Uniiverse’s Mega Guide To Events

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Event Marketing

Writing effective copy is the key to attracting customers

Event marketing messages and descriptions have to convey important information about an event and convince customers to buy tickets – all in a few short seconds!

Consumers have more options than ever before, but less free time, so your event messaging must stand out in order to make an impact on potential customers.

Know your event audience

The 4 Ws • Who is my customer?

• Where are they?

• What do they want to see?

• How can I sell them tickets?

Define your audience and then read what they write (on blogs or social media) so you can copy their style in your messaging.

Grab Their Attention…

Patience is a virtue that consumers are sorely lacking. What does this mean for the event marketer selling tickets online (be it by Facebook, an app, or on their own websites)?

• You have to be fast

• You have to be interesting

• You have to give the people what they want.

… And Keep It!

• Put key information at the top (e.g. event name, key selling points)

• Use bullet points and lists to make information easy to digest

• Use sub-headings to break up your description and make it easy to scan

• Keep content short, including short sentences and paragraphs.

Don’t forget videos and images

You need images and videos to attract readers. As the internet becomes more media rich buyers expect hi-res images and videos rather than text.

Consider making a video ad for your event and putting it at the top of your event page, or break up your description with images from past events.

Your images have to load fast. If the images slow down the event page you’re going to lose your visitors.

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Write, Edit, Rewrite, Edit

✓ Don’t use the passive voice

✓ Avoid repeating yourself

✓ Don’t use too much jargon

✓ Stay on point

✓ Write clear and short sentences

Proofread your description to catch any typos. It is helpful to read it aloud, or ask someone else to check it. Search for unnecessary words and delete them.

Test your marketing messages

Before the event, tweet sentences from the description and see what the feedback is like.

You can run identical ads (with your event’s hashtag and a link to buy tickets!) and different copy to see what works.

After the event send the attendees a survey and ask them to rate the event description or ask them why they choose to attend the event.

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Build Hype Early

o  It’s possible to create hype and start building your guest list before tickets are even available. Try releasing teasers, videos and other information about your event and then linking to a website like LaunchRock. This site allows you to create ‘landing pages’ where your guests can enter their emails and elect to be notified the day tickets go on sale.

o  Using this technique can enable you to generate interest earlier, secure more potential buyers and build a stronger following for your event.

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Mailing List Announcements

o  Try announcing your event by sending out an e-newsletter to your mailing list. Make sure to include all of the exciting and must-know information about your event. Feel free to jazz it up with some attractive images and graphics.

o  If you’ve received positive reviews from past events, this is also a great place to showcase them. Make sure to include a link to your event page so those interested can purchase tickets right away.

o  Don’t hesitate to use every avenue of communication possible to share your event information with all of your connections.

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Local Event Calendars

o  Take advantage of local publications that include event calendar sections. These outlets inform readers of events happening locally, and it’s generally easy to get yours published. This tactic can significantly expand the reach of your event by providing more opportunities for discovery. Seek out as many local blogs with event sections as you can, submit your details, and watch your ticket sales grow. Give it a try!

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Get Physical

o  Your event marketing doesn’t have to stay online, so print out some physical flyers and postcards and take to the streets.

o  Strategically plan your advertising venues to meet your targeted audience; if you’re hosting a craft beer tasting, try visiting local microbreweries or specialized craft beer pubs to see if they’ll let you leave some event flyers behind for their customers. If it’s a fitness event or workshop, try to get some exposure by inquiring with the owners of local gyms and yoga studios.

o  Choosing your advertising spaces selectively will make the most of your time and investment.

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Media and Influencers

o  Know any popular online influencers whose audiences are relevant to your event? A smart marketing tactic is to provide these influencers with free tickets in exchange for promoting your event through Twitter and other online networks.

o  Similarly, offering free tickets, exposure or other benefits to journalists, bloggers and media personnel in exchange for event coverage can help showcase your event to ensure its continued success in the future.

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A Little Help from Your Friends

o  If you are working with and featuring brands at your event, ask if they can help spread the word to their community; the cross-promotion of your event with their products is an effective marketing technique that is mutually beneficial. Discussing marketing strategies with everyone involved will increase exposure to serve multiple interests.

o  Get your team to help promote your event using the above tactics. Sponsors, event partners and other organizers should be doing their parts to draw in guests and make the event a huge success.

“How do I use Twitter to market my event and increase attendance?”

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Why should you be using Twitter?

