Marketing and Sales Strategies for Event Planners
Recommended Marketing and Sales Strategies for Event Planners
Of the many marketing and sales strategies event planners rely on for reaching target markets and increasing attendance, three that show significant potential for generating results based on current research are discussed in this analysis. All three are reliant on communicating to potential event attendees using the channels of communication they most prefer, varying from social media (Bernoff, Li, 2008) to individualized communications via telephone or customized e-mails (Shukla, 2010). All marketing and sales strategies however need to set the expectations of the attendees accurately and deliver consistently above them for customer satisfaction to be created and sustained, and for the events’ objectives to be accomplished (Wood, 2009).
Analysis of Marketing and Sales Strategies For Events
The three marketing and selling strategies analyzed in this research include marketing and selling events that occur entirely online, specifically for pay-per-view or online-only music events and concerts; venue-based marketing and selling strategies; and promoting an event based on the celebrity or thought leader speaking and participating in it.
Online Events in Real-Time — Marketing Using Social Media
The first marketing strategy for an event is based on creating a community of interest online first, then continually strengthening the interest of possible attendees with highly interactive and exciting content. This strategy is based on social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn, two effective platforms for quickly gaining nights into the level of interest of potential event attendees (Bernoff, Li, 2008). Facebook Fan pages, LinkedIn communities, and the use of YouTube and Flickr to deliver video and visual content is critical. Using Twitter and e-mail to communicate the event periodically and engage in conversations with potential attendees also provides an effective, interactive approach to staying on top of what their specific interests and ideas are. Building mobile apps on the Android and iPhone operating systems can significantly increase the reach of any event marketing and selling strategy, further aligning information sources to how attendees are choosing to stay in touch with the latest event information (Hoffman, Novak, 2011). All of these online components of a marketing strategy need to be unified under a single, over-riding and powerfully unique value proposition to be effective. For an online-only event, for example a live video performance of a performing artist or a vidoecast of a major sports event, all the elements of this online-only marketing strategy will also need to have a consistent look-and-feel, convey the same message both graphically and in text, and each fulfill a specific role in attracting and gaining an audience online. As more event marketing is based in large part on social media, this example could easily be applied to live, in-person events and for the marketing of a major new product introduction as well for example. Apple’s use of video streamlining for their major product introductions and announcements is a case in point.
Marketing the Venue
A second marketing and selling strategy is to concentrate heavily on the experience of attending the conference itself. This is a strategy that is used very successfully for industry conferences of example, and for large-scale thought leadership conferences in specific industries. The Forbes, Fortune and Information Week Magazine conferences annually are in exotic locations globally including Hawaii, Sydney, Australia, and throughout Asian regions known for their natural beautify and evolving economies. Using the venue and location of the conference to market it has a natural draw. During the winter months every year many of the leading Fortune 500 companies based on the Northeast hold their conferences in Bermuda, Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico coastline or in Hawaii. This approach to venue-based marketing needs to take a lifestyle-based approach to be successful, anticipating the multiplicity of needs that attendees may have during their stay (Wood, 2009).
Another aspect of this strategy is the need to concentrate on delivering an exceptional experience over and above the content provided at the event, whether that is educational, entertaining, or both. The best marketing strategies that are based on the appeal of the venues they are located at create promotional programs and messaging that interviews the value of gaining insight into a specific area, for example business, with the chance to enjoy an exotic, up-scale location like Bermuda or Hawaii for example. The marketing of events based on the venue’s appeal has also become the foundation of Web 2.0-based promotional strategies, where video-based content that interweaves the conferences’ messaging is often used (Davidson, 2011). This marketing strategy of interweaving the attractiveness and allure of an exotic location with a chance to learn more and gain greater insights has been very effective for brands who sell through business-to-business (B2B) channels (Walker, Hall, Todd, Kent, 2011). B2B-oriented products and services often require longer, more complex sales cycles and by nature are more complex products. The strategy of taking prospects out of their normal environment, to remote, exotic venue is to get them to concentrate more on the unique value a given B2B solution delivers. Enterprise software companies have done this very successfully in promoting their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), order management and more complex supply chain management solutions. The use of a combined venue and learning strategy benefits brands in that they have the potential to clearly define who they are what their solutions can provide while entertaining prospects at the same time (Walker, Hall, Todd, Kent, 2011).
