Event Promotion Ideas

Promoting an event can be tricky, but this post explores event promotion by telling you the top 8 ways to promote an event and how to advertise an event successfully. Remember cheap advertising can be just as powerful as spending loads, the key to advertising an event is to make certain the event branding ties in closely with that of your business.

To be successful business events need visitors, and remember you want a reasonable quantity of attendees but quality is what counts! What I mean by this is your target market needs to be there. If not you probably won’t reach the goals you set out earlier.

How to promote:

8. Online- Promoting an event online may get a lot of visibility but it’s not very specific and people from all over the world will be reached, and realistically many of them won’t be able to attend.

7. Your website- This is better than just online promotion, because if someone is already on your website they are interested in your business offering. Remember to also be using social media. But again distance may be an issue.

6. Promotional leaflets- These can be used to target people local to you, and how many people are reached depends entirely on your dedication. However it may waste a lot of your time if people aren’t that interested in what your business is selling.

5. At local venues- Local venues are good for attracting local people and you can pick venues that you think your target market are likely to visit.

4. The venue where your event is to be held- If people are already at your venue they may attend events there regularly this means they are more likely to come to yours.

3. Word of mouth- This is a great way to promote there is no cost, and your friends and family can help. Hopefully their enthusiasm for your event and business will intrigue people and because someone has personally recommended it to them they will be more likely to attend.

2. Amongst existing customers- If you have contact details or an email for your previous customers be sure to send a personalised invitation.

1. PR and local press- Local press coverage is great for any event but particularly promotional events,  it will be seen by lots of people and give your event more credibility. Tie this in with your PR and create a story around your event that will increase interest in your event.

When you promote an event remember to tell people the benefit they will get out of attending, will they receive discounts on any of your products (remember if this is a product or business launch it’s probably not the best idea to discount products quite so early on!), will it be the first chance to see new trends and to buy therefore giving your event an exclusive edge?

Events - The 3 W's

Running a successful event will depend not entirely but really rather quite substantially on the 3 W’s. They are key to creating a buzz around your event, achieving your aims and providing valuable interaction with your customers.

1.       WHO

Who needs to attend your event to make it a success? Friends and family for support? Existing customers or new ones? Business contacts or even dare I say it rival businesses? Can you even get the press involved, even if it is just local press it is still great coverage. Who attends is up to you but make sure you invite the right audience for your event. Send appropriate invites, that get your message across and include key details - location and time of your event etc. Explain what the benefits of attending your event will be and remember to end with a call to action! If your event is trying to attract a new audience for your business remember to advertise widely and target your businesses tribe (your key consumer segment) Promote in places they go or in the media they are most likely to follow.

Think about what your audiences will expect as standard at your event, and then create a WOW factor that will get them talking about your event and embed your brand in their memory.

2.       WHEN

Decide on the key factors first – how long will your event take to plan? And when will it fit cohesively with the rest of your marketing strategy? For example if it is a product launch you need to make sure your product is finished, top quality and ready to sell! The time of day, week, month you choose to host your event should fit with your target market, for example working mums aren’t going to attend a mid-week event in the middle of the day. Remember to balance opportunities for increased footfall with the potential costs involved. And consider carefully how long your event should last, all day is a long time to fill!

3.       WHERE

Does your venue fit with the image of your business? Will it help create a theme or particular atmosphere, do you want guests relaxed or buzzing? Is your venue the right size? Forecast carefully the number of attendees, they won’t stay long if they feel like sardines ,but vast swathes of space don’t always feel that inviting either. Are you going to rely on your own advertising or can you attract a lot of people passing by. Remember to keep costs tightly under control as venue will most likely be your biggest expense. Make sure the venue is suitable for everything you have planned and design a floor plan to check everything will fit!

WWW is key to designing events that will be successful and engage your audience. Let me know what your three W's would be. Next time I'll be giving you great tips on promoting and marketing your business during the event