Twitter can have a large impact on the attendance of your event. With over 350 millions users, Twitter is one of the most powerful way to reach new potential customers and engage with your existing community

Leverage Twitter to Sell Tickets to your Event

1. Create an Event Hashtag • Ensure visibility and virality

on social media sites by

letting your hashtag create

buzz, build awareness, and

encourage conversations

about the event

• Include it in all social

promotions to tie everything

together

Appoint a Twitter ‘Czar’

• Assign the responsibility of creating a ‘Twitter

content plan of action’ to one savvy person

on your team

• It’s best for this person to come up with a

comprehensive ‘Twitter content plan of

action’ which involves writing and preparing

the promotional tweets in advance, and

coming up with a schedule

• It will also be this person’s responsibility to

monitor the conversations happening about

your event on Twitter, and to reply to or

retweet relevant content

Social Deals & Group Buying

Leverage Group buying and Social Deals

• This is a powerful incentive

for people to both spread

the word and attend the

event. By rewarding people

who share your event on

social media, you’ll see an

increase in awareness and

ticket sales.

Use Twitter Cards

Attractive media cards make tweets stand out and draws more attention.

Host a Contest

• Create a viral contest where

people have to retweet about the

event in order to enter a draw to

win tickets.

• With the only cost of this being that

of the tickets, a contest allows you

to draw a lot of new attention to

your event

Invite Your Followers To Your Events

• By using a social ticketing platform you have the ability to send

invitations in the form of direct messages to your Twitter

followers.

• Select specific followers or all of your followers as the recipients,

and send the invite in bulk, while still maintaining a level of

personalization.

• Customize an invitation to your event and send it to your

followers’ inboxes in one click.

Twitter is a great platform but many of your customers are still on Facebook.

Create a Facebook Event

• Creating a Facebook event page directly from your ticketing platform is a great way to save time while maximizing your event’s reach.

Sell Tickets Tab

Some ticketing platforms enable the use of a ‘Sell Tickets’ tab directly on Facebook Pages.

This tab allows your guests to purchase tickets right from your page without being redirected to a third party website.

Get Some Likes

• Facebook’s ‘like’ function is a valuable sharing tool for your event.

• Acquire Facebook ‘likes’ directly from your event’s ticketing page.

• When anyone ‘likes’ your event on Uniiverse, a rich-text description of the event will be automatically posted to their Facebook profile.

• This will direct Facebook users to your event and help you sell more tickets!

Social Deals - Get The Word Out!• Social Incentives reward guests for promoting events through social media

outlets.

• Using social deals for your event can leverage Facebook for promotion while providing a discount to customers.

• Your guests can choose to share the event information on their Facebook profiles in exchange for a coupon code, which they can redeem toward their own ticket purchase.

Invite Friends and Their Friends and Their Friends…

Inviting Facebook friends to your event is a quick, easy way to expand your guest list.

Event Trends for the

Modern EventProf

Go Green & Go Paperless

• Technologies that enable paperless ticketing are now easily accessible, and affordable. It’s easy to go paperless by enabling online ticket sales, and an at-the-door app that makes checking in guests 100% electronic.

• Other sustainable ideas include offering local food and beverages with healthy or vegetarian options.

• Use recycled, reusable or biodegradable decorations, and eschew water bottles in favor of filtered tap water.

• The possibilities are endless - get creative!

 Attendee Event Coverage

• With social media at your guests’ fingertips, the utilization of these technologies at your event is beneficial for organizers and adds a fun, interactive element for attendees.

• Create an Instagram or Twitter hashtag, inform your guests, and remind them to live-tweet and post pictures throughout the event. This way, in addition to (or in lieu of) professional photographs or videography, you now have countless, candid shots of the whole experience as well as new advertising opportunities provided by your guests. It’s a win-win!

Images: http://www.graphicsfuel.com/2013/03/popular-social-media-icons-psd-png/, http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-5s-and-5c-features-2013-9?op=1

Speedy Event Entry

• TIP: A great method is to get several of your event personnel to act as line gophers; have them travel down the line, scan guests in with Ticket Manager and provide wristbands while they wait. Once they reach the front of the line, they can show their wristbands and enter the event quickly. This tactic is sure to impress your attendees and will cut way down on chaos at the door.

Ensuring the satisfaction of your guests should begin before they get in the door. No one wants to wait in a long line or deal with disorganized entry procedures, so make it as simple and fast as possible.

Drive-In Dining

• Food trucks are an up-and-coming feature of the event scene this year. They simplify your catering needs, add character to your event, and create an exciting atmosphere for your guests.

• Food truck fare has evolved to offer everything from fast food to gourmet grub, so it’s easy to choose something that fits your theme and your guests’ tastes. Surprise your attendees by getting them out of their seats and making food fun!

Get Started!

These simple steps can help you supercharge your event and maximize your event

marketing efforts!!!

Check out www.uniiverse.com/selltickets for more information.

‹#›© Uniiverse Collaborative Lifestyle Inc.

www.uniiverse.com