HOW TO SHOTGUN YOUR EVENT USING THESE 5 STRATEGIES

HOW TO SHOTGUN YOUR EVENT USING THESE 5
STRATEGIES
Madeline Thompson and Malikah Williams

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We chose this article because we found that it hit the mark for outlining event marketing strategies. The article covers how to find out what prospective attendees want, and how to create marketing strategies that show an understanding of attendee objectives and how to communicate these objectives well.

The first step, “Use analytics and market segmentation”, is useful as it provides two examples of tools one can use in order to analyze and quantify information about your audience. This step is common amongst other qualified event marketers. For instance, the first step in Preston’s “Five Ways to Make Your Event Stand Out from the Crowd is: Find out what event consumers want that they feel they are not getting and give it to them” (C.A. Preston, pg 22).  Similarly, Allison Saget points out the importance of developing a relationship with the Sales department as they understand their customers and they have done the segmentation. Thus, through the sales department you can find your target audience and treat them well (A. Saget, pg 35).

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The second step, “Personalize emails”, explains how to research email response rates so you can send out emails to subgroups with messaging that is relevant; and stands out to that segment of attendees. This works in the same way Saget refers to, “…events personalize a company to its customers (A. Saget, pg 13). A personalized email shows customers that the event marketer/company is aware of their needs and makes the effort to meet these needs. In turn, the personal touch can strengthen brand loyalty.

The third step, “Make it easy to register”, states that creating a mobile app and a customized event registration page is one of the best ways to increase attendance numbers.  We most definitely agree with this statement.  People are often easily turned off of an event if they have roadblocks during registration.  By facilitating a simple and straightforward method of signing up for the event, event planners ensure a higher number of registrants.  According to cvent.com, “the first element of a successful event is effective promotion through email invitations, automated online event registration and additional integrated marketing efforts, such as an informative event website” (Link to website).  We agree that making registration easy is sure to shotgun your event marketing, but what’s more, we also believe that it is the most economical event marketing method and drives more attendance for planners than any other medium.   The article also says that you should keep your event registration form simple so that it takes less than a minute for someone to complete.  We live in an extremely fast paced environment today, an environment where people do not have the patience or the time to take even 5 minutes out of their day to complete a registration form.  A posting by cvent.com says that “post event data analysis on over 75,000 events shows that planners can achieve up to three times the standard response rate after implementing social network login functionality in the registration process” (Link to website)

The fourth step, “Leverage the power of social media", talks about the use of social media and how it is crucial to the success of event marketing.  The majority of people today use some sort of social media network and enjoy being active on various social media platforms.  Event planners should use such social media networks to publicize their event.  Also, using social media networks to keep people stimulated and excited about the event will ensure attendance.  Preston outlines five ways to benefit from intercommunication.  “Make your event a virtual experience online for the benefit of attendees and non-attendees alike” (C.A. Preston, pg 4).  Using social media is an easy way to make your event a virtual experience and to ensure that attendees stay intrigued about the event; if the event planner offers people a way of implementing their social network tools into the login functionality then these people will be more likely to use their social networks to promote the event (this is essentially free marketing for the event).

The fifth and final step, “Marketing at your event”, states that marketing for your next event takes place during the current one.  It says that only a fraction of your event attendees are currently on your mailing list or following your social networks, so you should use the event as an opportunity to raise awareness to all other attendees about your brand, get them to sign up for your mailing list and gain followers on your social networks.  Allison Saget says that, “event marketing is all about facilitating, easing, opening, accelerating and shortening the sales cycle” (Saget, 3).  By marketing for future events at your current event, you will be guaranteeing higher attendance numbers at future events.  Higher attendance numbers mean a bigger success at the event.  A successful event leads to quicker sales.  Shortening the sales cycle is, according to Saget, the ultimate goal.

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We found the article “How to shotgun your event marketing using these 5 strategies” to be relevant to present day event marketing, as it provides modern technological solutions relevant to today’s attendees.  Please leave a comment and let us know whether you agree or disagree with the strategies in the article and our position taken on the article.

Thanks,

Malikah and Madeline

References

Preston, C.A. Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions. New Jersey: Hoboken, 2012. Print.

Saget, Allison. The Event Marketing Handbook: Beyond Logistics& Planning. U.S.A: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. Print.