Event marketing is a marketing strategy that involves a face-to-face meeting (or online, in case of a pandemic) between the brand and its target audience. Event marketing includes events such as trade shows, product launches, product demonstrations, seminars, or conferences.
This is a form of marketing that puts the experience of the customers first. As you know, shoppers love experiences and they really like to feel connected to brands. With event marketing, brands have the opportunity to get to know their customers and to learn more about them.
Why is event marketing important?
Event marketing is one of the best strategies for both brand awareness and brand loyalty. However, it depends on the type of event you are planning. Events are time-consuming and difficult to plan, but their ROI is great. Almost half of businesses that invest in event marketing notice an ROI ratio of up to 5:1.
Brands will be happy to learn that events increase sales and also help you communicate directly with your shoppers.
The best thing about technology is that it offers endless possibilities. In this case, with the COVID-19 pandemic, most events were canceled. However, thanks to technology, brands were able to organize their events online on different platforms. While it doesn’t have the same impact, an online event is still valuable for both the customers and the brand.
Since experiential retail is one of the biggest trends at the moment, events are great tools that can lead to amazing experiences.
Types of events
There are a lot of events that you can organize to surprise your customers. It’s all up to you and your budget, of course.
Let’s see some of the most appreciated types of events:
- Product demos: You can present what your product does and customers can test it themselves.
- Fundraisings: This is a great type of event for NGOs and other organizations.
- Community events: Connect with the community you developed around your brand. Organize a catchy event for all of your Facebook followers and they will see that you actually care.
- Pop-up shops: Great spaces where you can offer limited edition products, show off your new releases, or simply offer an amazing experience like Target did with their Target Wonderland pop-up store.
