Marketing and Sales Strategies for Event Planners

Introduction

Of the many marketing and sales strategies event planners rely on for reaching target markets and increasing attendance, three strategies show significant potential for generating results based on current research. All three are reliant on communicating with potential event attendees through the channels of communication they most prefer, ranging from social media (Bernoff & Li, 2008) to individualized communications via telephone or customized emails (Shukla, 2010). All marketing and sales strategies, however, need to set attendee expectations accurately and consistently exceed them in order for customer satisfaction to be created and sustained, and for the events' objectives to be accomplished (Wood, 2009).

The three marketing and selling strategies analyzed in this paper include: marketing and selling events that occur entirely online, specifically for pay-per-view or online-only music events and concerts; venue-based marketing and selling strategies; and promoting an event based on the celebrity or thought leader speaking and participating in it.

Online Events in Real-Time: Marketing Using Social Media

The first marketing strategy is based on creating a community of interest online first, then continually strengthening the interest of potential attendees with highly interactive and engaging content. This strategy relies on social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn — two effective platforms for quickly gaining insight into the level of interest among potential event attendees (Bernoff & Li, 2008). Facebook fan pages, LinkedIn communities, and the use of YouTube and Flickr to deliver video and visual content are critical components. Using Twitter and email to communicate event details periodically and to engage in conversations with potential attendees also provides an effective, interactive approach to staying informed about their specific interests and ideas.

Building mobile apps on the Android and iPhone platforms can significantly increase the reach of any event marketing and selling strategy, further aligning information sources with how attendees choose to stay current with event information (Hoffman & Novak, 2011). All of these online components of a marketing strategy need to be unified under a single, overriding, and powerfully unique value proposition to be effective.

For an online-only event — for example, a live video performance by a recording artist or a videocast of a major sports event — all elements of this online-only marketing strategy must also have a consistent look and feel, convey the same message both graphically and in text, and each fulfill a specific role in attracting and building an online audience. As more event marketing becomes grounded in social media, this model can easily be applied to live, in-person events and to the marketing of major new product introductions as well. Apple's use of video streaming for its major product introductions and announcements is a case in point.

Marketing the Venue

A second marketing and selling strategy is to concentrate heavily on the experience of attending the event itself. This approach is used very successfully for industry conferences and for large-scale thought leadership gatherings in specific industries. The Forbes, Fortune, and InformationWeek magazine conferences are held annually in exotic locations globally, including Hawaii, Sydney, Australia, and throughout Asian regions known for their natural beauty and evolving economies. Using the venue and location of a conference to market it has a natural draw. During the winter months, many leading Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the northeastern United States hold their conferences in Bermuda, Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico coastline, or in Hawaii.

This venue-based marketing approach needs to take a lifestyle-oriented perspective to be successful, anticipating the full range of needs attendees may have during their stay (Wood, 2009). Another key aspect of this strategy is the need to deliver an exceptional experience that goes above and beyond the content provided at the event, whether that content is educational, entertaining, or both. The most effective venue-based marketing strategies create promotional programs and messaging that interweave the value of gaining insight into a specific area — for example, business strategy — with the chance to enjoy an exotic, upscale location such as Bermuda or Hawaii.

Marketing events based on venue appeal has also become the foundation of Web 2.0-based promotional strategies, where video content that interweaves the conference's core messaging is frequently used (Davidson, 2011). This strategy of combining the allure of an exotic location with an opportunity to learn and gain insights has proven highly effective for brands that sell through business-to-business (B2B) channels (Walker, Hall, Todd, & Kent, 2011). B2B-oriented products and services often require longer, more complex sales cycles and are inherently more sophisticated offerings. The strategy of bringing prospects out of their normal environment to a remote, exotic venue is designed to help them focus more clearly on the unique value a given B2B solution delivers. Enterprise software companies have employed this approach very successfully in promoting their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), order management, and supply chain management solutions. The combined venue-and-learning strategy benefits brands by allowing them to clearly define who they are and what their solutions offer while simultaneously entertaining prospects (Walker, Hall, Todd, & Kent, 2011).

Social media also plays a pervasive role in venue-based strategies for attracting potential attendees. The widespread use of Facebook, LinkedIn, and private community sites for large-scale events has become commonplace, as event planners seek to foster collaboration among attendees (Bernoff & Li, 2008). Social media use for venue-based events also includes customized videos uploaded to blogs in anticipation of the event (Davidson, 2011) and the continual streaming of video and written content via Twitter and other social media platforms to build anticipation. Creating microsites, blogs, videos, and highly customized materials that communicate the personal and professional value of attending the event is critical to the success of this strategy (Bernoff & Li, 2008).

Conclusion

Of the many marketing and selling strategies for events, three of the more effective ones — supported by research — include promoting online events in real-time, marketing an event using the natural beauty or attractiveness of the venue, and marketing events around a celebrity or thought leader. All three have proven to be highly effective, and when online media is used, analytics can be integrated into these strategies to accurately assess results (Schwartz, 2011). The reliance on social media has proven very effective in reaching potential attendees through the communication channels they already choose to use when learning about new events (Bernoff & Li, 2008). For event marketing to continue growing in effectiveness, there is a need to create customized dashboards and metrics to evaluate how each element of a marketing and selling strategy affects attendee interest and actual attendance (Schwartz, 2011).

References

Bernoff, J., & Li, C. (2008). Harnessing the power of the oh-so-social web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36–42.

Davidson, R. (2011). Web 2.0 as a marketing tool for conference centres. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 2(2), 117–138.

Hoffman, D., & Novak, T. (2011). Marketing communication in a digital era: Marketers should focus efforts on emerging social, mobile and local trends. Marketing Management, 20(3), 37.

Schwartz, M. (2011, April). A holistic view of analytics: Marketers are making strides to connect metrics with companies' overall goals. B to B: Interactive Marketing Guide 2011, 96(4), 16.

Shukla, T. (2010). Factors affecting 'Internet marketing' campaigns with reference to viral and permission marketing. IUP Journal of Management Research, 9(1), 26–37.

Walker, M., Hall, T., Todd, S., & Kent, A. (2011). Does your sponsor affect my perception of the event? The role of event sponsors as signals. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 20(3), 138–147.

Wood, E. (2009). Evaluating event marketing: Experience or outcome? Journal of Promotion Management, 15(1/2), 247.