There are copious amounts of websites that will offer to list your event and help your event reach a larger audience. So, in theory, boosting sales for your event. Unfortunately, too often, organisers are left feeling that the time taken in creating the event listing was not worth it due to lack of increased sales.  

 Whilst event listing is one way of approaching event promotion, to see any measurable increase in sales takes a range of tools and strategies. 

OMNICHANNEL PROMOTION

For many years ‘multichannel promotion’ or marketing has been the favoured method of interacting with potential attendees. By communicating with them on various platforms, it enabled companies to reach wider and more diverse audiences. Whether it was a print ad, word of mouth, or social media, a multichannel strategy has been the tried and tested method of promotion for many years. 

However, consumers are now looking for a more connected and seamless experience for promotion and marketing. Omnichannel refers to the multichannel sales approach that will also provide the attendees with a more integrated experience. The attendee needs to switch from desktop to a mobile device, to the event itself, with the experience being completely consistent. 

Keep the message and promotion of your event unified using the following marketing techniques: 

Email Marketing:

Plan and develop your communications with your potential attendees well in advance. As well as planning for different audiences, different audiences will call for different types of email. 

Reconnect via email with those already booked into your event. This will help build excitement for the event and help develop a relationship with the attendee and reinforce that you are building a brand/event experience.  

Having a plan and getting everything set up and organised in advance may seem time-consuming, but the payout will be worth it in the long run. 

Social Media:

Setting up a dedicated hashtag for your event that will be used throughout your social media promotion is an effective way of creating a cohesive message. 

Creating engaging visuals and videos to draw attention to your posts about your event is another great form of promotion. Make sure again that all your posts are visually consistent, as this will help build your omnichannel approach to promotion, which will help make your attendees feel valued.  

Social media is amazing for highlighting announcements and generating hype surrounding your event. Promote things such as new speakers for conferences or updates in your event’s timetable or special features. 

Paid social media ads are another great way to expand reach and engagement for your event., We would recommend this approach if you have a definite audience you know you are targeting. This will focus your advertising on those who are more likely to be interested in your event generally but may not know that your event is running. 

PR:

It is far too easy to get wrapped up in the digital side of event promotion and then forget to put time into more tested methods such as PR. 

Sending out a press release to various media outlets and listing your event in relevant business journals and newsletters is still worth the time it takes to create them. It creates a more well-rounded promotional campaign. 

Direct Mail:

As we all know, we live in an increasingly digital world, yet this only adds to the power of physical, tangible marketing techniques like direct mail. 

Target VIP potential attendees by sending out a physical invite to the event or a promotional box encouraging attendance to your event. 

Website:

Having a great website is an incredibly compelling component of event marketing. 

It is a base for them to come to when looking for all essential information regarding the event to potential attendees. Whether the event is hosted on your existing website using something like our embeddable widget or you wish to build something new just for your event, the goal needs to remain the same. 

The website should be where you drive all your promotional materials, so all the important information must assist in driving ticket sales. 

An issue with some event listing sites is that they can drive traffic away from your site and feature events like yours that may appeal to a segment of your demographic. This means you could potentially lose sales to your competitors! 

At Helm Tickets, our goal is for our organisers to succeed. Our features can help you create an omnichannel promotional campaign that can help draw in new attendees and increase attendee retention. To learn more about promotional strategies, keep an eye out for our blogs on marketing and promotional techniques. 

Create your omnichannel promotional campaign with Helm Tickets!