How do effective events marketing professionals use - and choose – from the myriad of social media sites available today? How Event Marketing leaders manage these channels effectively –and keep current on the latest offerings - is a growing responsibility. Upcoming posts of The Event Marketing Insider will explore Social Media and examples of its effective use, and the challenges faced, by events organizations. Update: Visit Part II of this series detailing utilization of Facebook here.
LinkedIn is the granddaddy of professional social media sites, because of this it’s the main one to include in your marketing communications arsenal. The Events team at Gartner, for example, has utilized LinkedIn over the past two years, using both the Groups feature and the Events module to build community, engage prospects, and communicate germane content and event information.
The key benefit to establishing and managing an events-related Group is that it provides a channel and a core community of prospects - individuals who are engaged in, aware of, and/or curious about your offering - for Marketing communications. Two examples of Groups Gartner has established, the Gartner Business Process Management (Xchange) (900+ members), and the Gartner Information Security Summit (250+ members), employ the full functionality of this feature, particularly focusing on Group Discussions and News Items. Group owners Tracy Runko (Gartner Information Security Summit) and Juan Fernandez (Gartner Business Process Management (Xchange)) have used Groups to post discussion questions, deliver germane Gartner content, link blog postings from Gartner analysts and deliver content from other group members. (Another option both are exploring is using LinkedIn Polls both to engage and generate discussion points for the group - or on-site at the event.)
Both Fernandez and Runko agree that a main difficulty they face is engaging members participation in discussions. While they and Gartner analysts actively post discussion topics and news items, generating responses to these threads has been a slow going. There may be a number of reasons behind this – from concerns regarding sharing competitive information to bandwidth to participate to an individual’s comfort level – the lesson to be learned is that even while ensuring posts are content-based, engaging, and invite response/discussion, generating ongoing conversation is a challenge.
Fernandez notes “where do we go from here” is another question he wrestles with. Having built a respectable community (as he notes, the Group appears on the first page of search results due to its size), engaging members on an ongoing basis is important to avoid having the Group perceived as a pure push promotional tool. To that end, an additional thought: in establishing a LinkedIn Group, take the time to gain cross-functional buy-in and agreement to submit content – as you will need a team to continually contribute content to the Group. (The last thing you want is a group with no activity!)
LinkedIn also offers an Events module which can be added on the right rail. This module maps the user to relevant events and their details, including dates, location, pricing, event Web site, and target audience. While very template, the Event pages are searchable and, importantly, lists keywords (so in using this feature do, think keyword usage through.)
From a user perspective, one can indicate whether or not they are attending a listed Event, or if they are “interested” in attending. This information, posted to the user’s profile, but is also key intelligence and information for the Event Marketer. You need to ensure proper follow-up mechanisms: that users who indicate they are attending your event are registered in your system (lest they think clicking “attending” on LinkedIn signs them up), and that “interested” people are followed up with. Individuals who indicate they are not attending can also provide marketing intelligence. As a point of reference, view Events sites for Gartner Information Security Summit and the Gartner Business Process Management Summit. Of interest/note: the Gartner Information Security Summit offers a discount to people who register utilizing a marketing code; the BPM Summit page notes early bird pricing discounts – additional tactics to be considered when setting up a page.
In short – LinkedIn has prime features and modules to engage and build community among prospects – but take the time to plan and think through how these groups are used: this is not a tactic to undertake a month before and event, it is an increasingly important part of an event marketing strategy. Continued content, discussions and interaction year round will build brand equity around your event and content – and add an important asset to your marketing arsenal.
Please do share your thoughts and experiences on using Social Media for your event ... may be fodder for a new LinkedIn Group!
Good luck!
John
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Readers Comment on "Summer's Here!"
I want to update everyone with some comments that were posted in last week’s blog post, “Summer’s Here! (Now what?….)". I’d posted the article (as I do with all items) on relevant LinkedIn groups I belong to as a new item; one group in particular, the PM Forum Group, generated some insights and responses worth sharing.
