Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use these extremely efficient occasion advertising examples to encourage your subsequent occasion marketing campaign.
How essential is occasion advertising? In line with PwC, the second largest skilled companies agency on the earth, roughly $108 billion is spent on occasion advertising, also referred to as experiential advertising, in the USA yearly. 90% of nonprofits mentioned that occasions had been essential to their organizations.
Even because the COVID-19 pandemic modified how we expertise occasions and made digital occasions extra outstanding, it’s clear that occasion advertising isn’t going anyplace.
On this article, undergo eight occasion advertising examples you need to use to create buzz and generate a lot of attendees in your subsequent occasion.
What’s occasion advertising?
Occasion advertising is a method to attain out on to current shoppers, new prospects, or your audience to create new connections by way of attention-grabbing experiences.
No firm is simply too massive (or too small) to profit from occasion advertising; in 2018, {industry} giants like Oracle, Google, CNET, and Apple hosted occasions that had been wildly profitable. However don’t let the massive names scare you off. Even occasions like product demonstrations, a category open to drop-in shoppers, or nonprofit adoption drives are worthy of an important occasion advertising technique.
Occasion advertising, also referred to as experiential advertising, is all about utilizing experiences — whether or not digital or in-person — to show potential and current prospects about your merchandise, companies, or enterprise. These occasions may also be nice methods to point out off your individual abilities, assist you to make connections with different enterprise homeowners, or fundraise in your nonprofit.
Now that the significance of occasion advertising, let’s dive into some occasion advertising examples that will help you begin enthusiastic about the way you’ll promote your subsequent occasion.
8 occasion advertising examples that will help you get began
1. Consumer conferences
Conferences will be extraordinarily enticing to individuals from all walks of life – even for industries you won’t count on. They may also be nice networking occasions, and sometimes have a theme related to the {industry}.
On this specific instance, Oracle’s occasion advertising ways targeted on pivoting to a “reimagined” model of their usually in-person convention. To maintain their momentum alive as social distancing prevented massive in-person gatherings, Oracle promoted a sequence of digital occasions and likewise highlighted content material from earlier in-person occasions.
Keep in mind: It’s all the time essential to observe what your occasion preaches. Say you’re aiming to emphasise your dedication to sustainability along with your occasion — For those who’re utilizing an occasion to advertise your all-natural bathtub merchandise to shoppers, think about displaying your hottest gadgets. You possibly can even amp up the ambiance and use your merchandise to create an fragrant immersion for potential shoppers to take pleasure in on the occasion.
Tie any meals or drinks supplied into your all-natural theme by providing wholesome, even natural, menu choices. Additionally think about your model identification (rustic, Glamorous, wholesome, and so forth), and design your advertising supplies and occasion decorations to match.
2. Pop-up outlets
Pop-ups are all the fashion proper now, from Boston to San Francisco, and all over the place in between. Rainbow Room, an iconic eating venue in New York Metropolis, launched a pop-up tiki bar in 2019. They supplied snacks, drinks, and – after all – festive tiki cocktails to occasion attendees.
Whereas Rainbow Room sometimes caters to upscale clientele (suppose tuxedos and ball robes), this pop-up supplied potential prospects an opportunity to attempt earlier than they purchase – all with out dressing up. And Rainbow Room stayed true to their theme, by providing oysters topped with pink peppercorns, cotton sweet, and rosé sorbet on the menu.
Whilst you will not be providing your prospects a $179 bottle of wine, the occasion advertising technique examples Rainbow Room supplied are straightforward to implement. It doesn’t matter what the occasion, an important theme (Bark within the Park? Milkshake Monday?) can get prospects within the door and making purchases. At all times be true to your theme, and your model, when operating experiential campaigns.
3. Networking occasions & mixers
Networking occasions don’t should be industry-specific, however they will develop your attain each in and out of doors of your native space. 72% of individuals mentioned that appears and the handshake in an expert setting influenced their impression, so there’s clearly worth in bringing a private facet to your occasion advertising. Get on the market and meet individuals in your {industry}, or host an occasion and convey them into your enterprise for an genuine expertise.
Create a networking hub for individuals with shared pursuits, particularly when you run a food-oriented enterprise. Some examples might be a weekly ebook membership, tech discuss, or couple’s night time. Nonprofits may additionally think about internet hosting an alumni mixer or open home.
If your enterprise or nonprofit shares a typical curiosity with different organizations within the space, you’ll be able to staff up and broaden the enchantment of your occasion. This may additionally minimize down on prices, relying on the venue you select.
4. Lunch and learns
Invite your prospects, potential shoppers, or donors to hitch you for a lunch they received’t neglect – as they study your enterprise. For instance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educating others about their expertise within the {industry}, find out how to get began, and what to anticipate. For companies, you can attract potential prospects with a category for rookies, or a chance to observe you create your merchandise.
Lunch and learns additionally present the prospect for potential prospects to have interaction with your enterprise or product in a hands-on means, provides the potential for constructing neighborhood, and earns the belief of shoppers who could refer you to buddies after their nice expertise.
Do you know that 97% of shoppers search for a neighborhood enterprise on-line earlier than purchasing? This an enormous potential market, and it’s proper outdoors your door.
Take into account internet hosting a film night time (a very nice concept if your enterprise or nonprofit works with youngsters), a neighborhood cook-off, or a recreation night time at your enterprise. Make certain to check out your goal market’s pursuits, and concentrate on potential schedule conflicts. You’ll be able to even run a fast survey beforehand with potential themes or instances to check the thought along with your neighborhood.
