Event marketing

Event marketing is an effective marketing strategy that helps companies increase brand awareness, build customer loyalty and promote products or services. By organising and participating in events such as trade fairs, conferences or sponsorship events, companies can establish direct contact with their target group and build a personal connection. Event marketing also allows companies to communicate their messages in a targeted way, convey brand values and create positive experiences. Furthermore, it offers the opportunity to receive feedback from customers, acquire new customers and maintain business relationships. Overall, event marketing helps to improve a company's visibility and success in the marketplace.

Find out how to use your event marketing effectively and successfully in this blog post!

Why should you do organised event marketing?

Nowadays, potential customers are exposed to an incredible number of advertising messages. Due to this sensory overload, many people now have a pronounced "advertising blindness" - they filter out over 90% of the advertising they are confronted with in everyday life. At the same time, their attention span has also decreased immensely. Hardly anyone watches advertising clips that last longer than 20 seconds any more. They go for the offers that are visible and have the lowest price. In addition, companies (depending on the industry) are registering a decline in "regular customers" or buyers who remain loyal to the brand.

These facts show that a company has to stand out from the crowd to attract the customer's attention and communicate its message with short and immediately clear advertisements. On the other hand, new ways must be found to attract potential customers and retain existing customers. This is possible with the help of events, which have established themselves in the B2B and B2C sectors. If these are successful, sales of the company's own products increase and the customer relationship strengthens. This is where event marketing comes into play. It is essential to plan an event from start to finish and to carry it out successfully.

What is event marketing?

Event marketing includes the targeted planning and marketing of various events, such as trade fairs, conferences, conventions, sales presentations, and sporting and cultural events. It is an integral part of event organisation and is often used as a strategic tool to promote sales or to position a brand positively.

The main goal of event marketing is to generate sales directly through the events. Classic sales events can serve as an example and events where information about new projects is provided. Furthermore, event marketing serves to strengthen the image of a brand and to build a specific reputation. A positive brand image and a strong profile also increase sales in the long term.

A central part of event marketing is interacting with customers and offering them an unforgettable experience. Since they are addressed directly, event marketing is considered part of "below-the-line" marketing. This refers to marketing strategies and activities that are not conducted through traditional mass media such as television, radio or print media. Instead, below-the-line marketing focuses on direct communication, targeted advertising measures and personal interactions with potential customers. For example, events, sponsoring, promotions, direct mail, email marketing, telemarketing or social media marketing are used.

The four pillars of event marketing

The four pillars of event marketing are information, emotion, action and motivation. They form the basis for the design and implementation of successful events.

Information refers to providing relevant and useful information to the participants. This includes information about the event itself, such as date, location, programme and speakers, but also about products, services or brands that are presented. Information can be provided both before the event in the invitation or promotional materials and during the event in the form of presentations, workshops or information stands.

Emotion plays a crucial role in addressing participants on a personal and emotional level. The event should provide a positive and inspiring experience that evokes feelings of joy, excitement, surprise or belonging. Creative staging, storytelling, visual effects, music or special interactions can arouse emotions and leave a lasting impression.

The Action pillar aims to motivate participants to take action. This can be achieved, for example, through interactive elements such as live demonstrations, competitions, prize draws or networking opportunities. By involving participants in the event, they are encouraged to actively participate, ask questions, exchange ideas and engage more intensively with the content presented.

Motivation refers to motivating participants to take further action or to commit to the company, brand or idea in the long term. This can be achieved through targeted incentives such as exclusive offers, discounts, vouchers or access to special resources. Participants should leave the event feeling motivated and engaged to put into practice what they have experienced or to act as ambassadors for the company.

All the basic pillars of event marketing are closely linked and should be strategically considered in event planning and implementation.

This is how to make your event a success

If companies do not invite visitors to their in-house trade fair but are represented at a large trade fair, it is especially important to stand out, because the competition never sleeps. In addition, advertising blindness sets in again with trade fair visitors when they are confronted with too much information. Nevertheless - even at an in-house exhibition, you should ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for interaction, an interesting programme and a pleasant ambience. This way, you will get into conversation with potential customers better and they will remember you longer if you organise an extraordinary event. Create an experience-oriented exhibition stand - come up with something! You can design it as a café with seating or even with cosy hammocks, photo boxes or similar. There are no limits to your creativity. The same applies to events on your company premises. If you don't have enough space, you can also choose/rent an unusual location for your event that customers won't expect.

Various measures also make it possible to create memorable event branding that effectively presents your brand and supports the success of your event. A distinctive corporate design is a crucial factor for successful event marketing. Integrate your brand image not only into the event itself, but also consistently into all event marketing measures, such as the event website or email communication. Develop a well-thought-out event branding strategy that fits your event at an early stage. Different event formats also require versatile addresses, advertising materials and design elements. For example, when it comes to a specialist conference for experts or a staff Christmas party, individual approaches are required. Coherent branding sets you apart from other companies at large events such as trade fairs and increases the perception of your brand. It builds trust and ensures that your event is remembered.