In response to the post:
From David Gilroy, Sales &Marketing Director at Conscious Solutions:
“Does ANYONE run events over the summer? I made the mistake of running a drinks event at our offices in Bristol during the balloon fiesta last summer. We had more staff than guest turn up...and we only have 12 people based in our office ;-( Regs....David.”
This being the first response, it of course sent me into a panic (maybe I missed the boat??)…until Michelle Beynon, Business Development Manager at Irwin Mitchell replied:
“Hi David Tricky one....drinks receptions and seminar/conferences get pushed aside during July-August as attendance does drop during these months. However, we have held successful events during these months working with the summer theme. So for instance our rounders evening followed by a barbecue goes down a storm......you will be surprised at how much your contacts/guests will join in and it can also be promoted as a family affair should they wish to bring their partners and children. KR Michelle”
Steve Wright, Business Development Director at French Duncan LLP, added:
“Agree with Michelle's comments. Summer events to coincide with events like the World Cup always attract good numbers. The Lions are on tour at the moment so another opportunity to bring clients/potential clients into your offices to watch the games on a big screen. “
Nancy Schuman, Vice President Marketing at Lloyd Staffing wrote:
“We have held two successful movie days for 2 summers - a staff/family/client & client family event. We pick a family film premiering during the summer and get a local theater to give us a Sunday morning private showing. It becomes a Brunch-Red Carpet event and the parents & kids love it. Food/beverage costs are down (no liquor) and it's over early. If we have extra tickets we invite Big Brother/Big Sisters or another local charity. To attend, everyone must RSVP and get a ticket in advance and a tee shirt for every attendee - to be worn to the event. Be sure to get a big group photo. It's still business - but less formal and good relationships get built and solidified.”
The above all reference smaller events, but point to success (in most cases) for events that are thought through re: timing, location and amenities. Some of the above strategies could certainly be incorporated into larger content-based events (i.e. a scheduling an event in vacation location with a sponsored attendee/family/sponsor outing as a sponsor premium?) or in conjunction with other events. For example, Gartner ran a very successful event in Las Vegas immediately following the Super Bowl with premium incentives tied into the event – although this is a winter example, such could be applied to summer events).
In short, again, the point is the summer months are largely untapped territory for organizing events; I would again argue making an initial investment into holding events during these months. The window in which events can logistically be scheduled is challenging enough – taking action to try to open the window may be a valuable effort.
Good luck!
John
In response to the post:
From David Gilroy, Sales &Marketing Director at Conscious Solutions:
“Does ANYONE run events over the summer? I made the mistake of running a drinks event at our offices in Bristol during the balloon fiesta last summer. We had more staff than guest turn up...and we only have 12 people based in our office ;-( Regs....David.”
This being the first response, it of course sent me into a panic (maybe I missed the boat??)…until Michelle Beynon, Business Development Manager at Irwin Mitchell replied:
“Hi David Tricky one....drinks receptions and seminar/conferences get pushed aside during July-August as attendance does drop during these months. However, we have held successful events during these months working with the summer theme. So for instance our rounders evening followed by a barbecue goes down a storm......you will be surprised at how much your contacts/guests will join in and it can also be promoted as a family affair should they wish to bring their partners and children. KR Michelle”
Steve Wright, Business Development Director at French Duncan LLP, added:
“Agree with Michelle's comments. Summer events to coincide with events like the World Cup always attract good numbers. The Lions are on tour at the moment so another opportunity to bring clients/potential clients into your offices to watch the games on a big screen. “
Nancy Schuman, Vice President Marketing at Lloyd Staffing wrote:
“We have held two successful movie days for 2 summers - a staff/family/client & client family event. We pick a family film premiering during the summer and get a local theater to give us a Sunday morning private showing. It becomes a Brunch-Red Carpet event and the parents & kids love it. Food/beverage costs are down (no liquor) and it's over early. If we have extra tickets we invite Big Brother/Big Sisters or another local charity. To attend, everyone must RSVP and get a ticket in advance and a tee shirt for every attendee - to be worn to the event. Be sure to get a big group photo. It's still business - but less formal and good relationships get built and solidified.”
