Why are events a great marketing tool?
Events are a great marketing tool that not a lot of people think about because you have a captive audience. That is really the key. It could be a one-day event, a three-day event, an executive summit. It could be a seven-day incentive program. No matter what it is, it’s at a date and time in the future. So you have all the time leading up to the event itself to engage with that audience. They’re either thinking about attending or they are attending. If you are strategic about how you communicate beyond logistics – of course you will share the date and time of the event, any programmatic updates, those kinds of things – but it is an opportunity for you to really talk about your brand, to showcase it, and to shine a light on your core values. It just provides you another messaging opportunity when you have a captive audience.
How do you approach a marketing plan for an event?
So, starting at the end, what is your purpose? What is your aim? What is your goal? Are you looking to educate or are you looking to celebrate? Are you looking to raise money or raise awareness? These are some of the first questions I would ask. Some of those are inherent in the type of event that we’re doing, obviously, but that is where I start.
Your content must be aligned, and you must share what you’re doing. Don’t keep it all to yourself. That is another one of those opportunities that events have to build the momentum, market yourself and what you care about, and what your constituents care about. The pre- and post-event timeline is a great opportunity to do that and don’t miss it.
