Tips for a successful marketing event

It’s time to get your marketing back on the road and go face-to-face with clients. Events are a great way of marketing your business and broadening your customer base. They showcase what you are about and all you can offer. We’ve waited long enough, it’s time to get out there – to Warwickshire and beyond.

Our advice is to always prepare. If you don’t spend some time thinking how you want your business to present itself, you run the danger of missing opportunities. First impressions count, so taking some time to ensure your business looks the business is time well spent. A bit of planning can help you stand out to potential customers and ensure your message is a clear one.

So, how do you get the most out of an event? We’ve spent decades supporting our clients to show their best face at events so we thought now would be an ideal time to pass on some of the things we have learned.

Make your business stand out

When preparing for an event really think about how to make your business stand out. It’s a good time to refresh your branding. Do you have colours and fonts that scream what you do? Here are some ways to pull the crowds to your business.

1. Invest in an exhibition display stand.

Move over tea-stained trestle table – a purpose-built exhibition display stand will give you a professional and practical base to showcase your business. It can be used time and time again and is an excellent investment. A well-designed exhibition stand is super hard-working. Created in your business colours, with your key messaging, it is advertising your business before you even speak to your customer.

If you are worried about lugging it about, don’t be. Not only does it look impressive but a display stand is now made of lightweight material and a cinch to assemble. So, easy to take along to small pop-ups as well as larger trade shows.

Your stand can have special features like built-in storage and lighting and of course they act as a very slick sales counter. Advances in print technology mean you will be pleasantly surprised what your budget will stretch to in terms of purchasing a display stand.

2. Tricks to draw people to you.

Talking of easy to assemble. One of the most practical and cost-effective ways to stand out at any event is by using a roller banners. Consider ordering one or two of these for your event. They can be put up in minutes. Plus, they are lightweight and come in a carry case. Standing tall and proud roller banners are perfect for projecting your business message. Production time for a roller banner is about 4 days on receipt of the design files. But, do plan and order ahead of time.

It is also worth considering PVC vinyl banners for events. These can be printed to scale and used indoors or outdoors. Extremely durable they can be used time and time again. A huge banner really does have the wow factor. If you plan on using a banner make sure you do a site recce first to get an eye for how big it should be and, crucially, to make sure there is a sensible place to hang it. Banners come with eyelets so they can be easily strung up.

Who doesn’t love a feather flag. Increasingly popular, they are another great tool for drawing attention to your stand or your event. An inexpensive way of adding a bit of drama and excitement. They scream, come and see us.

Advertise your event

Whether you are attending an event or creating one, people need to know about it. You need pay-back for the huge efforts you will put into the organisation. So, you need a successful way to let people know about it.

From our experience you should be letting your potential customers know a month or two before the event. Catch them before diaries fill up but not too far in advance. Some say the sweet spot for starting your promotion is 45-90 days before.

When you consider the statistics direct marketing has got to be the most effective way to let customers know you are hosting or attending an event.

• 96% of people of people you send your event flyer to will look at it. Which means they are much more likely to absorb the right information from direct mail than, say, an email.
• 87% of those receiving direct mail, like an event flyer, are likely to act on it or make a purchase

Science shows the brain responds to printed materials differently to digital. Something called the haptic memory or touch memory comes into play. We connect on a deeper emotional level with information we have handled and tend to form a more lasting connection.

Plus, a beautifully designed flyer can really catch the eye and instantly tell the story of what you do. In terms of promoting an event, people who receive direct mail are likely to hang on to it. An event flyer could very well end up pinned to a fridge or noticeboard. What an amazing reminder.

One really successful strategy is to use digital and direct mail together. Get things rolling by emailing bitesize bits of information about your event, like save the date, and then following it up with a flyer.

**Remember direct mail is a really efficient way to reach a certain geographical group or reach out to potential customers outside your database.

Be remembered beyond the event

Fabulous, well planned marketing and eye-catching displays are certainly going to help you linger longer in the mind of your customers. But if you really want to remain front of brain then offer them some sort of take-home.

It could be as simple as a pile of branded flyers featuring your contact details and maybe an event offer or voucher. But, if you really want to be remembered give your potential customers something useful. By investing in merchandise you can be confident customers will be reminded of your brand after they have returned home. Pens, t-shirts, mugs, magnets – you are limited only by your imagination.

If you are a Warwickshire or West Midlands business with an event lined up in the next few months, feel free to get in touch. We can advise on lead times and costings, produce your design and artwork and of course help you plan. Make it the best event ever. You’ve waited long enough.