The above all reference smaller events, but point to success (in most cases) for events that are thought through re: timing, location and amenities. Some of the above strategies could certainly be incorporated into larger content-based events (i.e. a scheduling an event in vacation location with a sponsored attendee/family/sponsor outing as a sponsor premium?) or in conjunction with other events. For example, Gartner ran a very successful event in Las Vegas immediately following the Super Bowl with premium incentives tied into the event – although this is a winter example, such could be applied to summer events).
In short, again, the point is the summer months are largely untapped territory for organizing events; I would again argue making an initial investment into holding events during these months. The window in which events can logistically be scheduled is challenging enough – taking action to try to open the window may be a valuable effort.
Good luck!
John
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Is Testing Part of Your Email Campaigns? Survey Says "No"
In April I blogged about utilizing legacy marketing practices - particularly testing - in online marketing campaigns. This subject was recently highlighted in B2B Magazine’s online edition, which detailed a white paper published by Experian Marketing Services, A guide to effective email testing. In its introductory remarks, the paper cited research published by Forrester Research last October, Benchmark your Email Organization, noting that 20% of respondents surveyed for the report did not test email at all, and 55% reported limited or ad hoc testing.
Quick math: that leaves 25% of the organizations responding reporting a continued email testing program. And that’s across industries – I would venture to guess, unfortunately, that in the Events arena those numbers are lower. Given the constant churn of events and campaigns, event marketers historically overall have focused on developing and managing ongoing testing strategies. Which is a lost opportunity to gather some hard intelligence on your prospect base.
To that end, given the challenges the economy and the events industry is facing, I’m stressing to you, the reader, that you need to take the time to establish and execute a testing strategy for your upcoming email marketing efforts. This does not need to be a complex, multivariate test; gaining quick, actionable data on elements that can be rolled out across a portfolio of events should ultimately be the goal.
Suggestions in the Experian paper, and their applicability to the Events industry, include:
Timing Tests: There is always debate over what information prospects need and when – add to that optimal timing (and promotion) of early bird deadlines and this is an area ripe for testing. The reality is timing will vary pending segment – but gaining insight on when to best send each communication is a key piece of knowledge – the potential for increased view/clicks is invaluable. This test can be time of day, day of week, weeks from event – or a combinations of these (as long as a large enough sample exists.) You can also drill down into what list segments respond best at what times.
Subject Line Tests: These should be done across a spectrum of events and over time to gain aggregate results. There are a variety of elements that can be tested: Experian suggestions include personalized vs. non-personalized, offer vs. no offer, short vs. long and branded vs. non-branded. One important facet I would include is push vs. pull – an ‘announcing XYZ event’ vs. ‘learn about XYZ’ – logic would dictate the second would pull better – but you won’t know until you test!
Creative Tests: An opportunity to test different creative schemes – but also to test HTML vs. text/non-image HTML. As the world moves toward mobile devices, images are blocked, etc. you may find that plan text messaging is the most effective for either the audience overall or certain segments of the audience. (Note: The metric for creative testing is clicks, not opens.)
Offer Tests: Test Early Bird price points, group price tests, testing premiums, etc. – send offers with various price breaks – and some with no price breaks – and see if discounts have an impact – if the answer is ‘no’ think of the retained revenue!
And again, test one element at a time (or two – i.e. testing four datasets and testing subject line and creative) – beyond that you are in the arena of multivariate testing – not impossible, but not to be tried without input from a third party or colleague versed in statistics to validate this scheme.
So take the time, set up your tests – and become a better marketer with the results!
Good luck!
