It is easier than ever to start your own business today but that also can make it more difficult to find new customers.
There are over 1.5 billion websites that you need to stand out from and if you are looking for local customers it can be hard to complete with the convenience of online shopping.
You need to come up with unique and effective event marketing ideas if you want to be successful.
Don’t worry if you’re drawing a blank!
We’ve gathered some event marketing ideas to get you started on the road to greater success.
Know Your Customer
The most important aspect of coming up with event marketing ideas is to have a solid understanding of who your potential customer is and what they want.
You don’t want to put a lot of time, resources, and money into an event that doesn’t bring in new profits.
A teen party with outdoor movies or laser tag activities may be a huge success for a board game cafe but not be a great strategy for a car dealership.
Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
When trying to come up with the right event marketing ideas for your company it’s important to consider the above questions. This will help you decide whether the event will be effective.
Who Are You Trying To Reach?
If you want to get more people to spend money on your company, you need to be in the right place at the right time to reach the right people.
The event you plan and the way you get people to it will depend on who you want to reach. If your audience is teenagers and young people then social media is an essential aspect of reaching them. You probably won’t have the same success with a postal mail flyer advertising campaign.
On the other hand, if you are looking for senior citizens to tour your new assisted living residence during an open house you may find flyers to be more effective than tweeting about it.
Consider who you are hoping to have at your event and what type of event will be enticing enough to get them spending time and money with your business.
What Do You Want To Accomplish?
There are many reasons that companies hold events. Sometimes it’s to celebrate a milestone or a huge sale, other times it is to try and sign them up for services in the future or it may be to sell products on site.
The motive for the event will also play a factor in what type of event you want to hold. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. You can hold an online sale that doesn’t require them to leave their home or have a giant in-store sale that has them lining up hours before you open.
If you are trying to convince them to make a large investment of time or money then you may want an event that will keep them lingering around so you have an opportunity to complete the sale in an informal sales pitch.
You’ll need something to entertain all ages and may want to consider a small children’s carnival or activities to give you time to close the sale.
Other events may be networking with the community by setting up a booth at a summer festival and attempting to close the sale as they stroll by.
Where and When Will You Be Most Successful?
Not all events are created equally and they don’t all have the same success. Your event will create more sales if you consider the most convenient and best place to target potential clients.
It won’t do you any good to hold a sale on Football jerseys during Superbowl Sunday unless you’re putting the game on the big screen and offering the best Superbowl Feast in town and have made it enticing enough they’d miss their traditional Superbowl party to drag their friends with them.
Like the Girl Guide who set up her Girl Guide cookie table outside a weed dispensary. She knew it’s all about location, location, location.
Do most of your clients find you online?
Then maybe that’s where you should hold your event. You don’t need to just rely on the traditional events you’ve always held. They have been great but if you want to reach new people, try new things.
You can now host live parties on Facebook and Twitter. You can have real-time conversations with customers and hold online sales events if that gets more people opening their wallets than a barbeque in your brick and mortar store parking lot.
What community events do potential customers attend?
If there are business expos or Home and Garden Shows that already draw a lot of your potential clients then let the organizers of that event put in all the work and expense of hosting the event and getting people in the door.
The city or chamber of commerce in your area may hold networking events or community festivals that you could also take advantage of as a marketing event opportunity.
Set up a table, print some flyers or display some products while the community comes to you.
Why and How
Your event needs to tell potential customers why they have to try your business and how your product will make their lives better.
People who hear about the event need a reason why to show up and how the event is relevant to them. They need incentive to show up. Holding a community Giveaway event or fun activities for those who show up could get them there.
A wine tasting event at your travel agency probably isn’t going to attract a lot of interest in an entirely Mormon community. It would be a smashing hit in a seniors community planning a trip to France.
Brainstorming Event Marketing Ideas
There’s nothing wrong with thinking outside the box when considering what type of event you want to have.
We’ve mentioned 7 event marketing ideas in this article:
- An Open House
- Social Media Party
- Parking lot Barbeque or Childrens’ Carnival
- Teen Outdoor Movie Party
- Huge In-Store or Online Sale Event
- Expo or Community Festival
- Wine Tasting
- Giveaway Events
But this is just scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Success is a Journey
As you try different event marketing ideas you’ll learn what works best for your company and is most successful with your customer base.
Success is a journey and coming up with the right marketing event is a great step along the way.
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