POV

Events are back in a big way after their pandemic-induced slump, and the event industry’s resurgence may cause some event marketing experts to want to sharpen their marketing skills and bring some new life to their approach. Businesses that plan on hosting an event may wonder what has changed as far as marketing goes, and how to best pivot with those changes.

So, what are the dos and don’ts of event marketing in this new event industry landscape post-pandemic, and what aspects of marketing should professionals focus on if they hope to get the most out of their events? Here are some tips that can point event marketing professionals in the right direction.

It’s all about timing

Like most plans, timing plays a crucial role in event marketing. Budgets work on a timeline and event marketers must make sure that both the event’s budget and the operating budget of their organization are in sync.

As such, organizational leaders should ensure they are investing during key times in the year. The event marketing budgets should be reviewed in Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4 to ensure that any event plans will be able to go forward without a hitch. Savvy event marketers know that Quarter 1 tends to underperform in the event industry and that organizations are generally tapped out from the holiday season.

However, as the year progresses and businesses build their event marketing coffers, marketing professionals can begin planning for the busy season. Timing is key to getting the budgeting and planning right.

Who is your customer?

Event marketing professionals always need to consider who their customers may be, who they want to engage, and how to engage those specific people. Likewise, they need to double- and triple-check that their budgeting is sound and that each marketing dollar is being spent on the right people. By pulling event demographics and doing data analysis on past events, event marketers can determine whether their attention is on the right segment of the market.

Strategic partners and events

A large part of successful event marketing is aligning one’s organization or event with strategic partners and other desirable events. Marketers should do their research to identify the partners that would best complement their client’s goals and to pinpoint key events that align with marketing targets.

Engaging the target market you previously identified can be easier with strategic partnership alignments. Strategic partners can also be a gateway to desirable events, especially for event marketers new on the scene.

Strategy isn’t just for partnerships, however. Location strategy is key for events. For this reason, event marketing professionals need to make sure that they are placed in locations with a high amount of traffic. High-traffic areas provide typically provide the best ROI, which can be especially important when one is being mindful of their quarterly marketing budget.

Clear objectives

Every marketing professional needs to be clear about their objectives and key performance indicators, or KPIs, so that they know what specific metrics and action items are being used to measure the success of the event overall. With events going forward, the objectives and goals of the previous event should be studied to see where goals were met or if they fell short. Having a clear process for creating goals and measuring success is a must-have for any business. These objectives make planning all subsequent events easier.

Takeaways

Apart from knowledge about their business, event marketers need to ask themselves what exactly people are taking away after they visit their event or their organization’s booth at the event. After all, they need to ensure that the brand they represent lives on in the minds of attendees well after the event formally concludes.

Swag and other branded merchandise are a great way to get one’s brand out into the world, as these items are bound to end up in the homes, cars, and office spaces of event attendees, where they can foster further brand awareness and recognition. Event marketers should use some of their market research to determine what items resonate with the target market, and what takeaways are least likely to end up in the garbage can.

Social media sharing

We live in a world where social media is a given, and the event world is especially beholden to this fact. This is why the lead-up to the event — as well as the event itself — should be documented and shared across social networks.

Event marketers should become familiar with all social media platforms and create incentives for people to share and like the brand’s content. Potential customers or event attendees should also act as brand ambassadors, and this can be achieved through social media engagement.

It’s all about the process

The best event marketers know that each event, and each plan, is a process, and are able to answer questions such as “Can the success of this event be repeated?” or “Can we scale?” From initial planning to after-event follow-up, each and every event — and each and every customer — should have a map of the journey.

The process should be tweaked and refined until it can be deemed “flawless” before the event marketer heads out into the field. With a sound process for event planning and marketing, organizations can rest easy knowing they can better determine the eventual success of each event.

Even though events have changed since the pandemic, there are tried and true marketing approaches that still apply. By keeping their budget, target market, and process in mind, event marketers can successfully navigate the new world of events and reap the rewards of informed planning.