According to The Content Marketing Institute’s 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, 56% of respondents use in-person events as a top marketing tactic, even above digital advertising and email marketing. 80% of marketers believe live events are critical to their company’s success, according to another report. The event marketing trend is clearly an effective strategy that isn’t bucking anytime soon, and it shouldn’t be surprising.
What is event marketing?
Event marketing is a marketing tactic that involves exhibits, displays, presentations or gatherings to showcase your company’s product, services or causes. Today, events can be hosted in-person or online thanks to live streaming capabilities.
Real-life experiences are more engaging and can shape our memories much more profoundly than anything else. Live events are deeply experiential by nature—something everyone (especially millennials) seek from an organization. If event marketing isn’t already part of your overall marketing toolbox, here are just a few reasons why you should consider adding it.
Why are events the most important marketing tool?
- Consumers today are looking for specific products or services. With so many options, it can be difficult to cut through the clutter. An event facilitates face-to-face discussion with your consumers, helping them to establish a much more personal and intimate relationship with your brand than what is possible in the digital space.
- Speaking of brands, events do a ton to generate brand recognition. As many as 8 out of 10 people who take part in a marketing event pass that experience on to someone else, making your brand much more accessible to your target audience.
- Events are a cost effective way to roll out new products or services. You can get buy-in on a new product much quicker when you have a live, captive audience to showcase it to. And it can come in at a much lower cost than going through traditional media.
Related content: Making the Most of Your Marketing Budget at Your Next Expo
- With an event, you can generate feedback almost immediately about your product or service. That means you can get valuable feedback much faster, and allow you to address any potential questions or issues. Not only will this make your business more flexible and adaptable, but your customer satisfaction is likely to improve.
Although creating a conversation with your consumers online is important, engaging with them face-to-face adds a whole other dimension of loyalty. With a marketing event you can get your message out much faster, more effectively, and to an audience who is more eager to hear it.
You may also like: What Every Company Should Know About Event Production
Editor’s note: This blog was originally published in 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and relevancy.
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