John Gibb
Quick math: that leaves 25% of the organizations responding reporting a continued email testing program. And that’s across industries – I would venture to guess, unfortunately, that in the Events arena those numbers are lower. Given the constant churn of events and campaigns, event marketers historically overall have focused on developing and managing ongoing testing strategies. Which is a lost opportunity to gather some hard intelligence on your prospect base.
To that end, given the challenges the economy and the events industry is facing, I’m stressing to you, the reader, that you need to take the time to establish and execute a testing strategy for your upcoming email marketing efforts. This does not need to be a complex, multivariate test; gaining quick, actionable data on elements that can be rolled out across a portfolio of events should ultimately be the goal.
Suggestions in the Experian paper, and their applicability to the Events industry, include:
Timing Tests: There is always debate over what information prospects need and when – add to that optimal timing (and promotion) of early bird deadlines and this is an area ripe for testing. The reality is timing will vary pending segment – but gaining insight on when to best send each communication is a key piece of knowledge – the potential for increased view/clicks is invaluable. This test can be time of day, day of week, weeks from event – or a combinations of these (as long as a large enough sample exists.) You can also drill down into what list segments respond best at what times.
Subject Line Tests: These should be done across a spectrum of events and over time to gain aggregate results. There are a variety of elements that can be tested: Experian suggestions include personalized vs. non-personalized, offer vs. no offer, short vs. long and branded vs. non-branded. One important facet I would include is push vs. pull – an ‘announcing XYZ event’ vs. ‘learn about XYZ’ – logic would dictate the second would pull better – but you won’t know until you test!
Creative Tests: An opportunity to test different creative schemes – but also to test HTML vs. text/non-image HTML. As the world moves toward mobile devices, images are blocked, etc. you may find that plan text messaging is the most effective for either the audience overall or certain segments of the audience. (Note: The metric for creative testing is clicks, not opens.)
Offer Tests: Test Early Bird price points, group price tests, testing premiums, etc. – send offers with various price breaks – and some with no price breaks – and see if discounts have an impact – if the answer is ‘no’ think of the retained revenue!
And again, test one element at a time (or two – i.e. testing four datasets and testing subject line and creative) – beyond that you are in the arena of multivariate testing – not impossible, but not to be tried without input from a third party or colleague versed in statistics to validate this scheme.
So take the time, set up your tests – and become a better marketer with the results!
Good luck!
John Gibb
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Summer's Here! (Now what?....)
We are moving into a traditionally slow period in the Events industry – the 3rd quarter summer months. With a flurry of events to wrap up the first half of the year, June rolls into July and August, and a verifiable no-fly-zone for events is upon us. The 'best practice' is to not to run events over these two months due largely to the plethora of business professionals on vacation. Which leads to a calendar jam-packed with events to drive 3rd quarter numbers.
Although I don’t have a hard set of number to substantiate this, I’ve long thought the industry is doing itself an injustice by at least not testing the running of events over these two months. To keep with the summer metaphor, it’s a huge pool (of time) nobody is dipping their toe in.
My thinking goes along three lines:
The vacation argument is legitimate. To a point. In reality, however, the entire world does not go on vacation for two months. Employees coordinate schedules, get coverage, and work gets done. In sort, there is a sustainable universe of executives within your marketing universe that are not going to be out of the office the particular week you plan an event in July and August.
Secondly – June and September are, of course, huge months for holding events – primarily due to the dead zone of summer. Which means competition is fierce for attendees and sponsors post-Labor Day. For argument’s sake, say you increase your marketable universe by 15% by holding an event in September vs. July/August. By waiting until September and gaining those additional prospects, you are competing against a slew of other events companies for share of wallet/time.
For example (and this is admittedly over-simplifying the situation) assume you have 100 executives who are planning to attend an event this year. Removing all other variables, taking the above 15% figure, you have an opportunity to attract 85 of them to your event if held in July/August. If the event is held in September, chances are good there are at least two other events with similar topic/functionality being held that same week. So while you have an unbeatable product, these 100 executives will decide between three options – and if all things are equal your chances of attracting them is 33.34%. Again, there are other variables involved, but in a pure numbers sense odds are as good if not better of attracting audience in the summer months.
