When it comes time to market your event, there is nothing more important than settling on a strategy you can trust.
It does not matter if this is your first experience with event marketing or you have been down this path before, you know one thing to be true: questions and challenges are sure to come up along the way.
By addressing the frequently asked questions (FAQs) associated with event marketing, it becomes much easier to make the right decisions now and in the future.
1. Which strategy will work best for your type of event? There is no right or wrong answer to this question since everybody is in a unique position.
No two events are the same. For this reason, no two marketing strategies should be identical.
The best thing you can do is make a list of potential strategies, listing out the pros and cons of each. This will lead you towards several ideas that are well worth experimenting with.
2. When should you begin marketing an event? Believe it or not, many people wait until it is too late to get started. You never want to find yourself in this boat.
Once a date is set, it is time for you to begin. Even if you don’t know exactly what you are doing, the earlier you consider all your options the better off you are going to be.
Let’s put it this way: if you wait too long to market your event there could come a time when you realize that you are behind the eight ball in terms of how many people have signed up.
3. Who is available to help with the marketing of the event? Even though you may be the primary point of contact for all marketing related responsibilities, it does not mean you should be working alone.
If possible, find several others who are able to assist you with this process. You may be able to wear many hats, but this is not an area in which you want to take a risk.
Tip: if there is nobody within your organization who can help with the marketing process, consider hiring a freelance professional to assist you. A little bit of help can go a long way, especially as the big day closes in.
4. How are you tracking what is and is not working? Make sure you can track every detail of your marketing strategy, as this will tell you where to continue spending your time and money.
In addition to the benefits for the current event, this data will come in handy in the future. The next time you plan an event, you can focus solely on what has worked for you in the past, avoiding strategies that will do nothing more than drain time and money.
5. What does success mean to you? It is essential to set goals upfront, as this will give you something to push towards with each passing day. Furthermore, short and long term goals allow you to determine if you have achieved “success.”
When you know what you are trying to accomplish, you have a much better chance of chasing down this goal. It is those who don’t set goals that never really know what they are doing or where they will end up.
These five event marketing frequently asked questions should open your eyes as to what you should be focusing on. Now that you have some basic information, along with advice on what you should be doing, you can get started.
Your event marketing strategy may not be perfect, but the good thing is this: it doesn’t have to be in order for you to reach your goals.