How to Capitalize on Big Events and Holidays for Your Marketing Campaigns
As we move forward into 2021, we all feel the pressure and uncertainty of planning for the year ahead. What would normally be a calendar full of events, conferences, trade shows and seminars might look a little different this year – but that doesn’t mean that online events are any less important. Planning for a virtual or online event can be just as stressful as setting up a booth at a trade show, but there are fortunately a lot of tools and resources available to help you put on the best display possible – real or virtually!
But outside of scheduled events, there are lots of reasons and occasions to put together a special gathering or promotion. There are plenty of benefits to embracing customer interests for your marketing and advertising efforts. Holidays and local events like CarmelFest, the Carmel Farmer’s Market and other showcase events are top of mind for consumers and often come with spikes in demand for certain products.
Event marketing also helps you showcase relevant products and services, supports your marketing and sales goals, and allows you to engage with people in your community. In order to capitalize on these advantages, businesses need to make the most of their event promotions. Here’s how.
Get Your Message Across in a Big Way
To promote your business effectively in relation to an event, your marketing needs to be big, bold, and undeniable. Make it clear that you’re tying a sale or value proposition to an event-themed message. Create custom signage, booth graphics and printed marketing materials or if you’re meeting virtually, create stunning visual presentation graphics, handouts, workbooks or promotional materials with eye-catching designs that makes people
want to pay attention to what you’re advertising. Above all, you want to generate excitement around your product or service.
Align Your Marketing Campaigns
Simply having signage isn’t enough to capitalize on the momentum of a major event. To really harness the occasion, a multi-channel marketing campaign makes sure that your message reaches your target audience both before and after the event ends
The most effective marketing campaigns are personalized and relevant to the recipient. Don’t just pitch a deal to everyone; make sure there’s a measure of authenticity in your marketing. Use recognizable messaging and images that tie in with the event, and target the right customers for your message.
Finally, coordinate your campaign around a timeline leading up to the event, and use the right materials to promote it. By utilizing both print and digital channels, you can pinpoint the right medium for each message you plan to send. Direct mail in the weeks leading up to and after the event can raise awareness, particularly when paired with printed marketing materials and social media to encourage in a two-way conversation with your audience before, during, and after the event.
Get Involved in Local Causes
One of the best ways to make a meaningful splash in event marketing is to be involved in projects and organizations doing good works in your community. Your sponsorship or partnership with these local organizations make people much more apt to participate in a campaign that contributes to a good cause or gives back to their community.
Choosing a charitable cause to invest in humanizes your brand and makes customers feel connected to you and your employees on a much deeper level. If your charitable cause is close to home, it will mean that much more for your customers.
Big Events Mean Big Opportunities for Marketing
Big or small, holidays and events are an opportunity to have a little fun with your marketing while remaining relevant with your audience. To capitalize on them, start planning ahead now! Look at the calendar and start strategizing to align your marketing with an upcoming event—whether it’s a national holiday, local event, or something totally off the wall.