We Aussies love outdoor events, there no doubt about that. In fact, there are probably many festivals, trade shows, and fairs happening right now that gather a lot of people together. What this means for you as a business owner is that you can always find an event you can join as to let your community know who you are and what you do.
What Is Event Marketing?
Event marketing can be an effective strategy you can use to promote your business, especially if your business relies mostly on local customers. Plus, it can be a fun way for you and your team to meet new prospective customers while doing it. To find out more about the local events that will be happening in the near future, you can browse through government or travel websites.
Obviously you don’t want to waste your time and energy on events that might be futile, so that’s why you should stick to ones that cater to your customers and have a strong track record. In some cases, the type of outdoor event that best fit your business are going to be quite obvious, for instance, food festivals can be a chance to promote your restaurant. In another case, you will have to do a more extensive research regarding how your target customers like to spend their time and which events they are most likely to attend.
Why It’s Important?
One of the main reasons for you to want to participate in an event is to show off your brand’s personality and gain access to a targeted audience. When getting face-to-face with your potential customers, you have a greater possibility to create a more meaningful and longer-lasting relationship. Also, events can be an opportunity to win over influential journalists or bloggers in your industry and get press coverage on your product or service.
Ways to Promote Your Business
When it comes to event marketing, event marquees will prove to be one of the best items to use for this occasion. Having one is sure way to catch people’s eye and offer shelter from the elements (being outdoors mean you have to be better prepared in case of bad weather). Once inside the marquee you can use this opportunity to offer your potential customers an activity that is related to the service or products that you sell. For instance, if you are a massage therapist, you can offer a 5 minute massage or if you are a financial institution you can play a game to give them an idea of how much they would save by using your service.
Besides providing shelter while you promote your business, there are other benefits event marquees offer. They are a one-time investment that’s likely to serve you for years to come. Unlike other advertising tools like billboards that are usually a short-term marketing strategy (unless you make a commitment to change the message on a monthly basis) you can use an event marquee as many times as you need. Good options are ones that have quality frame construction, hot-taped seams to maximise waterproofing and reinforced corners to reduce wear and tear.
Branded event marquees with your name and your logo printed on it are an effective way to get the message across. They are very noticeable because of their size, choice of colours and design. With an attractive printed marquee even if someone is not standing in front of your booth will be still able to see your branding if they’re glancing in your direction. The event attendees can assume what it is that you sell or offer only by looking at it. Alongside the event marquees, you can include other promotional materials such as banners. Having one or maybe a couple of them placed in front of the marquee will make your booth even more noticeable.
Personalised giveaways like tote bags or shirts with your business logo on, which the attendees can hang on to after the event is another way for you to generate buzz, build excitement and reinforce your brand. For instance, if you have a personal training business, you can give away small healthy treats at a marathon or sports event. Even if you don’t sell physical products that can be easily packaged and handed out, there are other interesting things to give away like a free consultation if you are an accounting company.
Apart from giving away a product or service for free, you can go beyond giveaways and actually try to sell something. It’s even better if you include a special offer with the products that you sell, like a coupon for a discount at your physical store (if you have one).
Finally, local events may take practice, but you can expect it to become easier to interact with your local community with time. To do so, make sure that you have the right staff – fun, friendly and outgoing people that have the confidence to approach strangers and draw them to your booth.
