Marquee? Check!
Pimm’s? Check!
Guest speakers? Check!
Sunshine…? Well, we’ll have to see what happens on the day for that one. But -whatever the weather – your summer event is well into the planning stages.
You’ll no doubt be hoping that your budget, agenda and location will result in success. However, if the event is for the enjoyment of external delegates, your marketing game will also need to be on point.
After all, no worthwhile event exists for its own merit – its achievements will largely be determined by who shows up, their experience of the day and any actions you wish for them to take (such as buying a product or signing up for a service).
To help you on your way, here’s 7 essential marketing tools to help you to…
- Attract and manage event sign-ups
- Collect the right data
- Stay organised
- Understand your audience
… and more.
1. NO-EXPERIENCE-NECESSARY GRAPHIC DESIGN SITES
Thanks to design platforms like Canva, you can make visually impressive graphics that create the right impression – without needing to be an Adobe whizz.
Of course, there are many projects where there’s simply no substitute for an experienced graphic designer. However, if you want to retain your budget and give details of your event clearly and concisely, a free software option can give you a leg-up.
By generating designs from their easy-to-use templates, you can create assets for use across social, email and your website that will attract all the right attention.
2. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
A CRM such as HubSpot (yes, there’s a free starter version) should be considered essential for any business, but – for the purpose of events management – there’s certainly some focused tools that will make marketing and delegate management much easier.
A CRM acts as a single version of truth when it comes to your business, event and customer data. It can help you to:
- Integrate your website and social media
- Track communications
- Create sign-up forms
- Build guest lists
- Stay in touch with your leads by scheduling and sending email
… and a lot more besides.
By using a CRM, you can roadmap your customer journey and keep tabs on every touchpoint along the way – as registering their interest, interacting with your salespeople and engaging with your services after the event is over.
3. SOCIAL CHANNELS
Few marketing strategies are complete without a social media angle – but when you’re serious about boosting awareness and driving registrations, you can’t just use your social accounts as a foghorn and hope for the best.
Do your research and focus your efforts on the social channels where your delegates are likely to be hanging out – such as LinkedIn for B2B, TikTok for young audiences and Facebook for an older demographic (although there’s no hard and fast rules – it very much depends on your business and its customers).
Remember that, in order to connect with your audience, different social channels will need different types of content (such as quickfire posts on Twitter and Reels on Instagram). So, don’t just churn out the same posts regardless of platform. Carefully consider the viewership and how they’re likely to interact.
To help with the long-term management of your social media campaign, creating a hashtag can also help you to keep tabs on engagement – before and after the buzz of the big day.
One of the most appealing elements of social media is that it’s free advertising; but remember, paid ads can boost your ads significantly at a relatively small cost. They’re well worth considering for a little extra traction in an active space.
4. INDUSTRY INFLUENCERS
Not a marketing technology tool but a strategic tool nonetheless, finding relevant and popular influencers in your industry can be a fast pass to grabbing the attention of your potential audience.
In order to make the most of influencers, carefully plan how and when they’ll get involved with your marketing; such as offering early access codes for tickets, or livestreaming at your event for social media.
Remember, influencers won’t work for free, so have a remuneration package in mind when you approach them to negotiate a deal. In turn, you should also monitor the success of their involvement – such as a code you can track for registrations, or noting the engagement they gather on posts.
5. WEBSITE ANALYTICS TOOLS
Analytics software such as Google Analytics will help you to leverage your website’s data and gather essential facts regarding your event marketing.
You’ll be able to look at the demographics of your website visitors, track conversions on your event pages, see where prospects drop off the funnel and more.
Analysing data could easily warrant a blog in itself, but the bottom line is this – it’ll help you to prove what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your marketing.
6. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
With a bit of luck, you won’t be running your event alone and an eager team will be helping you to secure success.
If you want to focus on your end result and not waste time herding cats, a project management tool like Asana is just the ticket.
When planning your marketing deliverables, project management software will help you to:
- Delegate responsibilities
- Organise responsibilities in a simple, visual way
- Assign individual tasks
- Retain full visibility as tasks progress
- Keep tasks on-track and on-budget.
7. AN EVENT AGENCY PARTNER
When it comes to promoting, planning and executing your event, an agency partner will be the most powerful tool in your box.
You don’t need to leverage them for every element if you don’t want to – but it’s safe to say that the right company will know all the tips and tricks to make your event a success, without having to arduously learn them yourself. They’ll help you to get it right from the very start.
So, if you’re considering an event agency partner, get one on board early and maximise success – from marketing and beyond.
WHY TALK TO UKSV ABOUT YOUR EVENT PLAN?
At UKSV, we believe that all events should be captivating, and it is our mission to make your events truly unforgettable.
We are:
- An award-winning events agency
- Specialists in live, virtual and hybrid events
- Experts in every stage of events management, from conception to delivery
- Well-established, with over 150 years collective industry experience.
