Event Marketing
4/16/07
Jennifer Cherock, VP, Planning Services
Special event marketing has become an increasingly effective marketing tool in recent years. It isn’t necessarily a new concept, however, business leaders are realizing more and more the positive impact that events can have on the promotion of their products and services – and on their bottom line. They are realizing that events are a vital component of their marketing plans and they’re including these costs in their marketing budgets, siphoning money away from those traditional marketing efforts. That certainly isn’t to say that traditional marketing isn’t critical to the success of a business or initiative – there are many successful ways to get your message across – rather, it’s more of a combination of these strategies that can help you attain your goal.
Events provide great opportunity for your customers to learn more about your company’s brand, mission, service and so much more. They allow you to be creative and to form more personal relationships that can generate valuable business. This type of marketing has become an integral part of business plans and industry leaders are taking notice…and so are the consumers! Consumers want to be impressed, courted, made to feel special – much like a personal relationship. It’s hard to get that feeling from most traditional forms of marketing – but events can create just the right ambiance that can form the desired connection (and revenue!) between you and your audience. It’s all about the experience because as we all know, most people buy on emotion – whether it is making an actual purchase or buying into an organizations mission, cause, service, or brand.
In today’s competitive marketplace, it is crucial to differentiate your organization from competitors and to find new ways to engage your target audience. Encouraging face-to-face interaction between your customers and your organization can create lasting impressions and there is no better way to accomplish that than through event marketing. Of course, these lasting impressions can go either way – positive or negative – so it is imperative that you define the purpose of your event before proceeding with the actual planning of it!
The possibilities are endless – but need to be managed professionally, regardless of the size of your business or event. Whether your goal is to educate, to raise money, to influence, to promote, to motivate, to introduce, to honor, or to show appreciation, creating a memorable event can help you accomplish the task. And believe it or not, it is definitely possible to get your message across while still having fun, being creative and without breaking the bank.
