How to Solve Common Event Marketing Challenges

If you have found yourself in an event planning rut, don’t worry. You’re not the only one.

Every event planner comes across obstacles that they don’t know how to overcome. It’s not uncommon for such challenges to repeat themselves.

Experiential marketing is well worth every effort it takes however. It will allow you to move forward.  Here are some tried and tested tips and tricks that will help you move past your encumbrances.

Low Budget

Perhaps one of the most troubling problems you can come across, and yet it’s the most common one. So, how does one market an event without a big budget? By working with what they’ve got.

Some level of marketing is better than none. You don’t necessarily need something big and flashy.

Don’t forget, most event marketing is organic. Paid advertisements do the job, of course, but it’s not the only factor. If your event is intriguing to your target audience, they will want to join in on the party and spread the word to others.

When planning on branding your outdoor summer event, it’s crucial to use cost-effective strategies that still leave a significant impact. Utilize eye-catching visuals and engaging activities that resonate with your audience.

Think of your return on investment when deciding on a budget. If you are expecting to generate considerable revenue, then ubiquitous advertising all over town might not be a bad idea.

If that’s not the case, you can go for a cheaper, but poignant, alternative. For example, that alternative could be just getting a couple of display stands, flags and banners. Consider investing in custom flag printing services to create unique branded flags that will make your display stand out from the competition. They are not much on their own, but if you place them at an event that is similar to yours, but takes place a few weeks before, you’ve hit the jackpot.

Aside from physical displays, consider the value of marketing at sports events and similar events, where the audience is already gathered and engaged, providing an excellent opportunity to promote your upcoming event.

Aside from that, you’ll need a promoter to entice the crowd. If you’re short on manpower, you can do it yourself. One display stand is not the same as an ad campaign spanning across every tube station in the city. However, if you take it on a tour of akin events in the area, it might have an even better effect.

As for online marketing, it’s possible to do it without spending a penny. Instead of in-person events and paid campaigns, your business can host online webinars and live stream events.

You can utilise free social media marketing to make it known to the world. However, if you sacrifice something in quality, make sure to compensate for it in content created for event marketing purposes.

Embracing fun ideas for old roller banners can also be a unique solution to some event marketing challenges, especially when dealing with a low budget. Repurposing them with innovative designs and messages can not only save costs but also present an opportunity to showcase your brand’s creativity and commitment to sustainability in a memorable way.

Few Registrations

If not many people are showing interest in what you’re planning, that’s the market speaking to you. Slow ticket sales or a dearth of registrations might happen for the following reasons:

• Poor target marketing
• Irrelevant or uninteresting event
• Insufficient marketing

Re-evaluate your strategy from an objective standpoint. It will help you identify and solve the underlying cause of your problem. To determine what works best for your brand, you’ll have to resort to some experimenting.

Face to Face

That gets us back to our previous example, the one employing traditional methods. While you’re standing behind a booth and handing out flyers, ask in person! This is a people-based industry, after all.

Get in touch with the people around you and invite them to attend your event. Use the opportunity to gauge their responses and opinions.

Create a Poll

Before you start, send out a poll to your clients and your target audience. It could consist of questions like:

• What’s the last event you attended? How did you like it?
• Would you come to an event like this? Why or why not?
• Would you attend this kind of event if it had these perks?

Make sure to word the questions appropriately. Keep in mind that the answers should give insight to your targets’ tipping points.

Sunday afternoon is the pinnacle of the week for many. Not everyone will give it up so easily to come to your happening. You must think of a couple of factors that will drive them to do so.

Poor Brand Loyalty

How do you make your prospects love you? Securing brand loyalty is a tough nut to crack.

You must continuously strive to nurture a personal bond between your followers and your business. When it comes to this, social media is your biggest ally. Respond to messages and comments in a cheerful and friendly manner.

Furthermore, brand loyalty stems from originality.  Standing out among the crowd is your best way to go.

You must have a one-of-a-kind quality. One that the competition lacks.

Think about the unique incentives you can offer. They are the best way of encouraging followers to stick around.

Staying Organised

Disorganisation is sure to have negative effects on any marketing plan. You cannot know the successes, the fails, and the effects of your plan if you lack organisation. Without it, you cannot tell what works and what doesn’t.

To keep everything in line, always keep spreadsheets and event checklist. Make sure to revise them frequently.

Automated services can help you streamline your marketing plan. But, most importantly, you must set clear expectations.

Last-Minute Changes

Something might happen that will throw your plan for a loop. Venue cancellations, technical difficulties, drop outs (from caterers to speakers to featured guests), and more, are a possibility.

In such situations, you’ll have to think on your feet. For example, if the power goes out, try to turn it into a fun experience for the visitors. Encourage them to get to know their neighbour and to have fun without technology.

It could also be your chance to take a break and provide refreshments to visitors. It’s your opportunity to come out as a hero. Seize the moment.

With proper preparation, you’ll be able to overcome unexpected challenges. Think ahead and devise a Plan B (or even C) for every unlikely scenario.

Generating Revenue

If your events are not bringing in any money, you must scratch under the surface to see what’s going on. What efforts did you take to promote your event? Did you sell enough tickets?

Try to experiment with different revenue techniques. These could be:

• Sell tickets and focus more on branding instead of sales
• Make the entrance free of charge and generate revenue through sales
• Sell to your attendees via a promotional speaker
• Sell to your attendees via booths and sales reps
• Forego self-promotion and focus on influencer marketing

Takeaway

Whatever challenge you face, don’t give up. You are bound to come across a few obstacles. But, the way you deal with them is what matters the most. Employ these guidelines whenever you come across bumps in the road.