I know you want to grow your business. Most businesses do, especially small and medium-sized companies that rely on cash flow from customers and clients.
But how?
The answer is actually quite simple: You need to bring in more people.
Now, this might seem like a no-brainer, but not all companies use the same methods for getting new customers or reaching existing ones. In fact, many companies tend to ignore the power of event marketing; something I've seen firsthand throughout my career as an entrepreneur and marketer.
Here's why…
Start with your goals.
The first step to event marketing success is understanding your goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Is it business growth, personal development or something else? You should have a clear idea of how the event will help you reach those goals before you even start planning it.
How will you measure success? This can be tricky, especially if your goal isn't directly related to sales numbers. Instead of focusing on just one metric (like revenue), try measuring progress toward multiple objectives at once.
For example: instead of looking at ticket sales alone and calling an event successful if they're high enough, look at other metrics like social media engagement and press coverage to see how well the event performs overall.
What is the purpose of your event? Every industry has its own conventions and traditions that can make events feel more familiar and comfortable for attendees, but there's no reason why yours shouldn't stand out from the rest by having a distinct theme or focus area!
Don't forget about digital marketing.
Don't forget about digital marketing. Digital marketing can help you reach people who are not at the event, build your brand, build your email list, build your social media presence and build your website.
In other words...digital marketing is a great way to build your business so use all aspects of it!
It's not about selling, it's about promoting.
So many businesses have this concept all wrong. No one scrolls social media or open an email to be pitched to. They want to be inspired, they want to be entertained and they want to feel like they are part of something bigger. The best way to do that is through content marketing.
Using content marketing to promote instead of sell is a great way to build your brand and create an online presence. The key is to not focus on selling, but rather on providing value.
The most successful businesses in the world are those that focus on providing value to their audience. They don't sell, they share. And when you do this, it's not about you or your product...it's about them and what they need!
When you create content that is valuable to your target audience, then promote it across multiple channels using digital marketing strategies, you'll see an increase in traffic and sales.
Know the power of branding and use it.
To successfully build a business, you need to learn how to differentiate yourself from competitors. One of the best ways to do that is through branding.
Understand that branding is not just about making sure your logo looks good on a t-shirt or sitting in the background of your website. It's about building trust with your customers, so they know what they're getting when they purchase from you, which nicely leads me into my next point:
Branding is a way to build community around your business. When people see an image or logo associated with brands they like, they feel more connected with them and are willing to buy their products (or at least give them another try).
Build relationships, not just grow your email list.
If you're looking for a numbers game, don't bother. You will come across as disingenuous and desperate, and your audience will see right through your attempts to manipulate them.
Instead of focusing on the number of people who sign up for your newsletter or attend your event (and even buy your product), focus on building relationships with those who are already there, who are already interested in what you have to offer.
As long as it feels authentic and genuine, don't be afraid to show some personality! Your brand is supposed to represent a piece of yourself. The best businesses do this by being consistent in their messaging and tone but also by adding their own unique flair.
Create a Schedule.
The key to planning out your event marketing strategy is to have a plan in place before you start working on it. If you don't have any kind of plan or outline, who knows where it'll go?
The same is true for creating an event marketing campaign. You need a clear vision of what you want from this endeavor so that when things get tough and frustrating, at least there's something around which you can hold onto.
My best advice for creating an effective content calendar is to know your audience. All social media platforms were not created equally so don’t assume that what you post on Facebook is going to work on TikTok or YouTube. You have to learn which type of content performs best on each social network.
Once you know that, use content scheduling software to automate your posts. I like Hootsuite because it’s easy to use and has a lot of great features (and no, they don't pay me to say that). If you're looking for something more advanced, Buffer is also worth checking out.
Always test and measure to improve performance.
A crucial ingredient to success is the ability to measure and test the results of your event marketing efforts. Otherwise, you'll be flying blind. This can be as simple as tracking how many people attend a networking event vs. how many follow up with you afterwards (did they sign up for your email list?).
Or it could involve testing different approaches for an email campaign or social media ad campaign. Like using different headlines or images to see which brings in more clicks or sales (and then repeating what works).
The more specific you get about what works and what doesn't, the better prepared you'll be for future event marketing efforts.
Making sure you understand the purpose of an event will help ensure you are as successful as possible.
All events should have a purpose. The event's purpose should be clearly defined and communicated to those who are involved in planning, organizing, and executing the event. If you don't know what your event is supposed to do for your business, then you can't plan it correctly or measure its success.
Conclusion
It can be easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of an event and forget about your goal. But it's important to remember that these are not just opportunities for fun. They're also opportunities to gain new customers, build your brand, and connect with potential partners or investors.
If you're not careful, you could end up spending thousands of dollars without realizing any return on investment (ROI). So, before you start planning your next big event, make sure that you have all of these factors covered.
Click here to attend our upcoming Event Planner's Expo and learn from industry experts how to use event marketing to grow your business. We'll see you there!
