How to Promote Your Events – After They Occur
Promotional events are easily one of the biggest initiatives on your company’s calendar especially if you’re going to be the firm to host it. With all the preparation it takes to spread awareness, get people in the door, arrange speakers and ensure that everything goes smoothly, some companies miss the chance to truly capitalize on these events and turn them into an effective continuation of their marketing strategy. Hosting a great event is only one small victory – how you will use this to grow the profile of your company and bring in new consumers/partnerships is how you can truly capitalize.
The following popular strategies were outlined in a September 2014 study conducted by Freeman XP and Event Marketing Institute and some may be compelling new strategies that your company can use after your event has concluded.
- Relive Highlights
In the immediate aftermath of your promotional event, there will be a wealth of great content opportunities that you can promote in your various outreach channels. For instance, blog post recaps and videos are perfect for your website and social media outlets, while interviews with speakers and attendees can roll out slowly in the month after your event to give your marketing calendar a welcome boost.
- Leverage Influencers
Your big event will be a needle in the social media haystack if you don’t find ways to leverage your content and experiences with those who are truly interested in what you have to offer. Influencer marketing refers to strategies that bring in other bright minds and ideas from around your industry to build effective buzz for your event. Some strategies include co-creating content with another company or group in your field, share information about your firm in their social media accounts and much more. Essentially, you’re leveraging another individual’s audience to spread the word about a particular idea, so it’s best to have a slate of influencers lined up before the event takes place so they can factor into your marketing strategy when it has concluded.
- Promote Next Event/Experiences
As much as you want to relive the success of your event in the weeks and months that follow, this is also the perfect opportunity to use your current experiences to build anticipation for the one that’s right around the corner. Social networks like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are extremely effective in laying the groundwork for future promotion, and having fresh video and editorial content at your disposal can help you hit the ground running on your next round of event promotion.
