Event marketing takes various forms. It might involve a nationwide trade show or a table at a community festival. Either way, it offers an invaluable opportunity to get your business name and what you have to offer out to others. However, it can also drain your expense account. The following cost-effective event marketing strategies for SMBs can help you make a big impression for relatively little cost.
1. Get Your Message and Materials on Point
Who “are” you as a business? What drives you to do what you do each day? What value do you offer to other people through your product or service? One of the most cost-effective event marketing strategies for SMBs costs no money at all — it’s preparing an elevator pitch to gain the interest of potential new customers and clients you speak with.
This short speech is only roughly 60 seconds in length — you don’t have to be a presidential speechwriter — and it’s free to prepare. You can also print marketing materials like pamphlets using tools already included in many software programs or Google.
Edit them carefully, ensuring they broadcast the right message. Do it all for the cost of printer ink and a little of your time.
2. Collaborate Coverage
Part of your cost-effective event marketing strategy entails ensuring sufficient coverage. Is a lone associate enough to cover your table? What if the associate gets caught up in a lengthy conversation with a potential client while others wait? Include attendees in the decision-making process and consider their input.
Collaboration may reduce your travel budget for out-of-town events. For example, pairing unfamiliar employees in a single hotel room could raise concerns from opposing sleep schedules to safety. However, a close-knit team might agree to rent a home on Airbnb for less than the cost of reserving a full wing.
3. Create Inviting Sensory Spaces
You can engage potential clients’ senses in two ways. One is through samples. Let them taste your delicious cookies or feel the softness of your sheets against their skin. Depending on your niche and available materials, you can get quite creative. For example, a homebuilder might use a virtual reality headset to give prospective clients a “walk through” of a model home on which you’ve yet to break ground.
Some events can get crowded, noisy, and overwhelming. You can create inviting sensory spaces for neurodiverse individuals and parents who may have sensitive kids in tow. Offering a soft chair in a quiet, curtain-enclosed location costs nothing if you use materials you already have; parents with kids on the verge of a meltdown will remember your act of goodwill.
4. Tie Participation in With an Act of Good Will
Tying your event marketing to an act of charity engages your staff and potential customers alike. Thirty-one percent of workers leave their jobs when they perceive their work lacks meaning, but knowing their attendance benefits a good cause makes them happier on what can be long days.
A raffle is a time-tested classic. Winners can score one of your fabulous products for themselves while the proceeds benefit a charity you pick. You’re out the cost of one product — and you probably have a few samples to spare. Plus, you bolster your corporate image of caring responsibility.
5. Use Social Media to Broadcast Your Event
Make your presence known at the marketing event. Through social media advertising, you can inform people for free that you are in the house.
Research your audience so you can time your posts to when they’re most active. Additionally, consider connecting with influencers relevant to your field to drive engagement. Data suggests you can generate three times more engagement by using such individuals in your advertisements.
Connect with folks on YouTube and Instagram. TikTok is great for engaging younger audiences, while older adults flock to Facebook.
6. Think Outside the Big Name Speaker Box
Some event marketing includes speakers, and you might feel tempted to spend on a big name. While doing so can increase your brand recognition, other people can be every bit as inspiring as Tony Robbins. They may persuade even more effectively, as the audience believes they’re speaking because they care, not to score a fat paycheck.
You can find speakers bureaus at many universities, through civic organizations, such as the Freemasons, and specialty groups, such as foundations for specific diseases. Also, consider your staff. You might have people with a wealth of experiences you have yet to tap into.
Making Your Event Marketing Cost-Effective
You don’t have to spend a ton to make a big splash at your next marketing event. Consider these cost-effective strategies to wow attendees with less.
For additional resources concerning marketing strategies, see this list of blogs.
