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You started marketing your event in advance, got a nice turnout, and now it’s time to plan the next one – right? Not so fast! Your campaign should not end just because you’ve turned out the lights and closed the doors. If you keep things going, you can capitalize on the buzz you created and generate even more exposure for your efforts. In addition, you can lay the foundations for future events.
The following event marketing tips will help you take advantage of the opportunities that open up in the aftermath of your event.
Hosting An Event
Hosting your own event can be a great way to not only make money, but to engage with your audience and meet people face to face. If you run your own website, this can be a great way to meet some of your readers and get feedback. You can sell tickets, use this event to sell your own products (i.e. your own eBook) and drum up future business with people who attend.
Continue The Conversation
Once your event is over, you should be working to continue the buzz through conversation. The digital channel gives you many options to choose from. For example, if you have a website, you can set up a forum specifically designed for guests or organizers to discuss the happenings of the event. You could also get the conversation going on a popular social networking site like Facebook or Twitter. With all the conveniently accessible sharing functions available, the word about your event could travel fast. Even if it’s just sharing ideas with your team, the point is to keep the momentum going through communication.
Relive The Moment
Did someone capture scenery at your event? Hopefully so, because whether it’s photos or video footage, that content can work wonders for your post-marketing efforts. A good idea would be creating a page online that allows people to easily view whatever media you have from the event. This could be a gallery of your event photos, or even links to your YouTube video. This is a great way to appeal to visitors who may be guests in the future. Depending on what you have to share, the memories from your last event could be the main selling point when it comes to promoting the next.
Collect Feedback
A survey is a powerful tool you can use to find out what people thought about your last event. There are many options for surveys out there; some free, some not. Once you have your survey up and running, you can include a link to it in a follow-up email you send to your subscribers. Remember, the sooner you follow up, the better off you’ll be. You want to engage your guests while the event is still fresh in their minds. This is when they will be more inclined to tell you what they liked, what they didn’t, and so forth. Even if you have to offer a small incentive to pique their interest, know that a follow-up survey can only help your event marketing efforts.
The marketing that takes place after an event wraps up can be just as extensive as the marketing that occurs before it. That is a good thing. When you are making the right moves, the post game show can enable you to ride a continuous wave of momentum.
Reach Out To A New Audience
The most valuable customers you can get are those who are recommended by those who you already serve. By keeping a campaign going, not only are you providing current customers the opportunity to share what they were a part of, you are giving potential clients a taste of what they could have been a part of. Remember, a great part of Viral Marketing is making somebody wish they could have been there for an event. Giving promises of similar such events (should they prove popular) is a figurative cash cow. In many cases, a good marketing campaign can attract more attention after the event is over.
A fantastic example of this is the “Improv Everywhere” Videos on YouTube. Not only are their videos going viral, more and more people are trying to take-part in the events they foster. Utilizing this same strategy with an event that proves popular with your market can yield effective results that have the potential to dwarf any of your previous campaigns.
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Thank you to my Guest Post Author: Francis Santos
Francis is a best practices activist and advocate for leading web and permission-based html email marketing software. He Graduated from Cal State Long Beach and holds a degree in Journalism. In Addition, he is also the executive editor for separate popular news blogs.
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