Do you know “event
marketing
“?
Event marketing is a method for companies and organizations to introduce their products and services to consumers and companies through events sponsored by them, and to obtain marketing effects such as acquiring potential customers and creating business negotiations. If you use event marketing well, you can get various benefits such as acquiring potential customers and contracts that directly lead to sales.
In recent years, not only physical events such as exhibitions and seminars have been attracting attention, but also online events such as
webinars
.
In this article, we will explain the overview, types, and benefits of event marketing.
What is event marketing?
Event marketing is marketing that involves companies and organizations promoting their products and services to the outside world through events hosted by them, communicating with consumers, businesses, and other customers, and acquiring potential customers and creating business negotiations. It’s a method to get results.
By conducting event marketing, you can increase your contact points with customers and increase their desire to purchase.
Create points of contact with users through events
Event marketing allows you to increase your contact points with customers. For example, at
a trade show
, you can explain and demonstrate your products and services by talking to customers visiting your booth.
Seminars and webinars also allow you to deepen your communication with customers by asking questions and exchanging opinions about the lecture content.
Event marketing purpose
The purpose of event marketing is to increase awareness of your company’s products and services and increase customers’ purchase intentions.
In addition, by increasing the number of points of contact with customers, we can understand their needs and requests, which can be used to improve products and services and develop new products.
Types of event marketing
There are many different types of event marketing. The typical types are explained below.
exhibition
An exhibition is an event that showcases the latest industry trends, products, and services, and many companies exhibit at the event.
Exhibition organizers bring together exhibitors and visitors and provide exhibition space. Exhibitors will introduce their products and services and interact with visitors.
Exhibitions are often held for purposes such as business matching and acquiring new customers, and can aim to increase name recognition within the industry and have a
branding
effect.
Seminar
A seminar is an event held in the form of a lecture or training session. Seminar organizers and speakers provide specialized knowledge and skills to seminar participants.
Seminars are often presented by industry experts on business topics or the latest technology, allowing participants to gather information and deepen their knowledge in their areas of interest.
Seminars are also effective for branding and acquiring new customers, as they allow you to showcase your company’s expertise.
webinar
A webinar is a seminar held online, typically using a video conferencing system. Webinars have cost and time advantages because participants can participate from anywhere.
Additionally, webinars can be streamed on-demand, so even those who were unable to attend can watch them later. Webinars are used for product and service demonstrations, training, information sessions, etc., and are useful for acquiring leads and streamlining product explanations.
Experience-based event (workshop)
Experiential events are events that participants can experience for themselves. Includes product sampling and sampling, product demonstrations, workshops, and more.
Experiential events not only explain products and services, but also allow participants to experience them firsthand, allowing them to convey the appeal and value of products and services.
Experiential events can strengthen contact with customers and improve
customer loyalty
. Additionally, by allowing participants to experience it for themselves, they can deepen their understanding of the product or service, which can help you gain leads with a strong desire to purchase.
Exchange meeting (forum/symposium)
A networking event is an event for business or networking purposes, where participants can communicate with each other. When participants exchange opinions and ask questions, it is also called a forum or symposium.
Participating in various networking events is suitable for expanding your business network, searching for business partners, and exchanging information.
For example, “meetings” organized by business communities or chambers of commerce allow participants to discuss their businesses, products, and services, and to find business partners. You can also get the latest industry trends and information by interacting with people in your industry.
Networking events can generate new business opportunities and ideas through active communication between participants.
5 benefits of event marketing
Here are five main benefits of implementing event marketing:
1. Can spread awareness
2. You can have contact with many users at once
3. Provide users with a realistic experience
4. You can approach high-fidelity users
5. Can lead nurturing and lead qualification
Let’s take a closer look at each of the items listed above.
1. Can expand awareness
Event marketing can make your company or brand known to a large number of people. Through events, users become aware of new products and services, as well as a company’s vision and values.
Furthermore, if event participants disseminate event information through SNS and word of mouth, your company’s visibility will further increase.
2. You can have contact with many users at once
Hosting an event allows you to directly reach many users at once. Additionally, if you can experience a product or service at an event venue, many users can learn about the product or service at the same time.
Furthermore, if event participants share information about the event on their own social media, you will be able to expand your reach.
3. Can provide users with a realistic experience
Hosting an event gives users the opportunity to experience your product or service. For example, you may be able to sample the product or actually touch and operate the product.
Additionally, by holding an event to preview new products, users can actually touch and feel the products, giving them a deeper understanding of the products and services.
4. You can approach high-fidelity users
People who come to your event are likely to already have some level of interest. Therefore, promotional activities at events are an effective way to reach people who are already interested in your product or service.
5. Capable of lead nurturing and lead qualification
Events are an effective way to gather people interested in your products or services. You can collect visitor information and efficiently acquire leads.
After the event, you can properly follow up on leads and take steps to convert them into customers or business deals. Holding events can lead not only to
lead generation
, but also
lead nurturing
and lead qualification.
Disadvantages of event marketing
As mentioned above, while event marketing has many advantages, there are also disadvantages. Here, we will explain the disadvantages of event marketing.
costly in time and money
Event marketing requires time and money. For example, there are many costs involved, such as reserving the venue, renting fixtures and equipment, setting up booths, etc., and arranging speakers and staff.
Additionally, preparing and running an event requires a lot of time. Especially if you’re planning an event for the first time, you’ll need to spend some time preparing in advance.
Event know-how required
Event marketing requires event know-how. For example, what kind of theme should I set to attract a large number of participants? What kinds of speakers and performers are popular? What kind of content should I develop in my presentation to attract the attention of participants? , etc. knowledge is required.
Depending on the content of the event, knowledge of laws and regulations may also be required.
Key points for event marketing success
For event marketing to be successful, it is important to keep the following points in mind.
Clarify “purpose” and “goal”
When organizing an event, it is important to have clear objectives and goals.
For example, when holding an exhibition to promote a product, the purpose is to convey the appeal and features of the product to as many people as possible, and the goal is to get visitors interested.
Also, by clarifying the purpose and goals, it will be easier to decide on the content and management method of the event.
Clarify your target
In order to make an event a success, it is important to have a clear target. Target refers to who you are holding an event for.
By clarifying your target audience, it will be easier to decide on the content to provide to visitors, the details of your presentation, and how to approach them.
For example, when a
BtoB
company holds a seminar for its customers, the target audience is the companies and organizations that are its customers. It is important to provide information that is useful to customers and build relationships of trust.
Make thorough advance preparations
Thorough advance preparation is essential for successful event marketing. Specifically, we will do the following:
When arranging the venue and equipment, it is important to choose a venue and equipment that match the nature of the event. Also, check the venue situation in advance and make sure you have all the necessary equipment and supplies.
Decide on the day’s operations
Troubles and accidents may occur on the day of the event. In order to be able to deal with such situations smoothly, it is necessary to decide on operations in advance.
The contents of the operation include the following:
By deciding on these things, you will be able to run the event smoothly. It will also allow participants to participate in the event with peace of mind.
summary
Event marketing is an important marketing method that increases your chances of reaching many people. By using event marketing wisely, you can increase your business’ awareness and generate leads.
In order to succeed in event marketing, it is important to understand the types, advantages and disadvantages of event marketing. Please implement event marketing and utilize it for further business development.