If your business is dipping its toe into event marketing, you must devise a plan.
Event marketing examples include conferences, festivals, fairs, community events, 5Ks, etc.
Basically, anything your business sponsors or pays money to be physically present at the event. Most of the time, the physical part is setting up a booth or table at the event.
Here are the two main goals you should have for these events:
Get a Link on the Website of the Event
In SEO, backlinks matter. The Google algorithm constantly crawls around to see who, what, when, where, and why someone is linking to you.
It’s a pretty safe bet that if you’re setting up at an event, your business has a local presence in that community.
A backlink from local events will help your business website’s Local SEO efforts.
Will that one link blast you to number one on the Google SERP? Probably not, but if you get enough of these types of links, it sends a signal to Google.
That signal is that your business is very active in the geographic location.
Generally, events have levels, and a link to your website will be included in one of the sponsorship levels. If you don’t see that in the proposal, call the event organizers and see how you can make it happen.
It never hurts to ask, and if they haven’t even considered it, they most likely will do it for you if they think it will make or break your sponsorship.
Get People’s Information
The easiest way to do this is to have a drawing for a significant item or a set of excellent promo items you have to exchange information to receive.
The giveaway or promo needs to make sense relative to the event. For example, suppose you go to an event with a bunch of lawyers.
In that case, you can’t expect to get people to give you their info for a keychain or a giveaway of a couple t-shirts to one lucky winner. You must think larger.
However, at small-town festivals, you could get a lot of information for less expensive promos and giveaways.
If you’re having trouble thinking of something, contact us. We’ll suggest the perfect thing for your event. No cost, no obligation.
What information should I ask for?
At the least, get their name and e-mail, but if you’re offering some excellent promos and/or giveaways, go ahead and try to get their mailing address.
Should I put a disclaimer on the signup sheet for the giveaway/promos?
Yes, on the signup sheet at the bottom, place a disclaimer that says, “By entering this giveaway, I confirm that I am 18+ years of age and consent to receive marketing messages from (Enter Business Name Here).
Be clear with the folks. Don’t be sneaky!
What do I do with the information?
If you obtained their e-mail, place them on your regular e-mail newsletter or e-mail blast. You are doing e-mail newsletters, right?
Other things we have done for our clients include:
Sending a one-time e-mail to everyone who came by the booth that thanked them for coming by and offering links to the business website and social media.
If we obtained their mailing address, we would mail them a letter on the business letterhead that thanked them for stopping by our booth. We included a business card, a small sticker, or a notepad with the business logo.
For more intimate events with fewer people, we would produce handwritten notecards that thanked the person for stopping by the booth.
In conclusion, if you’re going to do event marketing for your business, do it right. Get the link, get the info, and then follow up.
Going to an event, handing out stuff, and speaking with people will help your business, but you can separate yourself from the pack with just a bit of effort.
