A successful marketing campaign for a live event is important for many reasons. It not only helps to sell tickets to the event but also helps to attract sponsors. According to Bizzabo’s 2019 Benchmarks and Trends Report on Event Marketing, “The most successful businesses are spending 1.7x the average marketing budget on live events.” This means that there is a major opportunity for event organizers to secure deals with brands to have them market their company at their live events. It also means that an event needs to demonstrate the ability to run a successful marketing campaign to build confidence amongst future sponsors. Having a proven track record of successful marketing campaigns can give any event an advantage when it comes to selling sponsorships. On the flip side, having poor event marketing can cause the loss of a sponsor.
Types of Event Marketing
Before the event, social media and online marketing are critical. Having a website that is easy to navigate and nice to look at is essential. This is the first place that most people will go to learn about the event. This should be looked at as more than just a hub for information. It is a chance to put your best foot forward and engage with viewers. A website should be seen as a marketing tool and designed accordingly. Potential sponsors will be looking at these pages and determining if they want their logo and branding associated with your event.
Other types of digital marketing include email marketing and social media. Email marketing is a great tool for disseminating information to your audience because there are no tricky algorithms and community guidelines to follow. However, it is not as visible to those who do not already know about your event. Social media is especially important because it is an avenue for new people to find your event.
Why Social Media Matters
When your event has engaging and beautiful social media posts it not only helps to sell more tickets but also to build up the event’s reputation in the community. This in turns translates into being more desirable to work with. If a brand sees that you have not only a large following, but also create beautiful content, then they are more likely to want to work with you. Furthermore, this is something that can be leveraged when negotiating a sponsorship deal. Adding in a digital marketing campaign in addition to the on-site footprint can give any event’s sponsorship package a major edge over others.
How Does Bad Event Marketing Lose Sponsors?
A poor marketing strategy can make any event look unorganized, unprofessional, and all-around have many negative impacts. Brands do not want to associate their name with bad marketing campaigns. This can prevent an event from acquiring new sponsors and also cause them to lose ones that are currently signed on.
Event marketing matters when it comes to selling sponsorship because it is one of the first impressions a brand can have about an event. Companies only want to associate their name and logo with effective marketing campaigns. Unfortunately, bad event marketing can cause an event to lose sponsors because they will not trust the event to amplify their brand effectively. That is why having a well thought out strategy and heightened focus on marketing is an important factor when it comes to selling sponsorships.