Head of HR at Rent For Event
Head of HR at Rent For Event
Event date? Check. Venue? Check. Equipment rental? Check. But wait, how about your event promotion?
Believe it or not, many event planners overlook this extremely important part of planning an event. While the venue and rentals are definitely necessary, that doesn’t mean you’re going to leave promotion on the back burner.
Whether you’re too busy to think about it or just don’t have the expertise, we’re here to help. Below, our event production team shared the strategies they swear by for successful event marketing and advertising.
With your event plan all set, it’s time to send out the word. Here are some of the best methods to do it:
Before you get into the nitty-gritty of creating a marketing plan, you first have to identify your target audience. Ask yourself, who do you want to go to your event? What are their interests, age group, and demographics?
All these details will help you create the perfect ‘persona’ for your ideal guests. This way, you can tailor your marketing efforts around it for the highest possible turnouts.
For this, you can perform market research to see who typically attends the kind of event you’re planning to host. Once you have collected all this data, you can proceed in drafting your marketing plan.
Your marketing plan will serve as the blueprint for your promotion strategies. It should include all the channels you will use, your messaging, the kind of content you’re going to produce, and so on.
For starters, these details should be part of your plan:
Once you have an initial marketing plan, the next step is to allocate a budget to execute it. Take note that promotions can be expensive, especially if you’re hosting a fairly large event.
So how do you set a budget for promoting events? First, you have to write a breakdown of costs for each strategy you plan to do.
For example, if you’re running paid ads, decide how much funds you’re willing to spend on it. Meanwhile, if you’re opting for traditional methods, you should research how much the event marketing materials will cost.
Once you have quotes and prices listed, you’ll have an idea about how much you’ll need to shell out. Make sure you factor in salaries if you’re planning to hire people for your marketing team.
With almost everything going digital, an event website will be a powerful tool for reaching your target audience. You can also use it as a central hub for all things about your event: ticket sales, announcements, content sharing, contact points, and more.
Aside from that, a website will help you measure the success of your event promotion ideas and strategies. You can easily check analytics and crunch the numbers.
Since creating an event website can be an uncharted territory for event planners, it’s best that you outsource this for convenience.
With over 4.8 billion users worldwide, need we say more about the power of social media? Your marketing ideas for events can easily come to life with every like, share, and comment.
Also, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow you to set a target audience based on various demographics. Going back to the first point earlier, this feature will make it easier for you to find out how to promote an event on social media.
Above all, you should choose the right platform based on your type of event. For example, if you’re hosting a product launch, you should maximize Facebook and Instagram. But if you’re planning for a corporate event, you should add LinkedIn into the mix.
When it comes to the promotion of events, publicity doesn’t happen on its own. You need to push your event to various media organizations like radio stations, TV channels, and local newspapers. All these will help generate buzz for your upcoming event and attract more attendees.
Aside from that, you should reach out to industry-specific publications related to your event. For example, if you’re hosting a conference in the finance industry, you should tap into finance publications. This way, the word will go straight to the people who need to hear it.
Paid advertising can be your strongest weapon in event promotions if done right. Unlike traditional methods paid ads put your event in the forefront of search results.
Of all the ways on how to advertise an event, pay-per-click (PPC) is probably the most cost-efficient. Under this setup, you only pay whenever someone clicks the link to your event website or landing page.
As opposed to video commercials, you’ve already spent a large amount with no guarantee of returns.
For PPC, platforms like Google Ads and Facebook are the biggest players. They will let you target a wide variety of audiences based on the interests and demographics that match your event.
You need to build up and maintain anticipation throughout the days leading up to your event. This way, you can sustain the excitement of those who already signed up. Also, it will let you get more people to know about your event and potentially increase your total turnout.
For teaser campaigns, you need to create engaging and cohesive content. For example, you can provide sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes footage, giveaways, and other things that your guests can expect from the occasion.
However, make sure that you can cash all the teasers you used during this campaign. Otherwise, your guests will feel ripped off if they discover that a certain element on your teaser isn’t really happening at the event.
Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful ways to promote an event. You can ask your friends, family, and colleagues to spread the word.
To encourage them further, you can use a referral program. For example, if someone can bring another person to sign up for your event, he will get a ticket discount or exclusive perks. Make sure you factor in these freebies on your budget, so you won’t suffer from losses later on.
Aside from being convenient and effective, word of mouth is also free. Make sure you utilize it together with other methods we discussed here.
Whatever ideas to promote an event you have, make sure that you will back it up with share-worthy content. This is much so if you’re going to use social media and other online platforms for promotion.
You can write informative blog posts, post interviews with event speakers, or launch a podcast with industry experts.
Remember that people love good content and they will not hesitate to share it online. And with every share, the knowledge of your event will get farther and farther. This means you’ll reach more people and get more attendees.
Once word about your event is out, you also have to ensure that it will be worth all the attention. Make sure that your guests will be impressed by getting the best AV production.
At Rent For Event, we will provide all your audio and visual needs for your event. Whether it’s a small gathering or a large-scale event, our team is ready for the challenge.
We’ll ensure that your guests will go ‘wow’ when they see your setup. Our team will provide world-class LED screens, audio equipment, lighting, and more audiovisual solutions.
Not just that: we will also take the stress off your shoulders by handling the delivery, setup, operation, teardown, and pick up of all your rentals.
With us, you’ll get a turn-key and show-ready production – all you need to do is open the door for your guests. If you’re ready for a leveled-up event experience, contact us today, and let’s discuss your vision!
