Event marketing covers a broad range of marketing activities, whether you're on a promotional tour, targeting a specific event or pitching to a business - events can be an effective way to bring your product to market. Face-to-face interaction is unique to events and means you can personally speak to your customers, driving engagement and capturing their attention in ways not possible with static advertising and traditional marketing activities.
Whether you’re physically selling, demonstrating products, raising brand awareness or collecting customer data - there are some universal tips to ensure a successful event.
1. Set the goal posts
All marketing activity should have a specific purpose - without a focus, it’s impossible to measure the success of your event. Businesses should plan a structured approach, identifying the customers they want to target, what they want to achieve through their event and how they will measure their success afterwards.
2. Grab attention
Customers are rarely impressed by conservative displays, especially in the B2B sector where they’ve ‘seen it all before’. In order to capture the attention of your target audience, you need to create an event space which sparks curiosity, encouraging the customer to find out more about your business. Once they’re in this engaged state, you should deliver your marketing pitch. Large event structures like exhibition trailers create an impressive backdrop and provide a flexible space which can be kitted out specifically for the event.
Effective attention grabbers include demonstrations, exclusive product launches and free samples. However, this is not enough on its own - your display needs to be truly engaging if you want to keep your customers’ attention. This could take the form of inviting passers-by to come back for a lecture or talk on the product, offering them additional value such as free training. Depending on the nature of your product, you can transform your event space into a mobile showroom, giving customers plenty to look at and interact with.
3. Adapt your approach
Customer service is an artform, and inexperienced event teams can get a shock when it comes to trying to sell or promote your product on the road and in person. There is no hiding behind a desk at an event - and if customers are going to invest money in your product, you can expect to be asked questions about it. They key to successful interaction is through an adapted approach - being able to ‘read’ potential customers and adapt your style to suit a varied audience is key.
Once a potential customer is in your event space, they may want to be left alone to browse your displays and written information, or they may appreciate a completely verbal pitch. It’s down to your event team to assess and deploy a tailored approach to engaging each customer.
4. Integrated social media
Nearly 80% of the UK’s mobile phone users now own a smartphone - meaning that your customers have access to the internet at their fingertips. There has been a steady growth in the use of social media in businesses, especially on mobile platforms - with 80% of the UK’s 14 million active Twitter users accessing the app via their mobile phone.
Something as simple as a displaying where your customer can find you on social media can generate new leads. Your business needs to be as accessible as possible to your customers, which means being reachable via as many communication channels as possible. Local hashtags and interaction with local businesses prior to the event can raise brand awareness and draw in potential customers.
5. Take your experts
When trying to generate leads at an event, it’s essential that the staff representing your brand are well versed in the organisation aspects and able to confidently answer any questions raised. This is especially true when you are in the B2B sector, as business customers are more likely to ask probing questions questions, requiring further persuasion. The staff who are part of your road show or event are ambassadors for your brand - so ensure they are made aware of their objectives and given focused goals.
The presence of senior staff at your event also delivers a message in itself - that your business takes their customer seriously. Product experts also add value to your event, giving customers a reason to visit your event space and expand their knowledge.
The Events Structure provides a wide range of event marketing spaces and exhibition units. As the UK’s largest single source provider of roadshow trucks, exhibition trailers, self drive promotional vehicles and temporary event structures. The Events Structure can cater to any of your road show or event needs. Our structures provide the ultimate resource in flexible, high impact event marketing.