An event needs one thing: participants. Without people that will actually participate in your event, all of that planning will be for nothing. If you are working on creating an event, you should know that it’s never too early to start planning. Take a look at these tips for effectively marketing any kind of event.
Traditional Media Still Works
When you think of networking, you probably think of social networks because that’s the way that most businesses market these days. However, traditional marketing methods still work, and you really can’t afford to pass these up.
Think about:
• Radio spots
• Fliers
• Posters
• Small brochures
• Newspaper spots
• Trade magazine ad spreads
• Press releases
Everywhere you go, your mandate should be to tell someone about your event, and get in touch with local papers and radio shows – a lot of people still listen to the radio and read the paper!
Yes, Use Social Media
I’ve seen some really good social media campaigns, and some that really don’t get any responses at all. What’s the difference? It’s all in the frequency and delivery of an event. Interact with your audience, give stuff away, and ask questions. Don’t just post something every two weeks – it doesn’t work.
You should also create a Facebook event page. Facebook lets you create these pages for free, and you can send out an invite to everyone you know. All you have to do is create the event, send it out, and get people to sign up and attend what you’re planning.
Have a Hook
Why should someone attend your event instead of another event? What makes your event so much better? Have you ever noticed that the most popular attractions are unique? Take a look at popular events around you, and see what those companies do properly. More often than not, someone on the marketing team has devised a clever hook – something that catches people, and really tempts them.
Align With Other Businesses
Try and work with other businesses to create your event. Will someone put up a stack of fliers for you? Can you ask a business owner to help you network? If you find a business that’s working on creating an event too, try and combine your efforts – you’ll get a much bigger audience this way.
If Everything Fails
So, what can you do if it’s a week before your event, and you’re only expecting a handful of people? Maybe you should call it off, regroup, come up with a better strategy, work on your networking some more, and try to create the event again at a later time – sometimes, putting everything on pause in order to create a foolproof plan is the best thing to do.
Starting Your Prep Work
Everything should come with a solid plan – even a small event that you’re just starting to put together. Part of that plan when it comes to creating a trade show or any other kind of show is to make sure that your trade show exhibits are ready, stand out, and convey your message. That’s where we come in – Blazer Exhibits designs, creates, services, cleans, repairs, and sells custom trade show exhibits. We will also help you when it comes to setting up and taking down any trade show exhibits.
It’s hard to effectively market an event. Let us help make one part of that event simpler by providing you with the best exhibit booths available. Call us today to get a free quote, to hear more about what we do, or to see what we can do for you. And if you have any questions about how to market an event or an exhibit booth, let us know!