Have You Planned Your Live Events Yet?
As we step into the upcoming season of live events, small businesses have a golden opportunity to increase their visibility, connect with the community, and drive seasonal sales. Whether you’re participating in local festivals, hosting in-store promotions, or sponsoring community gatherings, a well-executed event marketing strategy can significantly enhance your brand’s presence in the local community.
Live events are some of our favorite marketing opportunities, because they offer a unique chance to showcase your products or services, engage directly with potential customers, and build long-term relationships. However, simply showing up isn’t enough. You need a solid marketing plan to maximize your impact. That's why I decided to share some ways that your business can leverage live event marketing effectively.
Plan Your Event Early and Promote It Often!
Start marketing your event well in advance. I like to try and plan out my marketing seasons in 3-month intervals, but you should always try to have your event marketing on deck at least a full month before the event is set to take place. I also suggest using a mix of digital and traditional marketing methods to spread the word in the community.
Social Media: Create event pages on Facebook, share teaser videos on Instagram, and use LinkedIn for B2B networking. Consistently post about your event to keep engagement high and keep people thinking about your event!
Email Marketing: Send event invitations and reminders to your customer email list. Consider offering an exclusive discount or a VIP experience to email subscribers to encourage them to attend the event.
Local Partnerships: Collaborate with other small businesses, local influencers, or community groups to expand your reach. Partnering with others may make your event exponentially better, or at least the planning much easier!
Utilize Local SEO & Online Listings
Make sure your event is discoverable online. List it on your Google Business Profile as an update, as an event on Eventbrite, and on local community calendars. Optimize your website and social media posts with relevant keywords, such as "(Your City) small business event” or "best local events this season."
Optimize Your Event for Engagement
Once you have attendees registered for your event, keep them engaged with interactive experiences. Engaged participants are happy participants!
Live Demonstrations: Show your product in action to highlight its value. Let them see, touch, and feel your products.
Giveaways & Contests: Encourage participation by offering a prize for social shares or event check-ins. Offer a free giveaway raffle, or a discount on their first service.
Photo Opportunities: Set up a branded photo booth or backdrop to encourage attendees to share their experiences online. Have someone at the event take photos and videos that you can share online after the event!
Leverage Live Streaming & Post-Event Content
Not everyone will be able to attend in person, so you will want to try and bring the experience to them when possible! With smartphones in our pockets, it has never been easier to share a live event!
Go Live on Social Media: Stream key moments of your event on Facebook or Instagram Live. Let people see what they are missing out on.
Capture Content for Future Marketing: Take plenty of photos and videos to use for future promotions. Share recap posts, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes footage to keep the momentum going long after the event has ended!
Follow Up and Nurture Your Leads
Your event shouldn’t end when the doors close. Keep the conversation going!
Send Thank-You Emails: Express gratitude to attendees and offer a special post-event discount as a thank you for attending.
Engage on Social Media: Respond to all comments, share user-generated content such as posts or reviews, and keep your audience engaged.
Convert Attendees into Customers: If you collected emails, follow up with personalized offers and invitations to any upcoming events or promotions.
Let’s Make Your Live Event a Success!
If you couldn’t tell by this point, the key is to get people to your event, and then continue to engage them as long as possible after the event has ended. At Lange Digital Solutions, we enjoy helping businesses create and execute powerful event marketing strategies. Whether you need an event website, social media content creation and management, email marketing, or local SEO optimization, we’ve got you covered.
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Get in touch today to start planning your next successful live event marketing campaign!
Best wishes,
Dr. Travis Lange
