Event marketing doesn't have to cost thousands of francs. The first step in event organization is always a clear objective and planning of time and budget. We have summarized the most important event marketing measures for you that won't cost you any advertising money. Whether it's about precisely defining your target group, social media or post-event measures, we'll give you our tried-and-tested tips and tricks to help you stand out from the crowd.
For all those who prefer listening to podcasts instead of reading blogs, go here to our podcast on event marketing.
Anyone who has something to sell will sooner or later come across the event as a marketing tool. Depending on the need and objective, an event can take place on a small scale with a carefully selected audience or appeal to the masses. Regardless of the size, the marketing of an event should be considered from the outset, just like the planning, organization and implementation itself. Summer in particular - as the high season for events - can be a challenge, as you have to compete with many other providers for the attention of the target group. That's why we'd like to introduce you to our 1×1 for event marketing today.
1×1 of the target group
If your resources are limited, you need to know exactly which target group you want to reach with the promotion of the event. To do this, you should take a close look at them and analyze them in order to use your time and money efficiently. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Where does your target audience spend their time: online or offline?
- Do they inform themselves on social media or in forums?
- Do they read newsletters or consume other media?
- Are they in shopping centers or online stores?
1×1 of "free" marketing channels - Event website
Our digital world enables us to reach a large target group with few financial resources. The first "free" advertising space to take advantage of is the event website or a landing page. Make absolutely sure that this includes the following:
- A crisp description of the event that arouses curiosity
- All event facts: Date, time, location and directions as well as information on guests, speakers, etc.
- Appealing images that arouse emotions (if there are no images yet, design a beautiful key visual)
- Content, content, content: In the run-up to the event, you should upload new content to the website from time to time. This could be a video, a behind-the-scenes picture or an interview with one of the artists.
- Another advantage of pre-produced content is that you can recycle it several times and use it for social media, but also for posters, out-of-home campaigns and, if necessary, for your PR.
In general: The website should be SEO-friendly and your keywords, title tags and headings should be chosen so that they appeal to your target group.
1×1 for mailings
If you have a newsletter list, email marketing is probably the best channel to generate attention and registrations for your event. You should definitely keep the following in mind:
- One time is not enough: take your potential guest on a so-called customer journey and plan several mailings from the outset: from pre-sales or announcements to new, previously unknown information to highlight announcements shortly before the event. Think about what you put in the newsletter right from the start - you might reveal one guest or show act at a time or hold back a certain piece of news.
- Show added value: Design your mailings in such a way that they add value for the recipient. This doesn't always mean that you have to hand out free tickets. An interesting interview as a text or video or tips on how to keep a cool head in the festival summer, for example, can also create an initial bond with potential guests.
Tip: If you don't have your own newsletter list, you can check with partners, speakers, acts or the location to see if the event can be mentioned in their newsletter. This can also mobilize a whole new environment.
1×1 of "free" marketing channels - social media
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting events. However, make sure you choose the right platforms for your event. Otherwise, you will quickly lose track and waste valuable time on platforms that are not very promising. Here are just four options - in addition to regular posts - that can make your event stand out from the crowd:
- You can record events on Facebook or LinkedIn and also share them or have them shared. And you should - similar to the newsletter mailings - make regular updates and countdown posts to be present in your followers' feeds.
- Be sure to set a direct link to your event page in your social media bios, e.g. on Instagram or Twitter, for the period before the event. The advantage of this is that interested followers can find the information they need to register for the event more quickly. Because sometimes an extra click can decide whether someone buys or not.
- If your event is recurring, you can use your guests and community and ask them to publish content about the event on site using hashtags or a social media challenge. You can reuse and repost this content for the next event.
- Involve your partners, guests and acts in the application process right from the start and create posts that they can share on social media and/or send by email. It helps to prepare the posts with photos and text, including the most important hashtags, as this will increase the willingness to post.
1×1 for post-event measures
Although you often make three big crosses in the calendar as soon as an event has successfully taken place, you should not underestimate the post-event measures - especially because they can be a fundamental milestone for the marketing of a recurring event and save you a lot of work. To fully exploit all the potential, you can consider whether one of these ideas is right for you:
- Publishes an event review as a blog post
- Creates a video and press release for local media
- Send a thank you mailing with links to picture galleries and a request to follow your social media channels
So much for our 1×1 of event marketing! And remember, if you ever hit a snag with your marketing measures, you should never be afraid to seek external opinions and help.