Consistent event branding doesn't have to be expensive. You can get flyers, posters, brochures, pens or notepads and trade fair accessories at a reasonable price. Additional branding measures such as T-shirts in the corporate design or individually printed mugs as giveaways also offer excellent value for money. Speaking of giveaways: these are also a must at most events. An unusual presentation or the placement of the giveaways in unusual places can attract attention, which stays in the mind longer than simply giving them to the customer.

Appropriate personalisation is also always well received. This motivates customers, business partners and other target groups to participate in your event. Address them personally on the invitation card; this is particularly important for executives and decision-makers. You can also refer to meetings that have already taken place or explain why your event could be interesting for the specific customer. Personalisation may mean extra effort on your part, but it is worth it because it makes an impression. Create separate mailing lists and use different addresses. It is also helpful if you already offer a foretaste. This increases the curiosity of the addressees. You can wrap it up in teasers, announce it with funny sayings, send a part of the programme or even include a small attachment for them to touch.

Successful event marketing also includes follow-up: once your event is over, send the participants presentations shown, write a recap, send thank-you e-mails or upload the photos taken in a gallery accessible to all. Thank-you cards by post with an event photo are also possible. Here, you can also build up anticipation for the next event. Don't forget to post impressions of the event on social media.

Use the most popular communication channels to promote your event.

The moment the location, time and theme of your event are decided, you can start promoting it.

Of course, you need to announce the event on your website. A banner on the home page that links to a landing page can be helpful here. But you can also create a whole new website if the event is of the appropriate size. Details about the time, place, location, supporting programme, partners and sponsors as well as tickets or registration procedures should be included.

Following the motto "Safe the Date", you can also send newsletters by e-mail or flyers by post. Make sure you have an orderly and sensible distribution list. You can then send further information to visitors from time to time, such as how far you are with the preparations, what should be taken into account during the visit or whether customers can expect a special act. If you offer "early bird tickets" or give them away, you should also communicate this via the newsletter.

As already mentioned, personal invitations are also recommended. It is best to send these by post, which makes more of an impression, rather than by e-mail.

Depending on the target group, you can also reach a large number of potential visitors through advertising on TV, radio or newspapers. However, these demand money and the creation of a professional advertising clip is often costly. Here you should weigh up whether the extra effort and investment is worth it.

You can also keep your potential visitors up to date on your blog. Publish regular posts with current information about the event. Share news, programme details, changes or additional highlights to keep potential visitors interested. Also showcase the speakers and their areas of expertise. You can give readers an insight into the know-how and expertise of the speakers to highlight their relevance to the event and its appeal. It is also possible to conduct interviews with the speakers, partners or others involved in the event and publish them in the blog section. Publish interesting background stories to give readers a deeper insight into the event and its stakeholders. Also summarise the highlights of the event. Present exciting programme items, special performances, interactive elements or innovative presentations to increase the interest and anticipation of the readers. If you are offering prizes or discount promotions, you can also publish the details of the competition on the blog to encourage participation and engagement from potential visitors. Also, don't forget to provide travel information, parking and location details. After the events are over, you can also share a recap or feedback from attendees and their experiences and impressions in the blog section.

A key part of event marketing is also promoting on social media. Post the event regularly and keep visitors informed with updates about the event. Share news, programme details, highlights or surprises to keep potential attendees interested. Also, create posts about deadlines, such as for early bird or group discounts. This allows you to create pressure and incentives to register early for the event. It is also possible to assign a unique hashtag for the event and encourage participants to use it in their social media posts. This will make the event more visible and the posts easier to follow and share. Links to event-related blog posts can also be published here. Social media channels are also ideal for organising competitions. Combine the participation in the competition with the sharing of posts or the use of the event hashtag to increase the reach. You can also use the reach of influencers, journalists or paid advertising partnerships. Also record live videos during the preparations and during the event and share them with an even larger audience. Share behind-the-scenes insights, interviews or special programme items to increase awareness. It is also popular to set up a photo booth at the venue and encourage visitors to take photos and share them with the catchy hashtag. This encourages interaction and creates a visual connection to the event.

When promoting an event through press work, there are also various ways to achieve greater awareness and attention. For example, look for media partners that fit the theme of the event and have a high reach in your target group. Arrange a partnership to jointly report on and promote the event. Write engaging and interesting press releases, telling a story around the event. You can also communicate the benefits and advantages that visitors can derive from it. If available, you can also provide a press spokesperson or press officer who can make competent statements in case of queries.

Promote events successfully with print24

Planning an event carefully requires appropriate event marketing. Many different aspects have to be taken into account in order to promote it, to arouse the interest of customers and to be remembered. Do you have any questions? Then please do not hesitate to contact us. We are also happy to support you with the creation of flyers, press kits, e-mails or provide you with helpful trade fair accessories such as beach flags, flags or deck chairs as well as trade fair walls.