A Complete Guide to Event Marketing Strategies
The date is set. The venue is booked. Now, your event marketing begins. Getting people to show up can be the hardest part of the event planning process, but with the right event marketing strategies, you’ll create an unforgettable experience for your guests and clients.
Beginning your campaign by sending emails and promoting on social media is a good start, but for a successful event, you'll need a more comprehensive plan. We’ve gathered some simple event marketing strategies for a successful campaign on the most effective way to market and promote your event.
1. Identify Your Targeted Audience and Budget
The first step in advertising your event is identifying your targeted audience before sending out any campaign messages. If you have had similar events in the past, evaluate if your attendees were the right audience and examine where there are areas for improvement. This can help you better understand who your audience is and what the best ways to reach them are.
If you haven’t already, the next step is to set up your events budget. If you’ve previously hosted events, we’ll help you evaluate previous budgets to help you accurately determine one for your next event. When creating your budget, you should include:
- Advertising media charges
- Ambassador/influencer fees
- Signage and printing costs
- Merchandise pricing
- Agency fees
Once we’ve decided on an event budget, keep your budget in mind throughout the campaign to ensure you do not exceed it. It’s wise to keep an additional 5-10% of your budget for any unexpected situations that may arise.
Our experienced event planners can assist in identifying your target audience and implementing the most effective marketing strategies tailored to them.
2. Create an Event Marketing Timeline
An event timeline is especially beneficial when you have a list of tasks to complete as the event approaches. We recommend starting at least six months out so you have plenty of time to research and create a strong event marketing campaign. Your timeline should be from start to finish and include your deadlines, budget, tasks, and contacts for suppliers and the venue.
As an experienced event marketing agency with innovative account managers who provide comprehensive marketing timelines and plans, we’ve found that breaking your timeline into three sections will help simplify what needs to be done and at what point.
- Event Pre-Launch - This period will be 3-6 months before the event. During this time, you’ll lay out your event goals as well as create your event landing page or website, content strategy, and press releases to send out during the launch phase.
- Event Launch - This section will be 1-3 months before your event. During this phase, you will promote your event on social media, seek event sponsors and donors, send email marketing, and start your paid digital marketing.
- Event Post-Launch - This section will be 1-3 weeks after your event. During this phase, you will send out thank-you messages to your attendees via email and social media, questionnaires for feedback on the event, and follow up personally with leads.
3. Create an Event Website or Event Landing Page
Where will you direct your audience in your promotions and messaging? Creating a website or landing page is an essential part of the promotion process because it is where your audience will find more information about your event and ultimately sign up to attend. Your page should be simple and easy to navigate. If there is an overload of information, your audience might feel overwhelmed. Include one specific call to action, such as "register now" or "become a sponsor," to guide your audience in the right direction. Our experienced web designers can help create stunning landing pages that build and enhance your event promotion campaign, and boost your event marketing campaign.
4. Leverage Social Media
A great low-cost event marketing tactic is leveraging social media platforms, such as posting event information and teasers to capture your audience’s attention and drive traffic to your website. Choosing the right social media platforms is crucial for reaching your target audience, so research the social media channels your users are most likely to use. Create content geared toward your target audience and focus on posting to social platforms your target audience uses. Another helpful tool to leverage is the power of a hashtag. Creating an event hashtag allows your followers to find information, share, and follow the event.
If your budget allows, paid digital campaigns are also an effective way to promote your event. Posting paid ads on your targeted platforms is a good start, but you should also consider investing in retargeting, pay-per-click, and display ads. Cork Tree Creative’s social media team is well-versed in all areas of social media advertising and stays up to date with the latest tricks and trends. To maximize the impact of your paid digital advertising, our team will monitor your performance closely and adjust throughout the campaign.
5. Send Out an Event Press Release for Local Papers
Event press releases are one of the best event marketing strategies. They spread your event details to potential attendees in your local communities. Research journalists, outlets, and bloggers relevant to your event before determining who you will distribute your press releases to. A strong press release will drive attention to your event and must include:
- Headline - Grab your audience's attention by briefly describing the event.
- Lead - Pull readers in with a summary of the event.
- Body - Elaborate on the event details.
- Boilerplate - Short description of your business.
- Contact Information - Details of the author, company, or agency.
Our team of public relations experts is skilled in strategic messaging and pitching to inform the public of ways to support your upcoming event. Build your event's credibility and trust with current and potential attendees in your area.
6. Post on Online Event Directories
Listing your event and linking your site to multiple online directories builds credibility amongst your audience and on Google. Posting to online directories will also help you reach a wider audience and gather positive media attention for your event. Advertising on online directories is another area our public relations team uses to establish your event and help garner attendees for your event in a short amount of time.
The best online directories to post your event to are:
- Facebook Events
- LinkedIn Events
- Eventbrite
- Local Event Calendars
- All Conferences
- Yelp
7. Work with an Event Marketing Agency
Working with an event marketing agency has many benefits, including their expertise from the years of experience under their belt. Our team of innovative strategists has years of experience in strategic event marketing and management. Cork Tree Creative acts as an extension of your team, helping you identify areas of improvement and understand the nitty-gritty details that go into promoting a memorable event. As an event marketer, you have all the skills to promote your next big function. The only thing you’re missing now is an agency to help guide your audience to the doors of your event. Contact us today, and watch your successful event pan out.