Finally an intuitive question: if summer is a bad time to hold an event, what makes it a wonderful time to market these events? This is, however, what happens in a typical event promotional cycle. Outbound communications, prospect planning for 2nd half calendars, etc., happen over these months for many September and October events. For example, pending your promotional cycle, if you launch a communication channel 12 weeks before an event, that would mean launching in mid-July for a mid-October event. So, I'd have to argue, if summer is a bad time for an event, it’s also a bad time to market an event.
This is not to advocate going gung-ho into summer months, just that it is worth exploring the possibility. Obviously a ton of variables come into play – sponsor sensitivities, hotel and logistical questions. This is just to argue that it’s certainly time to test or explore expanding the schedule.
As always, let us know what you think.
Good luck!
John
http://www.johnsgibb.net
Although I don’t have a hard set of number to substantiate this, I’ve long thought the industry is doing itself an injustice by at least not testing the running of events over these two months. To keep with the summer metaphor, it’s a huge pool (of time) nobody is dipping their toe in.
My thinking goes along three lines:
The vacation argument is legitimate. To a point. In reality, however, the entire world does not go on vacation for two months. Employees coordinate schedules, get coverage, and work gets done. In sort, there is a sustainable universe of executives within your marketing universe that are not going to be out of the office the particular week you plan an event in July and August.
Secondly – June and September are, of course, huge months for holding events – primarily due to the dead zone of summer. Which means competition is fierce for attendees and sponsors post-Labor Day. For argument’s sake, say you increase your marketable universe by 15% by holding an event in September vs. July/August. By waiting until September and gaining those additional prospects, you are competing against a slew of other events companies for share of wallet/time.
For example (and this is admittedly over-simplifying the situation) assume you have 100 executives who are planning to attend an event this year. Removing all other variables, taking the above 15% figure, you have an opportunity to attract 85 of them to your event if held in July/August. If the event is held in September, chances are good there are at least two other events with similar topic/functionality being held that same week. So while you have an unbeatable product, these 100 executives will decide between three options – and if all things are equal your chances of attracting them is 33.34%. Again, there are other variables involved, but in a pure numbers sense odds are as good if not better of attracting audience in the summer months.
Finally an intuitive question: if summer is a bad time to hold an event, what makes it a wonderful time to market these events? This is, however, what happens in a typical event promotional cycle. Outbound communications, prospect planning for 2nd half calendars, etc., happen over these months for many September and October events. For example, pending your promotional cycle, if you launch a communication channel 12 weeks before an event, that would mean launching in mid-July for a mid-October event. So, I'd have to argue, if summer is a bad time for an event, it’s also a bad time to market an event.
This is not to advocate going gung-ho into summer months, just that it is worth exploring the possibility. Obviously a ton of variables come into play – sponsor sensitivities, hotel and logistical questions. This is just to argue that it’s certainly time to test or explore expanding the schedule.
As always, let us know what you think.
Good luck!
John
http://www.johnsgibb.net
Friday, May 8, 2009
For All the Peeps: EventPeeps.com
While the intent of this blog is not to sell or push products by any stretch of the imagination, I've recently signed up and posted my profile on EventPeeps.com, a Red7 Media property. [In the interest of transparency, yes, a couple of former colleagues work for Red7 and no, this post is not connected to those relationships in any way...]. Having spent some time on the site, I would recommend taking the time to create a membership and participate in their online community.
I don't recommend this site as a specific resource for the Event Marketing professional - as its not. The one thing that surprises me slightly is the bredth of the membership on EventPeeps, given the marketing bent of some of the Red7 content, including The Event Marketing Institute and Event Marketer magazine. Instead, I would recommend the site as a strong cross-functional (and cross-organizational) community-based portal; I've cited the need for this type of collaboration in the industry. This site is a good source for this functionality specifically.
