Jodie McLean 0:04
Hey, I'm Jodie; Event Manager, business owner, educator and podcast host. I'm an introverted homebody want to be wine master. And I truly believe in the power of events to inspire delight and ignite human potential. Every week, I take you backstage into the wonderful world of business events, and give you the insider scoop on how to take your events to the next level. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and listen. Let's get into it.
Hello, friends, and welcome back to the events Insider PodCast. And Welcome to Season Two. So I took a couple of weeks off to have a bit of a break, and also to kick off events Academy, which opened in June. And they're currently in week four of the six week programme. So this week, they're going through event content and production. So all things speakers, entertainment, AV run sheets, all of the things that happen at your event. So then they've got two more weeks, and there'll be absolute masters of event planning, which is exciting. But I also took some downtime, well, not really downtime, but some time to work on some other projects that I have in the works for my business. And I'm also madly cra mming for my WSCT level three award in wines exam, which is in a couple of weeks. So I am knee deep in all things, French wines and fermentation processes, which is keeping me busy, but I love it. And I'm excited to be back on the podcast for another season with you guys. It's certainly a lot of work producing a podcast every week. But you know, when I get back into it, I do really love it. So I'm excited to be back. And today I'm going to share five strategies for marketing your event that will help you get bums on seats, because there are so many business events out there. And we need to be able to cut through the noise.
Now, I'm not going to go into the different channels for marketing your event. Because that's a whole other piece of the puzzle. And often with business events, I find we're actually just inviting an audience that we already have, whether it be an email list our clients and customers or our staff. So I'm going to focus on what we need to do to set us up for success for when we do then go out to those people and invite them to our event. Because you know, even if our event is by invitation, we're still marketing the event. Unless our event is, you know, some mandatory staff training, like as long as it's an optional event, then we need to market the event to the people. So I'll share five strategies you can use when marketing your event to increase your attendance. So let's get into it.
So the first one is to create a strong event identity. Now what do I mean by event identity. So I mean, the name like the lock up the colour palette copy, we basically want to create like a mini sub brand for our event. I think often with corporate events, we stick to like the company branding, because all of our comms, you know, we're told that it needs to be on brand. But when it comes to events, we really need to be more creative and exciting to get people's attention and excite them to attend. So your event identity should absolutely complement your company brand. We don't want to go completely off brand. But we want people to know who's putting on the event. We don't want to confuse people. So we don't want to stray too far. But if we can use you know, some of the elements to create a new look and feel that is fresh and exciting, then that's going to go a long way to get people to register or RSVP for our event. So that's the first one creating a strong event identity.
The second strategy which ties into that is making sure everything that you put out there is of a really high quality sounds super obvious, but it's super important. Now, I love Canva. And apart from probably my project management software, it's probably my second most used piece of software. I am in it every day, multiple times a day for my business and for my clients events, creating all sorts of different collateral. And I think Canva has absolutely broken down the barrier and allowed everyone to be able to create good designs, which is a good thing. But it doesn't mean everyone can create good designs. And you know, I don't mean that in a judgement way. But in this content crazy world, I think we can often fall into the trap of thinking I'll just whip something up in Canva put it out there and people will come but if we're not putting out there things that are really high quality, and I don't just mean the design, but you know if we've got spelling errors or broken links, then that's not setting us up for success. Your event marketing and your pre event communication really sets the tone for what people can expect the event to be like. And so if the marketing is not a high quality, then they automatically assume that the event won't be either.
Now, back in the day, I actually used to work for a magazine publisher. So I was around designers and copywriters of the highest level, and I learned a lot about design and copy. So I personally feel quite comfortable and confident creating the assets for the majority of my clients events. However, there are still some events of a certain level where I will outsource to an official graphic designer to create an event identity and assets for the event. So I think it's about knowing your level of expertise, and what level your event requires. So that's the second one is making sure you're putting out really high quality content.
The third strategy is using tools to take the event to a higher calibre. And I know that sounds a bit weird or vague. So let me explain what I mean. There are events where an email asking people to just reply to RSVP is sufficient, and I get that, but then we can take it up a notch and have events where a registration page on a ticketing platform that has all the information, a nice header image and people register directly online, they get an auto email response confirming their registration, you know, that immediately gives the event a more professional look, then we can have events where we have you know, a dedicated landing page or website with more information and an inbuilt registration form that sends a message for the calibre of the event. Now, not every event is going to require a full on dedicated event website. But in this day and age, there are so many different tools and software's and platforms that are pretty simple to use, that allow us to make our events seem bigger and more professional and have a higher calibre. And as I said before, that is going to set the tone for how people view our event, what they think the event will be like, and they're going to be more likely to want to be part of it. So that's the third strategy is using tools to take our event to a higher calibre.
The fourth one is to use FOMO. So the fear of missing out and it sounds so silly. But honestly, it really works. By using this in event marketing are basically forcing people to make a decision and act on their decision. Because if they don't, they might miss out and then regret it. So it really helps us get a result being you know, registrations or attendance by creating limited offers.
So I think there's three key ways you can use FOMO in your event marketing, the first is in your pricing. So using things like early bird pricing ends at a certain date, or using limited pricing. So you know, like the first 20 people to register, get it at this price, and then it goes up, or having a special discount code for one day or one week. You know, we're creatures who certainly don't want to overpay or be perceived to be overpaying for something. So if we can get it for a cheaper price, or it feels like a special offer, then we're much more inclined to make a decision to register.
The second way you can use FOMO is limited spots. So capping your event at a certain number of seats and communicating that in your event marketing. So if your event is free to attend, and you can't use pricing FOMO, then this can be a good way to get people to act and register. Because it creates a feeling of exclusivity. And you know, people don't want to miss out on a spot.
And the third way is both of those help people to register. But how do we make sure people actually turn up particularly if it's a free event. So we can use FOMO by offering something that they only get if they turn up. So if it's online, it could be some kind of resource that they'll get access to. Or if it's in person, it could be a sponsored gift or a goodie bag or a gift bag that they get when they turn up. So that's FOMO. And it's super powerful. It's super silly, but it works.
And the fifth strategy I'll share is using partnerships and collaborations to help market your event. So again, I'm not talking about specific marketing channels, but moreso using partnerships as part of your event, and then using that in your marketing messaging. Because when we align with other brands, it really adds weight to our event. So by brands, you know, it could be sponsorship, because when we say oh, that company is supporting the event, it really gives credibility to the event. Or it could be endorsements, either by companies or personal testimonials. Again, that really gives credibility to our event. Or it could even be speakers, you know, aligning with certain speakers who are going to add weight and authority to our event. So if you're using any kind of partnerships or collaborations in your event, and it absolutely should be used in your event marketing to communicate to people that hey, this is a legitimate event. It has backing it has other people on board and it's going to be really good
So there are five strategies. I'll recap them for you.
The first one was creating a strong event identity.
Second one is making sure everything is of a high quality.
The third one is to use tools and software to make the event a higher calibre.
Fourth one is using FOMO.
And the fifth one use partnerships and collaborations.
So that's it from me today. I hope that was helpful. If you have any questions about this content or event planning in general, please reach out on Instagram or LinkedIn. I've put all my details in the show notes and I would love to connect with you. Have a great week.
Thanks for listening to this episode of the events Insider PodCast. If you loved it, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, share with your friends and I'll chat to you next week. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
