There’s no doubting the power of live events. According to the Event Marketing 2019: Benchmarks and Trends report, 84% of leadership believe in-person events are critical to their company’s success. And according to The Content Marketing Institute’s 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, 56% of respondents use in-house events as a top marketing tactic, above digital advertising and email marketing.
Event marketing is a promotional strategy that allows marketers to promote their brand, product, service or cause through face-to-face interactions at events such as conventions, fairs, and festivals. These events can be online or offline, and companies can participate as hosts, participants or sponsors.
The goal of event marketing is to grab the attention of potential and existing customers and leave a lasting impression that will resonate in their minds. Event marketing is an essential marketing channel for both B2B and B2C businesses.
Why should your business invest in event marketing?
- Customers are looking for specific products or services. But in today’s digital-focused world, customers can often feel overwhelmed by the number of solutions available. An event facilitates face-to-face discussions allowing customers to ask questions and find the relevant information required to make a purchasing decision on a product or service.
- Events are great at generating brand awareness and word-of-mouth. If you’re able to create a memorable experience, prospects will share that experience and recommend your brand on social media and to their peers, making your brand much more accessible to your target audience.
- Event marketing is a cost-effective way to roll out a new product or service as you have a captivated, targeted audience to showcase and demonstrate to. Events allow you to gain instant valuable feedback from your target audience, allowing you to address any potential issues and usually come at a lower cost than traditional marketing tactics.
How does event marketing impact your online performance?
Whether you run a large corporation, a small local business or a side project, events and event marketing can directly improve your overall online performance.
- As event marketing increases brand awareness, you should see a surge of website traffic, post-event as visitors will want to learn more about your products or services.
- Events are a great way to create positive experiences that consumers want to share with their on social media, increasing social metrics across the board.
- Through positive experiences and meaningful connections, you will see an increase in sales as potential customers are more willing to purchase from a brand they’ve connected with, ultimately leading to brand loyalty.
However, it’s essential for your offline events and online marketing compliments and promotes one another to benefit from both tactics.
How do you connect your online and offline event marketing?
A cohesive strategy for integrated event marketing both online and offline is crucial, particularly when trying to capture the millennials market. A study found 60% of millennials expect a consistent experience from a brand no matter what platform they’re using.
Here are a few ideas to link your online and offline event marketing:
1. Website registrations
If your event requires registrations, it’s beneficial to house the registration form on your website. Not only does this increase traffic to your website, but it also helps streamline the whole process.
If you do need to send visitors to a third-party website for event registrations, try to make the transition as easy as possible by branding and customizing forms where possible.
2. Event landing page
If the event is part of an overarching marketing campaign, create a landing page to help with promotions and give the event the buildup it deserves. You can direct event attendees to the landing page before, during and after the event. Give a reason for people to visit the landing page by updating the page with event successes.
Visitors on your website may be interested in your event, or other events hosted, but may not realize it’s happening. By putting the event on the homepage of your website and linking it to your landing page, you will inform these visitors.
3. Include URL on all event handouts
This should be a practice on all printed promotional materials, but by including your website URL on event handouts it lets people know where to go to find out more information on your organization or make a purchase.
4. Promote your event on blog and social media
Leading up to the event write posts and share behind-the-scenes imagery of the event being set-up on your blog and social media channels. This is a great way to keep anticipation high and top of the mind.
Further, create a hashtag and advertise it across online and offline promotions to encourage people to get involved with your brand’s event campaign on social media before, during and after the event.
5. Promote event on email campaigns
Create an email campaign surrounding the event. Tell your existing customer base you’re hosting an event and keep attendees’ anticipation high by sharing behind-the-scenes imagery and by counting down to the event. Bring the event full circle by sending an email with event successes and imagery post-event, link to the website where necessary.
In conclusion, offline events directly impact your online performance as you’re generating brand awareness and connecting with your potential and existing customers on an emotional level by creating positive experiences that people want to share with their peers, generating a spike in website traffic and social mentions.
However, for maximum results, your online and offline event marketing must complement one another. There is a multitude of ways to promote your event online and offline, it’s essential you think outside the box and appeal to your target audience.
About the Author: Dawn Ellis is Digital Marketing Manager at The Events Structure who provide a range of temporary event structures and mobile display solutions to a diverse range of clients worldwide, including Mastercard, Amazon, Virgin, WKD, British Army and TomTom.