The setup is very similar to other social media networks - specifically a mix of LinkedIn and Facebook: a mix of contacts, groups, discussions, and profiles. The beauty of it, of course, is that it is targeted to the Events industry; with 6000+ members you don't need to sift through the enormity of a LinkedIn; EventPeeps groups are also much more targeted than those you find on LinkedIn, both in content and in membership. (EventPeeps also has a dediacated LinkedIn Group which, ironically enough, with over 8000 members is larger than the actual EventPeeps.com membership.) The site also offers discussion forums, blogs, apps, pictures, videos and a job board (which links to eventcareers.com.) In short, EventPeeps offers an array of features well worth participating in.
The one element lacking - at this point - is a robust membership base. Doing a quick search, I only found a half dozen people "peeps" from my last two jobs currently registered as members, and have found many more Events professionals from these companies on LinkedIn. This of course is not a reflection of EventPeeps itself; rather it indicates a need for the community to grow ... which it should over time.
A positive, again, is the bredth of the membership - from marketing agencies to internal events teams to AV companies, EventPeeps.com includes a great potential of people to learn from and share with.
So again I'd encourage all to explore and - if it fits your needs - join the EventPeeps.com community - not to replace LinkedIn, but to augement your network exposure and provide you a targeted community of peers.
Good luck!
John
I don't recommend this site as a specific resource for the Event Marketing professional - as its not. The one thing that surprises me slightly is the bredth of the membership on EventPeeps, given the marketing bent of some of the Red7 content, including The Event Marketing Institute and Event Marketer magazine. Instead, I would recommend the site as a strong cross-functional (and cross-organizational) community-based portal; I've cited the need for this type of collaboration in the industry. This site is a good source for this functionality specifically.
The setup is very similar to other social media networks - specifically a mix of LinkedIn and Facebook: a mix of contacts, groups, discussions, and profiles. The beauty of it, of course, is that it is targeted to the Events industry; with 6000+ members you don't need to sift through the enormity of a LinkedIn; EventPeeps groups are also much more targeted than those you find on LinkedIn, both in content and in membership. (EventPeeps also has a dediacated LinkedIn Group which, ironically enough, with over 8000 members is larger than the actual EventPeeps.com membership.) The site also offers discussion forums, blogs, apps, pictures, videos and a job board (which links to eventcareers.com.) In short, EventPeeps offers an array of features well worth participating in.
The one element lacking - at this point - is a robust membership base. Doing a quick search, I only found a half dozen people "peeps" from my last two jobs currently registered as members, and have found many more Events professionals from these companies on LinkedIn. This of course is not a reflection of EventPeeps itself; rather it indicates a need for the community to grow ... which it should over time.
A positive, again, is the bredth of the membership - from marketing agencies to internal events teams to AV companies, EventPeeps.com includes a great potential of people to learn from and share with.
So again I'd encourage all to explore and - if it fits your needs - join the EventPeeps.com community - not to replace LinkedIn, but to augement your network exposure and provide you a targeted community of peers.
Good luck!
John
Friday, May 1, 2009
To Key Or Not to Key
A friend recently asked my take on some Keynotes for an event she was researching. After batting around names for a couple of minutes, she asked: “Do you think Keynotes are a draw for an Event?”
An interesting … and continuing … question. My take is that Keynotes unquestionably add value to an event. What I can’t get my head around is what … and how … to measure the ROI of a Keynote. The math argues against it being by attendance/attendee revenue.
The Investment is certainly known – and can be substantial (although it is, of course, negotiable). What falls into a grey area is the Return.
Say, for example, a speaker costs $30,000 all in. If your average attendee ticket price is $1,500, I’d be hard pressed to say there are any events I’ve worked on which surveys have had 2attendees respond “I attended XYZ Conference to hear John Doe’s presentation.” People simply do not carve 3 days out of their lives to hear a one-hour presentation.