Another aspect of the venue-based strategy is the pervasive use of social media to attract potential attendees as well. The pervasive use of Facebook, LinkedIn and private community sites for large-scale events has become commonplace, as event planners seek to create collaboration across attendees (Bernoff, Li, 2008). Social media use for venues also incudes customized videos that are uploaded to blogs in anticipation of the event (Davidson, 2011) and the continual streamlining of video and written content over Twitter and other social media sites to create anticipation as well. Creating microsites, blogs, video and highly customized materials that communicate the value of attending the event from a personal and professional standpoint is critical for this strategy to succeed (Bernoff, Li, 2008).
Marketing the Celebrity of Thought Leader
Another marketing and selling strategy of events focuses on anchoring conferences with a well-known celebrity or thought leader in a given industry. This approach to marketing concentrates on the current popularity of a celebrity, the recent insights and published books or speaking engagements of a thought leader, or the long-standing reputation of a major figure in business such as Jack Welch, formerly of GE for example. Marketing events by relying on celebrities brings an added dimension of their personal reputation and brand to potential sales. Using this marketing and selling strategy also brings credibility and value to those who see the celebrity or thought leader as valuable to see and listen to.
Examples of this type of marketing strategy include the extensive reliance by Salesforce.com on Bill Clinton, former U.S. President, Wil.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and Stevie Wonder. All three are often in attendance at DreamForce events, both as entertainment and as speakers. DreamForce events are known for their world-class speakers and entertainment, which is a major draw for its customers to spend their time visiting San Francisco for these events. What Marc Benioff, the CEO and founder of Salesforce is attempting to do is create a thought leadership forum within his conferences by having these speakers and entertainers. It also bring an excitement to an event to see these world-known celebrities, further making the event a “must see” for Salesforce customers. Of the many companies using this marketing and selling strategy, Salesforce is by far one of the best as they have decades of experience making it work successfully on a global scale.
Another aspect of marketing the celebrity or thought leader is the focus on creating online excitement about their speech or performance. What Salesforce does is create microsites, Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages and LinkedIn accounts for their events, so that potential attendees can learn about the events’ details through the channels that best fit their needs (Bernoff, Li, 2008). Each of these online approaches Salesforce uses are also heavily supported by video and audio clips, and an entire range of digital content that can be downloaded and played anytime potential attendees choose to. All of these aspects of strategies are also measured using online analytics as well, which are critical for all event marketing and selling strategies (Schwartz, 2011).
Conclusion
Of the many marketing and selling strategies for events, three of the more effective ones based on research include promoting online events in real-time, marketing an event using the natural beauty or attractiveness of the venue, and marketing events with a celebrity or thought leader. All three have proven to be highly effective, and when online media is used, analytics can be integrated into these strategies to accurately assess results (Schwartz, 2011). The reliance on social media has proven to be very effective in reaching potential attendees through communication channels they choose to use for learning about new events (Bernoff, Li, 2008). For event marketing to continually grow in effectiveness there is the need to create customized dashboards and metrics to evaluate how each aspect of a marketing and selling strategy affects attendee interest and attendance (Schwartz, 2011).
References
Bernoff, J., & Li, C.. (2008). Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36-42.
Rob Davidson. (2011). Web 2.0 as a marketing tool for conference centres. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 2(2), 117-138.
Hoffman, D., & Novak, T.. (2011). Marketing Communication in a Digital Era: Marketers should focus efforts on emerging social, mobile and local trends. Marketing Management, 20(3), 37.
Matthew Schwartz. (2011, April). A holistic view of analytics: Marketers are making strides to connect metrics with companies’ overall goals. B to B: Interactive Marketing Guide 2011, 96(4), 16.
Shukla, T.. (2010). Factors Affecting ‘Internet Marketing’ Campaigns with Reference to Viral and Permission Marketing. IUP Journal of Management Research, 9(1), 26-37.
Walker, M., Hall, T., Todd, S., & Kent, A.. (2011). Does Your Sponsor Affect My Perception of the Event? The Role of Event Sponsors as Signals. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 20(3), 138-147.
Wood, E.. (2009). Evaluating Event Marketing: Experience or Outcome? Journal of Promotion Management, 15(1/2), 247.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
