Event marketing and what it can do for your business

Regardless of what profile your business has, managing to build a clientele range isn’t easy, especially if the level of competition you’re facing is quite steep. Creating the image you desire for your brand means investing time and money into marketing campaigns.

With so many options available, you might currently be comparing strategies, and trying to decide which approach to pursue first. Digital marketing might be your first thought, but offline marketing techniques should not be neglected here. An option worth looking into at the moment is event marketing.

Generating buzz around the name of your company can become easier when you have an optimal environment for that. Events can provide you with the perfect setting for advertising. You have a few solid reasons why this marketing tactic is worth investing resources in. Here’s what event marketing can do for your company:

Targeting a specific group of customers

Some events are dedicated exclusively to certain industries or branches. If you have a target group you want to reach out to, attending the right gathering can help you reach your objectives here. The people who will be present at the event are already interested in your business’ profile, all you’ll have to do is make your company noticed.

Getting the attention of specific audiences is much easier at events dedicated to certain markets. If you’re participating in a trade show, you two that most people there have an interest in the services or products you have availed, which means there will be people who will try to communicate with you and learn more about the specifics of your company’s activities.

Customer engagement

At events, you are giving your customers the opportunity to meet you and engage directly with the service or product you are offering. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase the "personality" of your company, to stand out and establish a more personal connection to your target audience. You can present your brand in a different outlook. There is quite the difference between a consumer seeing your business online and having the chance to see what you have to offer up-close. Moreover, if you use exhibition display boards that are personalized and benefit from appealing visuals, you can catch the eye of attendees and trigger their interest much more easily than you would have been able to in an online setting, for example.

Networking

Event marketing isn’t only about getting closer to your clientele range but establishing connections with other businesses, investors or potential partners. Whether it’s a local or a national event, the most influential people from your industry will probably be there. This is your chance to shine and make your presence noticed.

You will end up meeting different entrepreneurs, talk to your competitors, exchange business cards with people interested in investing in businesses as yours, and overall, network effectively. If things go well, you will leave the event with important phone numbers in your contact lists, ones you might end up using at some point in the future. Having the right connections at the right time can help you go a long way.

Lead generation

At events you will generate better quality leads. If you focus on offering customers a unique experience, one they will remember, lead generation will be a natural outcome. Many businesses have managed to notice a positive improvement in their number of lead conversions after participating in trade shows, fairs, and other similar gatherings. As long as you know how to make your brand shine, and provide attendees with something worth remembering, getting more and better leads will be possible.

Getting feedback

Sometimes, you need an outside perspective to make improvements. If you want to perfect your products or services, you should know how your group of target customers actually view your offerings at the time. Well, by attending events, you can receive face-to-face feedback from consumers. You can find out what they like about your company or if they have any complaints. Each interaction you have with a customer, can give you some useful insights on how you should handle certain business affairs from now on. Feedback is extremely valuable in the business world, and through this marketing approach, you are able to receive clear and accurate details through direct communication.

Boosting brand credibility

In order to make it in the industry, you should inspire trust. Costumers are less likely to pick you over one of your competitors if they don’t know anything about your company or haven’t seen your logo anywhere. Through event attendance, you can boost brand credibility. Even if some costumers won’t approach your booth at a trade show, for example, they will likely remember the name of your company thanks to the promotional materials you’ve handed out or the display boards or popup stands you’ve used. If an interested customer comes across your website later on, and remembers your brand from an event they’ve attended, they’ll feel safe resorting to your services or products.

Social media benefits

One last thing that should be mentioned here is the impact event attendance will have on your social media activity. Once you join an important local trade show or exhibition, you can generate buzz on social media, create a Facebook event your followers can join and you will have more interesting things to post on your channels. Prior and after the event itself, you can leverage social media, and give your online audience something to talk about.

These are the main details that you should acknowledge when assessing the benefits of event marketing. In a competitive industry, gaining exposure can seem difficult. Brand recognition can however be obtained as long as you pursue the right marketing approach. Traditional advertising tactics still work in the digital age, and event marketing is one powerful example here. After analysing what this strategy can actually do for your company, perhaps you will start adopting the right practices here. Take up on any opportunity you get to attend events and boost awareness around your brand.

Cynthia Madison is a young blogger and economics and marketing graduate. She writes about home, lifestyle and family topics and is a senior contributor to popular niche publications.