7 Compelling Reasons to Hold an Event as a Marketing Strategy

The below article was written for Eventbrite Australia – See more at: http://www.eventbrite.com.au/blog/

Over the past few years our world has become increasingly reliant on technology. I’m sure there are many of us who are guilty of knowing more about our friends and colleagues from social media than by actually talking to them. I say, it’s time to go old school. The power of the face to face — human connection — is where businesses need to be focussing their time and marketing efforts.

So why are events one of the best marketing strategies?

1. Events help retain clients
Do you hold information sessions for your current clients? Think about a small breakfast event, or a morning tea that doesn’t cost the earth in venue hire and catering. Could you share hints and tips to help your clients or demo new software? Your goal is to have your clients leave with new ideas that will help them. When it comes to renewing their contract, they know and trust you, because they have met you. This is a simple strategy to help increase the percentage of clients you retain year on year.

2. Events can create killer partnerships
At an event you have an opportunity to create a captive audience. What other companies (that aren’t your competitors) would like to get their brand in-front of the same people? At our events, we have created partnerships with the biggest players in our industry, because by working together we can all get our brand in front of our exact target market. What partnerships are out there waiting for you?

3. Events are held by industry leaders
If you are holding the event, you will be leading the way in creating partnerships and bringing people together for your industry. If your events share valuable information and your guests leave feeling that it was worth their time, you will have made a positive and powerful impact on your industry.

4. Events can give you a competitive edge
For generations companies have competed with each other, trying to create points of difference and promoting their competitive advantage. What if you changed the rule book and your competitive advantage was that your customers loved you because you share valuable information with them through events? Events take courage. They put you in the spotlight and you need to be OK with that. After all, it’s the courageous rule breakers that get noticed.

5. Magic happens when a team achieves a huge goal
There is an unspoken camaraderie that happens when a team work together to plan and execute an event. Make sure you celebrate your successes and acknowledge all that were involved to keep your team bonded after the pressure and stress of running an event.

6. Events can improve your own work environment
I was speaking to someone the other day, let’s call him ‘Bob’. Bob had been working for a company for six years and not met a single person he works with, face to face. It took a new manager who believed it was important for their remote team to meet to make this happen. Bob believed this event was the best thing that had happened in his six years of working for the company.

7. Events let you sell one-to-many
Do you have a sales team that make individual sales appointments? Imagine a room filled with 50, 100, 200 of your ideal target market. How powerful could that be for your company? More and more I see companies using the power of events to get their brand in front of many, instead of selling one-to-one.

– See more at: http://www.eventbrite.com.au/blog/7-compelling-reasons-to-hold-an-event-as-a-marketing-strategy/#sthash.ZtdBcmT9.dpuf