A well-orchestrated marketing event can accomplish a number of great things. It not only gets the word out about a new business, a re-branding or a new product. If done correctly, successful marketing events can also garner lots of free publicity and new customers. Best of all, they can lead to gaining loyal customers who feel a connection with your company and your product.
But achieving a plateau of success where the ROI exceeds expectations requires a lot of thoughtful hard work.
Whether you’re planning:
- a small-scale outing via a mobile vehicle
- a pop-up show
- a grand celebration like a concert
- or a full tour of appearances at trade shows or festivals
See these few key strategies to keep in mind to ensure your event is a viral success.
How to Plan Successful Marketing Events
Hire an Event Activation Pro
One of the best (and easiest) ways to ensure your event is a success is to enlist a pro with lots of experience in program activation.
At Marketing Operations Group, we’ve had 20 years of experience working with both modest-sized companies and big-name brands like Rite Aid, Toyota, Budweiser, Diageo, Kellogg’s and Chevrolet to implement a myriad of different events or sponsorships of all sizes and styles.
With a roster of partners who specialize in coordinating multiple moving parts and an intricate knowledge of which strategies work best, we’re an exceptional guide for new clients who want to plan an event that connects their brand with the consumer in discernible and — all-around profitable — ways.
Find Opportunities
Do you know where your potential customers are and do you know how to reach them so they’ll listen?
Answering this question is the instrumental first step in ensuring your marketing event is a success. After all, if your demographic isn’t present or listening, then no matter how amazing your event is, it will likely fall short of the mark.
Look at markets and demographics, study specific neighborhoods, review opportunities like upcoming festivals and trade shows and use calculated research to see where your product and your message will be best received.
Promote, Promote, Promote
Your current and potential customers can’t attend your event if they don’t know about it, so start promoting yourself as soon as possible — and keep it steadily going until the actual event date.
Advertising your event doesn’t have to be an expensive venture either. Budget-friendly marketing campaigns that entail email blasts, inexpensive social media announcements / ads and press releases can help you stretch your advertisement dollar while still getting the word out.
Encourage Engagement
You want to engage your customer and create a relationship, and hosting an experiential event typically allows you a great one-on-one opportunity to do so.
What does this mean? It means get involved! Have interactive activities, options for feedback, free samples or just regular conversation with folks who stop by. Often called experiential marketing, this means creating opportunities for customers to touch, taste, feel, hear or smell your products so they’ll create a memorable experience with your brand.
The more your customer feels connected to your company, the more likely it is that they’ll return.
Track Results
Above all else, get info for future marketing campaigns. An event is the perfect time to encourage the public to sign up for your customer emails, Facebook page or other social media outlets. (You can even sweeten the deal with a promotional giveaway or other incentive.)
Simply hosting a successful event is the first part. You’ll want to track results — both short-term and long-term. Collecting info like this enables the conversation to keep on going and helps you see — well after the event is over — how many customers you reached, as well as their specific demographics.
Anyone can host a stellar event that the public loves, but holding an event that leads to new customers and better consumer relationships is clearly a little trickier.
So do your research, promote wisely, engage your customers — and when you need a little experienced guidance — hire an expert. With strategic planning and smart activation, your event will be a banner part of your marketing efforts.
Check out some of our Case Studies or learn more about Experiential Marketing!
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