Let’s put our marketing hats on for a minute. How effective are your event marketing strategies right now? Are you selling more event tickets? Are you landing more event planning clients in your target niche? If you’re not, or worse, not sure, keep reading. These nine marketing strategies are must-haves in any New York event planner’s playbook. And even if you’re successfully using some of these, there’s likely one or two you’re missing.
1. Know what you hope to achieve precisely with each campaign
Blind marketing efforts will exhaust resources and produce very little. Get precise with your event marketing. Define clear and measurable objectives for your NYC event, like increasing brand awareness, generating leads, raising charitable funds, or driving attendance. Having specific event goals will guide your marketing efforts and help you measure success more effectively.
2. Message specific audiences with targeted offers
Avoid tone-deaf event marketing messages of blanket statements. Instead, understand your target audience’s preferences, interests, and demographics. Tailor your event marketing message and promotional activities in a way that resonates with your audience and attracts their attention. Solve their problems, build some FOMO that works, and inspire potential event guests to take action!
3. Generate buzz with cross-promotional efforts on social media
Sharing your Eventbrite link on Facebook alone isn’t going to move the needle. Leverage hand-picked social media platforms to create buzz and generate excitement around your event with brilliant videos and graphics. Share sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes event prep content, and interactive polls to engage your audience and encourage them to attend.
4. Build event excitement with countdowns in the inbox
Don’t overlook the power of a stimulating message in the inbox. Use genius email marketing campaigns to communicate with your audience before, during, and after the event. Build some suspense with a countdown and creative subject lines. Send personalized invitations, event reminders, and follow-up emails to keep attendees informed and engaged.
5. Team up with influencers and event celebrities
Put the influencer megaphone to work for all your New York events! Collaborate with influencers or industry experts to amplify your event marketing messages and announcements. Identify influencers with a relevant audience and enlist their support to promote your event through sponsored content, guest appearances, or social media shoutouts. Hashtags are great for broadening your reach, too!
6. Incentivize with early-bird event promotions
Think outside the box and the boring by launching tantalizing offers! Create a sense of authentic urgency and incentivize early registration by offering exclusive discounts and promotions to early bird attendees. Limited-time offers and special incentives can drive ticket sales and boost attendance.
7. Reach new event audiences with help from event sponsors
Event sponsors are great marketing strategy resources. Partner with relevant sponsors or exhibitors to extend your event reach and access their networks. Co-marketing initiatives, cross-promotions, and sponsorships can enhance brand visibility in a big way and attract additional event attendees.
8. Button up your online SEO and event site optimization
Get SEO savvy or hire someone who is. No one hires any service without first searching online. And it’s your SEO that will determine whether or not they find your event services when they do. Optimize your event website, landing pages, and online content for search engines (namely Google) to improve visibility and attract organic traffic. Use relevant event-related keywords, meta tags, and backlinks to rank higher in search results and significantly drive website traffic.
9. Learn from the industry’s best marketers at The Event Planner Expo
If you want to really elevate your marketing strategies in a way that drives revenue, you can’t miss the opportunities that await you this year at The Event Planner Expo! It’s the industry’s premier event in NYC, spanning three full days and bringing the top pros and event leaders together. Keynote speakers, panel discussions, the trade show, and opening/after parties HAVE to be on your calendar this year. Get your tickets now and learn more in three days than you can all year!
