Five things you need to know about marketing for events

Event marketing can take on many forms. Every event is different and has varying audiences, content, and culture. So it has to have a unique marketing strategy.

Whether you’re doing it online or in person, promotion is the key to event marketing. And with the help of data, technology, and analytics, it should be easy to implement. It’s also essential that event marketers stay updated on the latest in the event marketing game.

Here are five things you need to know about marketing for events.

1) Set clear objectives prior to events 

Before establishing a marketing plan, you must first set clear objectives by asking questions like why you are throwing a marketing event, who your audiences are, what steps to take to achieve your goals and how to measure success. Your answers to these questions can help you establish an effective event strategy, including the kind of event you should organise and who to invite.

Once you have a clear objective for your event, you can start finding the people to achieve your goal. For instance, if you are hosting a Donation Camp and are raising funds for the event, everyone interested in supporting your cause will be your target audience.

Try to be more specific when setting clear objectives for your event since these can help you create a roadmap to achieving your goals. Remember, these goals are your purpose.

Objectives are more specific than goals and must be written in detail to measure, define, and narrow down the results you hope to produce out of your event. In addition, if you have specific goals and objectives, it will be easier for you to identify the event metrics that are most effective for measuring success.

2) Be clear about why your product/offering is so good

You have to be clear about why your product offering is good. Events like trade shows allow you to showcase your products and services and bring in qualified leads. Meanwhile, expos are events organised around a specific industry, such as technology, sales, medical devices, etc.

While expos and conferences are open to the public, attendees to trade shows are usually pre-qualified buyers, salespeople, and company representatives.

An essential aspect of marketing your products or services involves getting seen. When your target audiences hear your brand, see your products, and learn more about your company, they will most likely remember you. Try to present yourself as a viable option for solutions. That way, when a customer encounters a problem, your brand will be the first one they will remember. 

It can also work well for those who are already your customers. When they come across your brand at a trade show, you reinforce your role as their “go-to” company. These face-to-face interactions can work great for marketing your business.

3) Make sure you promote events on social media 

You can rely on social media marketing for events, as it’s one of the most valuable marketing mediums available. Aside from allowing you to reach out and connect with your audiences instantly, social media offers different platforms for you to do so. It also allows you to apply various formats in sharing information regarding your event. 

Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of marketing possibilities in social media can seem daunting, especially if you don’t have clear strategies. When using social media to market your event, one of the first things to consider is which channel you should use to share your marketing content.

There are numerous platforms to choose from, and each can be tailored to the type of audience or content you want. For instance, you can use Facebook to promote your offerings and interact with your target audience. It’s the most popular social media platform for businesses because it has millions of users.

Use Facebook to share text and images about your products or services. It’s a versatile social media platform for marketing, giving you plenty of options to market your brand. Facebook also helps you to target specific demographics, which makes for an even more effective marketing strategy. 

4) Network effectively 

Networking is one of the best strategies to implement when marketing for events. It’s an excellent option for any company looking to attract its target audiences and being involved in industry events is the most effective way to do this. Networking is also a great way to meet potential clients and grow your brand in the industry.

When networking, it’s a good idea to identify the type of organisations or people you want to be associated with. These could be trade associations or any business or individual whose profession is relevant to your business. Refer to the trade press of the event to gather a list of brands attending the event and find out what products or services they can provide.

Attending an event specific to your industry is the best way to learn from others and grow your business, which is one of the benefits you can get from networking. These events will have the presence of a special guest or speaker, and the information they provide will always be relevant to acquire new knowledge in your sector.

5) Use it for competitor analysis 

Another way you can benefit from attending events is competitor analysis, which allows you to understand the goals of your competitors and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Competitive analysis during event planning helps you identify opportunities and recognise the dangers of specific business activities. Thus, event organisers should analyse the market and their competitors before organising an event.

The careful analysis of your competitors helps you develop optimal solutions and strategies for the successful implementation of your enterprise. Successful competitive analysis during event planning depends mainly on your ability to predict your competitors’ responses to these events. 

Before you monitor your competitors, you must first define your business competition and target audiences. At this point, you should justify your choice of opponents and identify the benefits they can offer to the market with the help of competitive analysis tools.