What they are
The reality is that a Keynote is part of the event value proposition – the presentation gets an audience excited to be in a hotel/convention hall away from family (and work) for 3-4 days, and creates a platform from which to drive networking, discussions, etc. The value of the Keynotes, in short, is the onsite experience – and this is what savvy Marketers should work to leverage.
- Book signings are great vehicles. If the Keynote is recently published, negotiate with the publisher, acquire a bunch of books (at discount), and ask the Keynote for a half-hour post-presentation to, meet, greet and sign. [NOTE: I’ve seen arrangements whereby the Keynote spoke for free provided a certain volume of books were purchased – again, it’s all in the negotiation.] Do NOT sell books onsite – it comes off poorly to attendees.
- Alumni/VIP Breakfast: Pending the Keynote’s schedule, arrange a special invitation breakfast for Alumni, or as an “Early Bird” incentive, etc.
- Walk the Show floor: Again pending scheduling, ask the Keynote to do a quick round on the exhibit floor – great for attendee face-to-face and sponsor satisfaction.
What they are not
Keynote speakers are not stand-alone marketable commodities. I’ve seen situations in which part of the marketing touch strategy included specific messaging around Keynote Speaker A, B, and C. Again, I’ve seen nothing to indicate an attendee was driven to invest 3+ days time to hear one or two hour-long sessions. Attendees are savvy enough to know that, in most cases, Keynote speakers are there paid commodities, not as any sort of endorsement of your event/brand. Don’t insult their intelligence by framing it otherwise.
On a closing note, read this good – dated, but still germane – article debating the issue in Corporate EVENT magazine. (I especially liked the idea of testing noted in the article – a bit of an investment, but I think the results would be telling).
In sum – think strategically on how to use Keynote speakers – and BE ENGAGED in the selection process. Keynotes are part of the onsite experience – again, something marketers should be influencing on a regular basis.
Good luck!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Susan Boyle and the On-Site Experience
From my perspective, there are two things that keep the world going around – good marketing and insane social-media driven phenomenon – such as the whole Susan Boyle craze that has been in play since last Saturday night. Thirty two million views on YouTube really says it all.
In Susan Boyle, you may immediately wonder, what does an unemployed person of Scottish descent in their 40s have to do with event Marketing? [Those of you that know me: irony intended] This may be a stretch – but I have to argue that Ms. Boyle reinforces the importance of you, as a marketer, being intrinsically involved with the on-site/user experience at your event or of any product.
This is a leap of faith of an analogy, but Boyle is like a session at an event – a part of something individuals spent time and capital to attend (or watch). A session, granted, that attendees went into grudgingly, but came out with a “Holy Cow!” look on their faces. She is really about, in this context, first of all exceeding expectations, and, more to the point, capitalizing on the experience – marketing it - to the fullest. Boyle didn’t happen in a vacuum; the marketing team at Britain’s Got Talent had their ducks in a row and ensured that buzz was created.
And it’s our job to remember to do this – on a smaller scale – on site at events. When you’re on site (and you should be on site – as I commented on earlier) you should make sure you’re:
- Attending sessions – seeing and learning first-hand what the attendee is experiencing
- Talking to attendees – getting feedback on their “wow” moments
- Getting On-Site survey results ASAP – and leveraging what was seen as valuable.
- Pending budget and time, filming attendee interviews for content.
- Tweeting – and encouraging attendees to Tweet – about their on-site experience.
And, post-event, acting on the “wow” moments – developing content from edited session clips, interviews, etc. and uploading the content to YouTube (and/or your site). Develop podcasts. And get this content out on the Web. Get your PR – and your buzz going – submit releases to relevant portals including the links to the content you’ve built.
Not that you can expect an event or piece of content from an event is going to get eight-figure (and counting) hits on YouTube within a week of posting. But not sure the folks on Britain’s Got Talent really did either. But it was a great story communicated and marketed quickly and efficiently.
Good luck!
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