Each passing year brings progressively greater innovations and more inventive ideas in marketing. From experiential (or “engagement marketing”) to an ever-growing need to quantify return on investment (ROI), 2016 has been a good year for those involved in the event marketing industry.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the guided tour through some of 2016’s most useful event marketing tips and ideas.
Experiential Event Marketing: Winning Over Today’s Customers, One Event at a Time – Forbes
Although it goes by a few different names, experiential marketing is one of the hottest trends in the industry.
It doesn’t have to be complicated–it’s about the human experience and word of mouth. Bharat Rupani, President of Interactions Marketing, says to “realize that with each interaction during your day you are creating a memory for someone; in this sense you already have a role in selling and creating experiences.”
We’ve worked on several engagement marketing experiences before, each with unique clients who had unique needs. For the Marvel Experience, we designed event containers that supported a massive, domed experience that led participants on an interactive journey through the Marvel universe. What better way to market the magic of Marvel AND create memories? Read more about it here.
You Can Measure Event ROI – EventGeek
Who doesn’t like a good ROI? No one. Everyone loves that proof, that validity.
Now, who doesn’t like jumping through hoops to prove their ROI? Probably a lot more of you.
Although proof of ROI is valuable–necessary in most companies–it isn’t always easy to track. In fact, sometimes it can be very difficult to prove ROI, especially with less concrete marketing methods like public relations, advertising, and even events. We include events in this list because of the substantial probability of having no way to track the real impact you make on attendees who are not leads.
That’s why you need to start measuring ROI the minute you decide to even appear at an event. Starting on the right foot is more valuable than any amount of ROI measuring you decide to start after your event.
You should have establish goals for each thing you want to accomplish. For example, you want to get out on social media. But which platforms? How many more followers do you want? How do you want people to engage with you?
Read the rest of this handy-dandy, ROI-measuring guide at the link above.
Storymaking: Turning Passive Customers Into Active Storytellers – BizBash
Using the customer voice as a channel through which to tell your story is not new. However, as social media and other engagement tools continue to evolve, so does the customer voice.
In this video, courtesy of BizBash, Mosaic’s creative director Khaleed Juma explores the many different ways a passive customer into a valuable storyteller. What sits at the essence of every great tweet, Instagram post, or video you’ve ever made? Experiences.
Expertly crafted experiences make people want to share their own experiences. Consumers are living in the moment because everything is constantly shifting.
What this means for you as an event marketer? This gives you the proof you need to justify the time and resources it will take you to come up with a personal experience for your customers–the kind of personal experience that will make them join your brand and tell others about it, too.
Then new four P’s of marketing, according to Juma, are:
- Participation
- Publication
- Personalization
- Product 2.0
Watch the video in the link for a detailed explanation (you’ll find it around 7:10).
Through smart event marketing and a focus on the correct metrics, anyone can turn their event into a success! For more information or to ask any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us here. We’re more than happy to help you figure out the most efficient and cost-effective way to market at your next event.