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In this age of digital marketing and social media it can sometimes feel as if you’ve stepped into a minefield when it comes to event marketing.
From the outset, it’s important to consider that marketing your event is about more than just getting bums on seats. You need to build an active and engaged community. Similarly, creating awareness around your event and selling tickets isn’t a one-off thing. It requires time, energy, and a well-planned marketing strategy.
You can’t simply send a single email reminder or create a Facebook event. You need a strategic approach that will enable you to connect with your audience and encourage them to register for the event in question.
Know your event
Do you have a solid grasp on the history of your event? If it’s new, what brought about the event’s creation? By knowing your event and being prepared to tell a story about it, you will be better placed to create an engaged and active community.
You want your audience to be connected and emotionally invested with your event before they even step through the door.
Give people all the vital information
It may seem like an obvious mistake but all too often event organisers get caught up in pretty photos and fun logos, and they end up forgetting to actually give the audience all the relevant information. Make sure your event’s location, time and ticketing details are clearly stated and visible on your website and marketing collateral.
Take your audience to where they can buy tickets
You can be hosting the best event the world has ever seen but you will get next to no ticket sales if you’re inadvertently hiding away the vital purchasing information. If your audience can’t easily find and purchase tickets then you’re already behind the eight ball of event marketing. Make sure that all your event advertising material has a really clear call to action. Triple check that any links related to purchasing tickets take your audience to the ticket purchasing page and not your generic home page.
Straight into the inbox
Email marketing is a great tool to connect with those who have shown an interest in you and your brand. Your event needs to be seen and heard by as many interested parties as possible. Don’t just rely on your own email marketing database; tap into the databases of any sponsors or key stakeholders of your event to help spread the word to larger networks.
Take social media seriously
As recently as June 2017, Facebook revealed that 12 million Australians use Facebook on a daily basis. An additional 5 million users are active on Instagram each month, closely followed by 3 million monthly Twitter users.
Social media is an invaluable tool to reach your target audience and build your profile, but you need to select the platforms your audience actually use. Are your fans on Facebook or are they in a constant swipe up struggle on Instagram?
Hash out your #hashtag strategy
Do you have a hashtag that you want people to use? Make sure you take time out to research. A simple search on Instagram and Twitter will show if your preferred hashtag is already in use.
A hashtag turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This allows you to organise content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. Another hugely worthwhile use of hashtags is to connect together tweets and Instagram images about your event as part of your event marketing strategy – before, during and after the event.
With the right strategy and tools in place, as an event organiser you can harness social media and digital marketing to attract more attendees, cultivate engagement, and extend the lifetime value of your event.
