How to Market Your Events and Create Buzz. Building Community Experiences

Transcription

1 How to Market Your Events and Create Buzz Building Community Experiences

2 COMPANY PROFILE Established in 2006, CityEvents is a boutique event planning and marketing company. CityEvents has a flair for creative development and successful marketing and promotions. We ensure the flawless staging and promotion of your event, services, or product. CityEvents oversees all the details of communications, and focuses on creating and building online and live communities. With our extensive network and marketing strategies, we help our clients define a target audience, and create buzz for their product, service, event, or location. In 2012 we launched our new social media division, CitySocial. Let us create a buzz for you! Marketing Twitter YouTube Facebook Blogging LinkedIn Event Listings Event Marketing Pinterest Google+ 2

3 Deborah Lewis, Chief Experience Officer of CityEvents/CitySocial, has over 16 years of experience in event marketing and has planned over 600 events. In 2006, Deborah launched CityEvents, a boutique event planning company in Toronto. Since then CityEvents has had the opportunity to manage custom events for a variety of companies, organizations, and communities, small and large. Sample of Past Clients & Programs: -King East Design District -Munk Debates -Toronto Board of Trade -Liberty Village Social Hour -Investment Advisor -British Chamber of Commerce -Smart Condo Living -Various seminars & industry events -FastLane Networking monthly young professional events 3

4 How to Market and Create Buzz for Events When starting out to promote your event, create a promotional tool kit with event descriptions, photos, event images, links, and other relevant information or visuals. What is the value of your event for the attendee? How can you communicate this to your potential audience? Who is your potential audience? 4

5 The basis of promoting and marketing events is mainly determined by the details you decide to share and disclose with the target market. Details of your Event Event Information: Who? What? When? Where? 5

6 Description: Long Version: Short Version: Website: (URL) Ticket Link and Phone number: (If applicable) Facebook Page/Event: Twitter Account: (If applicable) LinkedIn Account: (if applicable): Flickr: (if applicable): Pinterest: (if applicable): YouTube: (if applicable): 6

7 Tips to Developing Content When creating compelling content think about the value of your event or the hooks to compel people to attend. Attendees want to know the value in attending an event. This is more relevant when people are investing in a ticket cost. Create a compelling Unique Selling Proposition. 7

8 Tips to Developing Content When you are developing your main event description or event story consider these hooks to entice your target market. Create a series of hooks you can utilize in multiple promotional channels. Why do people care about your event? What are their motivations? What unique offerings do you offer or key celebrities attending? 8

9 Tips to Developing Content Areas that may attract or be important to a potential attendee are listed below. Determine what areas apply to your event or how you can use different elements to build a relevant audience. Ensure you inject excitement into your event descriptions, make it sound intriguing to your target market. Focus on your targets needs, wants, and desires. 9

10 List of Key Event Elements: Venue: Is this new? Is it located in a great neighbourhood? Is there accessible transportation or parking? Does it have an exhibit or a theme to the space? 10

11 List of Key Event Elements: Celebrities: Do you have any celebrities attending the event in the form of local politicians, TV & movie stars, local personalities, successful business leaders, experts in a field, or heads of state? Are there well-known attendees or supporters that that can be featured? (Photos and bios are always an asset) 11

12 Food: Will there be food provided? Is there a cultural theme? Will it be 3-course meal vs. appetizers? Unique Elements: List the unique offerings of your event. Music, Art, Entertainment, etc. Audience: What type of audience or group will be in attendance? 12

13 Venue: Food: Celebrities: Unique Elements: Audience: 13

14 Marketing Techniques: There are many different techniques to promote and market an event. Below lists a few: Photos & Videos Advertisements: TV/ Radio/Magazine/Specialty Publications/ Community Newspapers/Transit Ads Blogs 14

15 Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Postcards & Posters Mailing of Invitations Marketing / E-newsletters Cross promotion Press Releases Ambassadors Online Resources 15

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17 Social Media and Your Events Publish Video Embed video on blog, encourage subscribers / views Facebook - make a note and tag interesting folks LinkedIn group discussions MeetUps - event listings Eventful list everything (URLS, photos) and make a widget Upcoming.yahoo.com event listings 17

