Using Events to Promote Your Brand: Planning and Activation Strategies

Hosting important events that have an impact engages audiences, promotes your brands, and leverages useful data. This article will help equip you to wow potential customers through in-person and virtual gatherings. We will cover best practices in conceptualising, planning, and marketing events that attract your target demographic and further your brand goals. 

Knowing Your Audience Inside and Out

Understanding who you want to attend and what matters to them. Start by getting crystal clear on your ideal target audience, then analyse client personas and existing audience data to pinpoint exactly who interacts with your content and branding. 

Strategies for getting to know your target audience:

• Polling website visitors and social followers on topics of interest
• Running focus groups with current clients
• Monitoring forums and hashtags your audience uses
• Asking team members who interact regularly with leads

Creating Goals and Outcomes to Drive Decisions

With your target audience and existing brand objectives in mind, the next step is defining the goals you hope to accomplish with an event.

• Establishing your company as an authority in your niche
• Generating high-quality leads
• Boosting brand awareness regionally or nationally
• Promoting a new product or service
• Engaging and delighting existing customers
• Networking to build strategic partnerships

Assessing the success metrics, ROI, and next steps associated with each goal will streamline planning. 

Planning Memorable Events That Meet Attendee Needs

The planning process itself involves balancing attendee preferences with budget, venue, event-specific, and technological considerations. Digital marketing agencies can assist by using their expert in-house skills at every step of the event planning and activation process. 

Key elements include:

• In-person, virtual, or hybrid event format
• Overall event branding and aesthetic
• Speakers and content programming
• Catering, entertainment, activities, and takeaways
• Technology like virtual platforms or event apps
• Measurement tactics and estimated budgets

While deciding on specifics, the attendee’s perspective is a top priority. Consider what would excite and delight them most based on the previously gathered information.

Spreading the Word Through Comprehensive Event Marketing

With so much competition for attention, filling seats requires promoting across digital channels using both paid and organic strategies. 

Develop a multi-channel campaign 2-3 months out from the event, using tactics such as:

• Email nurture sequences
• Social media videos and ads
• Retargeting and personalisation
• Public relations outreach
• Website pop-ups and mentions in newsletters
• Referral programs reward current clients for sharing

Evaluating Outcomes to Improve Future Events

Understanding event success allows for continual optimisation. Important metrics to track include:

• Event registration, attendance, and retention rates
• Audience demographics and buyer journeys
• Net Promoter Scores surveying event satisfaction
• Leads captured and sales pipeline influenced
• Content and speaker session engagement
• Social conversations, mentions, and reach
• PR impressions and media coverage secured

Ultimately, events allow your agency to directly engage buyers within relevant industries face-to-face, building trust and familiarity. So long as each activation aligns with core branding objectives and attracts those you most want to impress. When done right, event marketing lets companies take their digital skills and use them to build relationships, increase brand awareness and achieve campaign objectives.