One of the most important tasks in your event plan is to develop a marketing strategy, which will ensure you have a great guest turnout. Planning all the event details and arranging notable speakers, catering by the best chef in the city and insta-worthy event décor is all awesome, but it won’t be so great if no one knows about it! Impactful marketing is no easy task and if you want your event to be a hit, you’re going to need a solid plan to get the word out.

So, how do you begin developing an effective marketing strategy? Read on to find out.

Know your brand and organisation values

It’s a no brainer but it is imperative that first of all you understand your organisation’s brand and core values before you begin communicating with the outside world. Keep your event promotions aligned with your tone of voice because all external communication is representing you as an organisation – always remember that!

Understand your audience

It’s important to really know who you are communicating with. Understanding the target demographics of your audience will ultimately help you determine how to get their attention. Consider the personas of these individuals and start to think about what appeals to them as well as, where and how best to communicate with them. How do they consume content? Are they on social media? If so, which network do the majority use? Do they prefer e-mail communication or direct mail? When do they like to interact and how? You get the idea.

Ultimately you need to think about how your target audience decides on whether or not to attend your event and understand their behaviour in doing so.

What can be expected at the event?

In order to market your event successfully, you will need to know all the details about the program. This includes speakers, hosts, performers, special guests as well as all the logistical details. What’s the event schedule? How can people register and what’s the cost? Thinking from the guest perspective will really help identify all the elements that need to be communicated as well as what type of questions you might receive. Furthermore, understanding all the content will help determine elements that are considered a big draw for your audience and can act as special announcements and teasers to keep people interested.

Know the benefits of attending

Understand all the benefits and why someone should attend your event. Is there any value for attendees? Perhaps your event will offer professional development credits, an opportunity to network with VIPs, welcome packages delivered at home, an honorary badge – list them all and ensure your marketing communications focus on this ‘why’. Get creative with how this is communicated and remember to consider the personas of your target audience when deciding how to execute this communication.

Don’t forget about your sponsors

If your event includes multiple sponsors think about how you can enhance their contribution and give them the best return on their investment. Explore ways they can be incorporated into your marketing strategy and consider how you can enhance their engagement with your audience. Furthermore, if your sponsors and exhibitors are seeing strong relationships and communication around the event they will feel good about their decision to support the event. This level of engagement truly defines the success of your event.

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