If you recently attended an event, think about why you loved that event. It’s highly likely that during the event you had an emotional response to a speaker, a presenter or an activity.

As human beings, we tend to remember our emotional responses and connections. An excellent way to build an emotional connection with the audience is by delighting them. That’s why we have come up with a few guidelines to ace the game of event marketing.

1. Use social platforms to add the element of exclusivity

A persistent issue in case of event marketing is the use of Facebook to promote on-site activities. It’s common for a lot of brands to encourage people to become fans on their sites itself.

As of recent, the scenario has changed. Now, you can offer a direct reward, a premium, a prize, for fanning the product on their Smartphone or other mobile devices. This way, you are offering the consumers with instant value.

These days, brands offer a lot of exclusive access to existing fans. You are at liberty to promote the event on Facebook. Also, you can invite your fans by sending an invite stating, ‘hey, if you’re going to be there, there are some exciting goodies that you can win,’ whether it’s a free T-shirt, a meet-and-greet with a DJ, musician or any other public figure or celebrity.

No matter what’s happening at your event, a concert, an exhibition, a video game event or a snowboarding contest, your fans will only have physical access to it. Also, you should create content exclusively for your Facebook fans.

2. #CreateHashtagsforEvents

The trend of creating hashtags for events is a rather common practice now. Its significance is undoubtedly relevant. For instance, if you are organizing an academic conference, you can use a keyword like assignment help to promote the event.

Having a Hashtag for a particular event makes it easy to share the news on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Hashtags are potent and fluid throughout the channels of social media. That’s why they are incorporated widely into thousands of event campaigns.

Before you decide on an appropriate hashtag, make sure you are well-versed with the following rules.

· Keep it simple and intriguing: No one is going to take the time to tweet out #networkingsalesconventionforprofessionalsin2018

· Don’t overthink it: Use keywords associated with your event

Pro tip: You can even consider using acronyms. For instance, if your event is called Hampshire Journalist Event 2018, you can use a simple hashtag like #HJE2018

Once you come up with a suitable hashtag, share it on every social media platform, marketing materials, press releases, and so on. There is no point using a hashtag if it doesn’t add value.

3. Take it a few notches higher by adding dimensions

Today, 3D technology, projections, and augmented reality are fairly common terms for people across the globe. As a result, having these elements at events feels a lot more natural. In fact, augmented reality is a remarkable technology which can be used in the live space for project demonstrations. A couple of years ago it’d have felt deliberate and awkward.

Even, QR codes which weren’t as popular a few years ago are becoming less awkward and more natural at events. It allows you to unleash the sparks of natural interactivity.

4. Leverage Instagram stories to live stream and ask questions

It’s an already established fact that engaging your audience on social media will provide your event with more visibility, essentially allowing your followers to consume interesting content.

So, here are some live streaming tips that will work wonders during events:

· Interact with your followers by asking meaningful questions

· Conduct interviews with influencers, speakers, or CEO’s on their opinions

· Capture stirring speeches, performances, product launches, etc.

5. Utilize visual testimonials

Did you receive great comments about the previous events conducted by your brand? You might have interviewed speakers or attendees or consumers and recorded the positive statements about specific sessions or your event in general. Don’t waste those nuggets, for they can be extremely vital.

Prepare simple graphic images with comments and quotes. Share the visuals in your email marketing campaign, blog posts, social platforms and email signatures.

Make sure to offer appropriate attribution to the commenter. People would love to see their comments getting recognized by your brand and that would prompt them to share similar graphics. Also, including third-party statements add credibility because they help to circulate positive word of mouth about your event and activities.

You can also create a testimonial video. Videos are a highly effective medium to demonstrate the passion and enthusiasm that your event inspires. A well-curated testimonial video builds trust by letting the audiences see and hear words of praise, rather than simply read about them.

6. Have shareable assets for your fans, affiliates, and attendees

Make it easy for your audience to share your events. Create a web page with downloadable resources that suit any social platform. For those attending your events, you need to feed their excitement. Add a button to send a tweet or post when they come to your thank-you page after registering for the event.

You can also encourage your fans or affiliates to share your event. Prepare a variety of downloadable content, like audio, video, feature article, graphics, updates (LinkedIn/ Twitter / Facebook / Google+), email/blog posts and newsletter updates.

Have options to accommodate different style of posting as well as the image requirements of the various social networks. For instance, square images are ideal for Instagram, while rectangular images are best for Twitter.

7. Exhibit a sense of urgency

Whenever you post anything associated with the event, always pay attention to the words you use. Social media posts that indicate limited availability, and states that tickets are set to, or are already selling out fast are using excellent ways to create a sense of urgency.

Emphasize the benefits of the events and request people to register or book the tickets while there is a chance to avoid disappointment. In this case, you must ensure you aren’t misleading the audience with statements you post. Don’t tell people that tickets are selling out quick if they really aren’t.

8. Plan a blogger outreach

Blogger outreach programs are a huge crowd-puller for all the good reasons. Most of the bloggers enjoy sizeable and engaged followers that can offer you with a lot of additional coverage for your event.

You can go for banner advertising on blogs or sponsored posts. However, you must know the visitor stats before committing. Even popular bloggers may have low traffic figures. So, look for the influential figures in your industry to identify the ones that generate at least 15,000 monthly visitors, and have a healthy social media follower list.

Parting thoughts,

Is it time to plan for your next event? Follow the above-mentioned guidelines and ensure that your event equally surprises and delights your consumers. Successful events doesn’t always have to be unaffordable; it just needs to evoke the right emotions.

To know more about how Hubilo can help simplify your planning process, click here.

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