18 Social Media and Your Events Instagram Upload, share relevant images, logos Pinterest Pin and share relevant images, logos Bloggers feature your event Youtube - Create youtube channel, follow Relevant videos, create pre event teaser Video Foursquare Use to promote location of event 18

19 Some potential social media goals and objectives: Increase social media presence and number of followers on each chosen social media platform, building awareness for BIA and their feature events Encourage user involvement by making social media presence engaging and interactive, encourage event attendees, community members and stakeholders to participate in online discussion and sharing 19

20 Some potential social media goals and objectives: Build an online buzz for local events by sharing event information, media, local sales and promotions, and interesting stories Improve media relations by tracking and sharing online coverage of the BIA and cross-promoting media and influencer mentions Increase engagement, and attendees to BIA events and programs Integrate all social media platforms for a consistent brand messaging across all channels of communication. 20

21 Social Media Details Facebook Page Opportunities Increase people talking about BIA page/event Create photo albums for the page and add the photos app Use Involver Apps to integrate Youtube and Twitter Create interactive contests to engage followers - post contests to other relevant pages, profiles and events Create event pages for BIA and promote Create a note featuring pictures and event info and add the notes app 21

22 Social Media Details Facebook Page Opportunities Like the pages of media, influencers, participating partners and other relevant pages Add a join our mailing list app to collect s for e-marketing Update the about page with all relevant social media links and event info Repost interesting media, stories and relevant influencer content to start discussions and drive interaction on the page Listen to conversations about BIA/event and respond 22

23 Social Media Details Twitter Opportunities Create interactions between the BIA Twitter page and followers: re-tweet, quote and favorite interesting and relevant tweets Mention and re-tweet participating partners, media, influencers and stakeholders to increase followers Increase number of mentions monthly Listen to conversations about BIA events and respond 23

24 Social Media Details Twitter Opportunities Create event hash tags # and get them viral! Encourage user interaction by asking key stakeholders and event attendees to participate in social media discussion by getting them to share before, during and after the event (personally requesting participation, creating signage at the event, and adding links and hash tags to printed copy/social media pages) 24

25 Social Media Marketing Execution Requirements for Social Media Campaigns: Graphic Needs: Icon Sized for Facebook Facebook Fan Page Design Twitter Background Logos of Sponsors/Partners/Retailers Photos of Venues Jpg images of invitation 25

26 Social Media Marketing Execution Requirements for Social Media Campaigns: Content Types: Photographs Mini Blog Stories Reminder Posts Marketing Expert Articles Partner Links & Content Video Testimonials or other content 26

27 PR and Media Relations Sample public relations campaign for events Prior to the event: Develop a media plan: This document will include a breakdown of pre, during, and post-event plans, a comprehensive list of media targeted, contacted and confirmed as well as tactics used to pitch to the media. Finalize all communications targeted to media to ensure consistent and targeted pitches are developed to approach various mainstream and niche media outlets (Draft and edit of introduction, press release and phone script and pitch) 27

28 PR and Media Relations Sample public relations campaign for events Prior to the event: Engage with targeted media by using proactive communication and pitching techniques (develop confirm contacts of media lists: researching, confirming and establishing a media list of key individuals Facilitate the confirmation and coordination of all media contacts attending event. 28

29 PR and Media Relations During the event: Coordinate and host all media in attendance, including greeting media upon arrival and providing an adequate variety of escorts and points of information for their reference. This will ensure that the appropriate representatives make contact with key individuals and help to secure opportunities to take photographs and attain interviews and quotes at the event and with the sponsors, members and stakeholders. 29

30 PR and Media Relations After the event: Ensure photos gathered during the event to share with media outlets in attendance and post event stories, blog stories, newsletters and future promotions. 30

31 CONTACT: Deborah Lewis, CEO 21 Birch Ave. Toronto, ON. M4V 1E Deblewis.ca CityEvents Fanpage & torontocityevents1 CityEvents Toronto Groups: CityEvents cityeventstoronto