Planning an event is a time consuming task that needs a lot of hard work, commitment, and thoughtful strategy. Handling the logistics and admin work is only one part of the equation, you also have to make sure your event marketing is top notch to get as many attendees as possible.
You not only need great marketing content, but you also have to tap into the right marketing channels at the right time, have clear goals, and know your audience properly. In this blog post we’ll walk you through different steps on how to advertise your event.
1.) Define your goals
Before you can plan and execute a marketing strategy, it helps to define your goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve as a result of your efforts? Each event promotion strategy can differ depending on this first step. Some potential goals could be:
- Increasing awareness about your event
- Maximizing the number of registrations or ticket sales
- Attracting a specific demographic of people
- Generating hype and engagement on social media
2.) Conduct an audience analysis
To implement your event promotion strategies you need to have a deep understanding of your target audience. Which group of people do you want to direct your efforts towards? Who is your ideal consumer? This calls for some research. Some key factors to look into are:
- Demographics – like age, gender, location, income level, etc.
- Interests – like hobbies and things they enjoy
- Behavior – such as online habits, purchasing patterns, and how they consume content
Once you know what your audience likes and dislikes, you can cater to their needs accordingly. A message is only as good as the person’s ability to understand it, and once your audience analysis is done you will know exactly how to make sure your message is well received.
3.) Create a checklist to keep things in order
Event planning demands a certain level of organization skills. You can’t possibly keep track of so many things at the same time unless you have a system in place. There will always be something that needs to be done, and no matter how much you plan ahead there’s a chance you will be running around doing last minute errands.
To stay on top of things, a simple trick is to keep a checklist. You can even create separate checklists depending on how far away in time you are from the event, or what aspect of the promotion you are focusing on. For example a month before the event your checklist will be about posting BTS content and creating pre-hype whereas the day of the event you may be more focused on live streaming it, and posting real time stories.
4.) Early bird incentives encourage signups
Offering early bird incentives is a great way to bring in more early sign-ups. Consider giving discounts on ticket prices, exclusive access to certain sessions, or freebies like event merchandise.
Promoting these early bird incentives creates a sense of urgency and encourages potential attendees to commit sooner in exchange for the opportunity to save some cash. Better yet, this approach also motivates people to sign up as groups, and tell their family and friends about it.
5.) Ride the wave of content marketing
In the modern world of event promotion, content culture is what drives the market and keeps people engaged. There are so many different ways to create content, and then just as many different platforms to post your content on.
Instagram and Tiktok are both video centric social media platforms, so you can make the most of them by creating videos using trending audios, using hashtags specific to your event, and teasing information about just how great your event is going to be. Behind the scenes footage is also a fun candid way to give your audience some insight on who is pulling it off and how they are doing it.
Be sure your social media presence is professional and consistent – an ill planned online presence may end up doing more harm than good. Use PosterMyWall’s vast free event flyer template gallery.
6.) Anticipation marketing
Releasing information slowly is a great tactic that keeps the audience engaged. Drip feed new stories about your event so that people are hooked to it before they even realize it. Behind-the-scenes content is also a facilitator in this respect, especially when you show them the process but only tease the details of what’s being worked on. A few other ways to build anticipation are:
- Reveal notable speakers and session topics.
- Showcase what will be on display or discussed
- Unveil your sponsors and collaborators
- Announce special activities
- Start an event countdown
- Keep the seating and tickets limited
7.) Keep attendees updated with email newsletters
Email newsletters are the best way to keep your customers (and potential customers) in the loop. A strong mailing list means a direct line of communication with people who have directly expressed interest in your event, and you want to try your best to retain them. To keep your audience informed and excited, plan a series of emails that give them registration reminders, sneak peeks, checklists, and event timelines.
PosterMyWall has a bunch of event email templates that you can customize to your liking, embed sign up forms, link to your socials, all while adapting to different screen sizes that the email might be viewed on.
8.) Use an online service to make take ticketing hassle free
A complicated ticketing process can end up driving away a customer who was willing to make a purchase. Simplify the ticket buying process by using an online ticketing service that’s straightforward and easy to use. Platforms like Eventbrite or Ticketmaster offer user-friendly interfaces, safe payment options, and automated confirmations so most of the exhausting work is done for you by the platform. A streamlined process maximizes the user experience and can lead to higher conversion rates.
Wrapping it up
An excellent event marketing strategy does not necessarily need to break the bank, if you plan it smartly then it can be super effective while also staying within budget. Make sure you think creatively, automate processes wherever you can.
If you want to learn more about event promotion strategies, take a look at these blog posts:
