Event Marketing

Regardless of the type of business you have, event marketing is an effective way to build client loyalty and maintain top-of-the-mind awareness. Event marketing creates excitement around your company, products or services by creating something out-of-the-ordinary that entices people to think about you. More than simply encouraging people to make purchases you are educating customers and prospects alike. Sponsoring these types of activities allows us to leverage Attraction Rule #4: “Give information away without selling.” The tips below can help you create memorable, profitable events:

Demonstrate expertise Create events that take advantage of the expertise of you and the people on your team. The idea is to educate your customers about a particular subject while reinforcing the image that your company is the place to go to for expert advice and products on this subject. For example, a home decor store can sponsor a workshop on creating window treatments. The demonstration provides instruction about the design trends, while emphasizing that the store’s staff understands these trends and the store’s inventory includes all the latest products you need to accomplish the task. Influence rather than sell I recommend focusing your events on educating, influencing, and inspiring attendees. Teach them something new and valuable. The more practical and usable the skill is the better. For example, I know several financial consultants that have had tremendous success doing financial seminars. It’s more about winning their hearts than simply getting people to make a purchase. The event itself should not include a hard sell component, but everyone who attends should know how to purchase what they need. If you hold workshops or other classes, offer handouts that list relevant information and how they can order the products or sign-up for the services. Consider offering attendees discounts or other incentives to encourage to get started at the seminar. Involve customers Get customers interested in events by stimulating the senses. Let people touch, try, see, hear, and smell. Showing how to use a new set of knives? Don’t just put a person at a chopping block – have him cook up an Asian stir-fry that smells, tastes, and sounds delicious. Use a PA system so everyone around can hear what is being said. Demonstrating fly-fishing equipment? Involve customers with a small “fishing derby” and a contest for catching the biggest fish or tying the nicest fly. Having a local band come in to sign its latest CD? Set up a small stage and have a short concert before the signing. It’s good for the musicians, the customers, and you! Work with your suppliers When you hold an event, you may not have to go it alone. Talk with your top suppliers or business partners about co-sponsoring an event. This can take many forms – a clothing store can have a special designer trunk sale; a photographer can have a special “clean your camera” day with service reps from a particular camera maker. In some cases, co-sponsorship will also include increased co-op advertising funds or other supplier incentives. Speak with your suppliers to find out how and if you can qualify for these programs.  Promote Don’t hold events in a vacuum. Advertise and promote them to drive traffic to your store and build additional excitement around your events. Promote them with your current customers, on your web site and to friends and family. I even recommend sending some announcements to your vendors. Alert local media to get listings in “events” columns or other mentions. Send postcards to your mailing lists. Mention events in your ads. For example, a bookstore can put a list of upcoming readings or book signings in its customer newsletter, while arranging pre-reading profiles of the featured authors in the local arts press.  Mark Deo Event I try to take my own advice and implement what I recommend for others. With that in mind, if you want to learn more about this form of marketing attraction I’d like to invite you to attend a FREE event. It’s our Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Reunion and Refresher and it’s happening on February 7th in Long Beach California. If you’re like me you really love it when you run into a fellow DCSA (Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage) graduate. It reminds you of all the great things you learned in the class and how motivating it was seeing your fellow class members achieving their goals (not to mention your own). Well you will have that opportunity again very soon. Because at the suggestion of a one of our graduates we will be sponsoring a FREE Sales Advantage Reunion and Refresher!  The reunion will be a time of sharing our successes, networking, and sharpening our skills. We will even learn some new sales and marketing strategies. I plan to do a summary of our Cold Call Seminar. I will also be previewing the Breakthrough Communications and the Winning Sales Presentations Class. In addition, I will introduce my new, “Attract More Business Marketing Program.” Matt and I will also be doing the most hilarious sales talk presentation you’ve ever seen. So come join us and bring a friend.  Sales Advantage Reunion and Refresher Date: Monday, February 7, 2005  Time: 6:06PM  Place: Dale Carnegie Classroom – 2525 Cherry Avenue, Suite 106 Long Beach, CA 90755  Cost: FREE, Zippo, Nada, Zilch! (Just bring your good attitude.)  Door Prizes:  1. Scholarship to an upcoming Dale Carnegie Cold Call Seminar  2. The 150 page Attract More Business Program including 9 CDs and Tele-Coaching Session  3. Enrollment in one of our upcoming Tele-Classes  RSVP: Reply to this email or call Dale Carnegie Training to RSVP at 562-427-1040 by February 2 (Confirm your attendance with Keva Williams at extension 202.)  My very best to you and I look forward to seeing all of you there! Have a great week! I hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mark@markdeo.com  Mark Deo Print this article.