Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question,“what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers. Happy reading!
You may not feel like a corporate event would have any benefit to you or your business, but even smaller corporate events are great ways to network and shake up a tedious schedule.
It’s 2016, and we’ve never had more marketing tools at our disposal than we do now. From the internet to the pen and paper, the options are numerous and equally rewarding. When it comes to marketing an event, however, the game is slightly different.
This is because you’re not just marketing your business – you’re marketing an agenda. You want to get people invested in the purpose of your event, and not just you as a business, which is easier said than done.
There are two main marketing pillars to work with: Digital, and non-digital.
You’ll have to use a combination of both to create a well-marketed event! Otherwise, your budget for just a one-time event can quickly spiral out of control. We suggest starting with mastertheevent.com to get a good idea of your budget before you start advertising the event.
Digital event advertising includes:
Once you’ve set a time and a date for your event, it’s time to start treating it like exactly that – an event. Creating a Twitter and Facebook hashtag can help to identify relevant people who may be interested in the kind of event you’re hosting and will let attendees review event information even after they’ve returned home from the event.
You should also consider leveraging LinkedIn, and create a group for attendees. LinkedIn is a professional platform and is far more formal than a Facebook group. This allows you to keep excitement levels high, and keep the event in your guests’ consciousness.
Elsewhere digitally, there’s the clever use of email signatures to notify people of the event date. It’s easy to do on any email platform and essentially displays a message to all who receive your emails. Keep the time and place of the event in your signature to get people curious and interested. Don’t forget to change it when it’s done!
Non-Digital Event advertising includes:
- Banners and posters around and outside your office
- Business cards or fliers, distributed locally, with a time and a place (think of these like mini invitations!)
- Contacting the local press about the event
- Visiting other companies in person and inviting them
- Asking your other to help spread the word in conversations
In order to increase the likelihood of a successful event, have to use a combination of free methods, like email signatures and paid methods, like business cards. Not everyone who’s interested in your event will be online, and not everyone will receive a business card. You have to hit every kind of audience!
Non-digital marketing resources are pricey but plentiful. You can buy fliers and business cards and other materials in bulk online from sites like vistaprint. You can even print them yourself. If you are trying to keep costs down, consider printing on your own.
Don’t forget, on all of the marketing materials, make sure you include the time and date of the event, along with the main topic. After all, that’s the point!
You don’t just want a fancy card or flier with your logo on it. That’s irrelevant. You have to sell people on the purpose of the event and get them invested. Regardless of which combination of digital and non-digital tools you use, make sure to emphasize the importance of the agenda. It could be a topic that affects business owners directly – and there’s no better way to grab their attention that that.
Good luck!
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