Have you started to think about this upcoming event season? Well, it's around the corner, and it's time to review your promotional arsenal. In the 21st century, event promotion has changed dramatically. Let's look a little deeper into the top cost-efficient event promotion channels that will help you make the most efficient use of your advertising efforts this season.
1. Use the Power of Content
If you already have a blog, YouTube channel, podcast series, or other content channel, it's time to use it for event advertising.
However, it doesn't mean you should rush off and immediately post promotional content. Keep it subtle. Add a link to the event at the end of an article related to the subject. Create a podcast that could point to the solutions offered by the event. Arrange short interviews with event speakers or guests and share them on your blog.
Another smart idea is to shoot a "behind the scenes" video. People love to see the "insides" of any process. So give them a chance to peek into the event preparation details.
2. Take Advantage of Social Media
While you are creating promotional content for your social media channels, don't forget to design a hashtag. One of the pillars of social media marketing is sharing. When your posts are shared, they should be shared with a hashtag that links to other information about the event. Keep hashtags short and readable. Just make sure not to use too many. Review the optimal number of hashtags you should stick to for each social media platform.
Don't forget to add information about the event to your social media profile and change your status where applicable.
Consider creating a contest to attract guests. Smartly crafted contests are highly shareable and typically require following your account, thus increasing event awareness.
Related: How to Elevate Your Next Event with Social Media
Social media platforms also offer various paid marketing tools. For example, Facebook Ads allows you to choose the target audience, platforms where you want to show your ad, budget, and format. Facebook does the rest.
3. Tweak Your SEO
When people are googling business-related events, don't you want your website showing up on the first page? That's where SEO comes in. SEO experts are able to come up with event-related keywords and contemplate content arrangement to assist in spreading event awareness.
Organic traffic is one of the primary channels for event marketing. It brings people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer to your event page. To improve organic traffic for your next event, consider the following factors:
- Voice Search Optimization – Voice search is becoming more widely used, especially by people between 25 and 49 years of age. The content on your event page should be optimized with keywords for voice search.
- Mobile Responsiveness – Many event attendees search for events using their mobile devices. It's important to optimize the event page for mobile viewing
- Backlinking – When a credible website links to your event page, it has more chances of receiving high rankings from search engines. Boost your backlinking efforts. One of the easiest ways to get a backlink is to write a guest post.
Your website is your top event promotion channel. Take full advantage of this by designing a high-quality event landing page. It must contain all the details of the upcoming event, talk about what your company (as a host) is about, and contain a powerful call-to-action. Make sure the landing page is fully optimized for any device, isn't cluttered with too much content, and has a top-notch design.
Also be sure that your potential attendees can buy tickets or register directly on your website instead of clicking away to a third-party page.
4. Boost Your Email Marketing Efforts
To arrange a successful event, you need to rely on email for outreach. According to EventMB, event planners consider email the second most effective tool for event promotion (the first being social media). To improve your email event marketing efforts:
- Adjust your emails for mobile users.
- Work on a CTA to make it as clear and loud as possible.
- Add interactive content, images, and GIFs to catch the reader's attention.
- Make it easy to sign up for an event with one click inside the email.
- Personalize your emails for each potential attendee segment.
- Create powerful and concise content.
While you are creating content for your emails, you can work on print materials as well. The power of brochures, billboards, and stands can't be underestimated. You can use the same copy and images you add to your email to create catchy print materials.
RELATED POST: 7 EVENT EMAIL MARKETING (INSIDER) TIPS
5. Use Paid Search Options
While all of the above tools are highly efficient, you may want to consider paid advertising for quick event promotion efforts. PPC ads do an excellent job catching your potential attendee's attention in the right place and at the right time. Meanwhile, you only pay if the person clicks the ad.
Be sure to design copy for your search ads that will quickly grab the reader's attention and draw them in by showing the relevance and value of your event. You can also adjust your targeting to specific locations, demographics, and other filters to ensure you reach the appropriate audience.
By taking full advantage of these channels, you are giving your event a major advantage in promotion and helping to ensure it is a success. If you would like assistance with creating promotional materials for your event, or marketing your event to your target audience, contact the experts here at Ironmark. We're happy to help!
