while also extending the reach of your message to those who cannot attend.
Remember that an event's fame is closely linked to its reach, so following these 7 strategies is essential when creating your next event and making it a resounding success.
