Event marketing is not for just big companies with large staffs. Small businesses can host or participate in events, too – just on a smaller, more intimate scale.

In my previous post in this series, I talked about why and how to do event marketing. Now that you’ve decided whether to host a seminar, roundtable, or breakfast/lunch/dinner, it’s time to plan and promote your event.

Planning a Seminar

• Choose your topic and invite partners to participate
• Brainstorm with your partners on the best, most timely topics to cover and how long each person will speak
• Nail down the agenda, location, time, and cost
• Task your partners with organizing pieces of the event so you don’t have to do everything
• Work with the events manager at the site on logistics – check-in, room set-up, food and beverages, audiovisual needs, etc.
• Set up event registration and payment online using Eventbrite or Cvent

Planning a Roundtable

• Choose your topic and invite partners to participate
• Nail down the agenda, location, time, and cost
• Work with the events manager at the site on logistics – room set-up, food and beverages, audiovisual needs, etc.
• Set up event registration and payment online using Eventbrite or Cvent

Planning a Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

• Put together an invite list; you can invite customers, prospects, partners, or a mix of all three
• Reserve a private dining room at a favorite restaurant
• Work with the events manager on the menu

Promotion

If you are working with partners, pool your contacts to send out email invitations and reminders from one central location; this will also make tracking responses easier.

Email Invitations

So as to not bombard people with email, send out an invitation a month ahead of time and a reminder a week or two later. Send a final reminder within a week of the event to encourage last-minute registrants, and one the day before the event to remind registrants about it.

Besides including the pertinent day/time/location/cost information, stress the benefits of attending, make it clear how to register, and give an overview of the agenda.

Leverage social networks

You and your partners (if applicable) should promote the event on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook – and on any other social media networks you use. You can also write a blog post about it and publish it on your site – it’s a great way to get more detailed information about the event out there.

Get listed on calendars

In the DC area, there are numerous online event calendars you can get a free listing on, from local papers to industry-specific sites. If you don’t know of any in your area, just do a search for “online events calendar in [your area]” or ask your network.

Send out a press release

Send a press release to local journalists and bloggers, and invite them to attend for free. In your press release, be sure to explain why your event is particularly newsworthy and worthwhile to attend.

In the final post for this series, we’ll take a look at what to do during and after your event. What are your favorite events to attend, and why?

Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

So much of our life is now digital, conducted online and not with people. Many of us small business owners also work from home with limited-to-no regular, in-person contact with our clients – and that’s where event marketing comes into play.

Hosting or participating in an event is a unique, one-on-one experience that puts you in front of current and potential customers. There’s a reason people flock to big industry trade shows and conferences like SXSW (which encompasses film, interactive, and music):

• Events are a great way to get to know each other better, put a face and personality with a brand, and build a community.
• There’s a lot of serendipity involved – you never know who you are going to meet or get introduced to. At SXSW last year, I met Tony Hsieh and Steve Case, and I sat next one of the top venture capitalists in the country. (I also saw Willem Defoe – pretty cool!)
• People like to do business with people they know and like, so cementing a relationship in person can turn a lukewarm relationship into a long-term, mutually beneficial one.
• Unlike an email campaign, an event can make a lasting impression and leave people talking for a long time.

Event marketing is not limited to huge, days-long events of course. For a small business owner, it makes more sense to host or participate a smaller event for obvious reasons – time, expense, effort, noise, and quality of interactions.

Three types of events that are most useful for small businesses to either host or participate in include:

1. Seminars

Seminars can be one hour long or a half- or full-day event. Unless you are famous or widely recognized as an expert in your field, you might want to pull in partners for day-long events. With partners, you can each talk about your specific area of expertise around one topic – and attract more attendees.

2. Roundtables

A roundtable can be part of a seminar, or it can be a stand-alone event. Either way, attendees get to ask questions of a panel – all composed of experts – and learn how to do something better or get industry-insider knowledge.

3. Breakfasts, Lunches, or Dinners

Hosting a breakfast, lunch, or dinner is like networking on an intimate scale. It is a terrific opportunity to bring together a small group of people who can learn from each other and possibly work together – customers, prospects, partners, vendors, or a mix. Plus, you get to know everyone better!

Before you start planning an event, there’s one thing you have to do first: Decide why you are hosting the event so you can set goals. You can host an event to:

• Increase branding and awareness
• Generate leads
• Engage with your customers
• Educate attendees
• Some of the above
• All of the above

Whatever your goal, ultimately you want to grow your businesses by landing new customers.

In my next post in this series, we’ll look at how to promote your event. Til then, if you’ve hosted an event, what kind of event was it and what made it successful?

Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org