6. 5K run, stroll, swim, or journey
A 5K occasion provides an opportunity to crowdfund for a nonprofit trigger, even your individual, utilizing occasion advertising. An occasion like this could additionally attain the buddies and households of your contributors organically and unfold the message of your group. Make certain to develop an occasion advertising technique that offers contributors loads of time to prepare, as a 5K isn’t (essentially) a stroll within the park. Strive making a theme to draw extra contributors. October Zombie Run, anybody?
Whereas this one works properly for nonprofits, that doesn’t imply your enterprise can’t accomplice with a nonprofit to advertise the occasion and get your identify on the market, too. Ask a nonprofit how you can present help whereas showcasing your group alongside theirs. This might be so simple as offering merchandise, establishing a sales space by the end line, making tax-deductible donations, or that includes your emblem on their advertising supplies.
7. Auctions and raffles
Auctions and raffle occasions generate revenue whereas driving consciousness on the similar time. Many corporations make sharing a requirement for getting into right into a raffle, spreading model consciousness to buddies of your major viewers. Make certain to provide you with a successful occasion advertising technique to drive gross sales of tickets or gadgets – an public sale or raffle works finest once you plan forward.
Raffles supply prospects an opportunity to demo your services or products, which may enhance gross sales. In case your winner has an important expertise, it’s also possible to ask them to depart a assessment of the services or products to assist generate future gross sales.
For nonprofits, auctions flip surplus donation gadgets right into a software to develop your viewers.. Know what you could have in inventory, and worth the gadgets accordingly. You may as well public sale off an expertise, equivalent to a lunch with an essential determine in your organization or {industry} space. For those who’re not a nonprofit, you’ll be able to all the time public sale off particular periods of a service, entry to particular occasions, or comparable private experiences with {industry} professionals and influencers who’re linked to your enterprise.
8. Particular visitor occasions
We’ve talked quite a bit about making private connections along with your prospects, and the way essential it’s to be memorable. Mixing the 2, get individuals within the door with a particular visitor! They don’t should be a significant movie star to attract a crowd, and will even simply be the highest particular person at your enterprise. Is somebody at your enterprise extremely wanted, or all the time booked strong? That’s the particular person you’ll need to ask to be your particular visitor.
For those who run a nonprofit, think about reaching out to individuals you’re employed with daily. Animal shelters can ask a pleasant animal management officer to speak about recognizing animal physique language; neighborhood outreach applications can invite consultants or workers to talk on recognizing or avoiding dangerous conditions; and board members would possibly talk about one of the best ways to get a nonprofit began and make the group profitable. You would possibly even think about reaching out to your community of volunteers and see in the event that they’d be keen to contribute.
Considering greater? Listed below are some concepts for visitor occasion audio system
- A neighborhood movie star chef
- An professional in your area
- Somebody whose optimistic notable actions or contributions have made headlines
- Legislators with ties to small companies or nonprofit pursuits
What can I do if I don’t have a venue for my occasion?
It’s true that many occasion advertising examples, as wildly fashionable as they’re, may appear wildly costly. However that doesn’t imply occasion advertising is out of attain for your enterprise. Listed below are some extra suggestions that will help you begin small with occasion promotion:
Use your enterprise because the occasion venue
Make certain your location is in tip-top form and invite potential prospects, or repeat consumers, in to see the place and the way you’re employed.
Take a look at low-cost choices you won’t have considered in your occasion
Doing enterprise out of your private home, however have merchandise you need to showcase? Look into low-cost, or no-cost, choices equivalent to doing an occasion at your native library, Lions Membership, or senior middle.
Your city almost definitely has a craft honest, farmer’s market, or native enterprise affiliation, even when it’s only some instances a 12 months. If relevant to your services or products, think about taking your present on the street. Get to know potential shoppers head to head, letting them odor, contact, style, or use your product, and create a very particular expertise. These may assist you to get the phrase out about your nonprofit, and even function fundraising occasions.
Try conventions in your space
Cubicles could be a low-cost different to a storefront, and when you can’t set the scene in addition to you would possibly inside a devoted venue, you’ll be able to completely make the expertise memorable by way of set-dressing, advertising supplies, or by participating your shoppers in distinctive methods. To drive the associated fee down even additional, contact distributors in your space who do work in comparable industries to see in the event that they’d be desirous about splitting a sales space with you.
Go digital with a livestream or webinar
For those who’re actually in a bind, think about doing a Fb Reside occasion or one other digital occasion. These are completely free, however ensure this can be a appropriate venue in your product. For those who’re promoting bridal make-up purposes, this can be a nice alternative. For those who’re promoting meals, this will not be the simplest concept, however some enterprise homeowners within the baking {industry} have been very profitable demonstrating their abilities in attention-grabbing methods by way of Fb and different social media movies – and this success has led to an uptick in on-line orders.
Take inspiration from our occasion advertising examples in your subsequent marketing campaign
It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s key to know your prospects and goal market. Put your self, and your services or products, out into the world to be skilled. Occasion advertising can convert potential shoppers into repeat consumers by giving them one thing particular, an occasion with your enterprise or group that may be loved, shared, and remembered.
Able to get began? Plan each element of your subsequent occasion with Fixed Contact’s occasion administration instruments.
