Event Marketers: 3 Tips to Drive Event Attendance

As an event marketer, the investment you've made in sales must create a positive ROI and generate sales for your organization.  Think back to your first concert – the buzz of the guitar, the sweet smell of summer, and the rhythm of the music pulsing through your veins.  The memory has stuck with you for years – how can you create an event equally compelling?   As a graduate marketing student  at Northwestern’s Medill School, I have found two articles that make recommendations around marketing events.

In this article, event marketing maven, Michelle Bergstein, gives her best advice for promoting a memorable event and driving attendance.  Bergstein suggests promoting content from event speakers, utilizing reviews and photos from past events, and planning in advance.  If sponsors are helping with the event, do not forget to leverage their networks and resources during promotion.  While each of these tidbits of advice are helpful, social media may be the strongest tool to ensure a successful event.

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This ebook , "Event Marketing 2.0:  How to Boost Attendance through Social Media," by cvent specifically focuses on how to boost event attendance through social media.  Social media is the quickest and easiest way for you to promote your event. Use sites like Facebook and Twitter to engage with prospective attendees and disseminate information about event happenings, like content, speakers, and fun surprises.

Now that we've heard from the experts, use these tips I developed by following these three steps: 

• Know Your Customers – Identify what is most challenging and interesting for your customers so you can create an event that will be most relevant to them.

• Encourage Word of Mouth – Never underestimate the power of word of mouth.  Get people talking about your event! Organize Twitter and Facebook campaigns to attract attendees to your events.

• Utilize Email Marketing – Develop an email marketing campaign that sparks your prospect’s interest. 

Now, it’s your turn to create and market an awesome event.  Do your research, identify your target audience, and start building content that will attract the masses.  What events have you been to that surpassed your expectations?  Are there any events you're excited to attend this year? 

Professional summary:  Meredith is a tech guru and marketing master.  She’s wrapping up her last quarter as an Integrative Marketing Communications grad student at Northwestern.  With experience in sales and marketing, she knows what customers want and how to reach them.  Contact Meredith on Twitter: @MeredithSain_NU or LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1FZnNV3