Did you know you can make your event marketing so attractive & delicious that people can’t resist? Here’s a new marketing strategy that makes people want to register and attend. Instead of hitting them with a heavy, three-course banquet of marketing, serve them a series of tasty, addictive snacks. Just like the famous TV commercial said, “Bet you can’t eat just one!”

All That and a Bag of Chips

Every baby boomer in the US remembers the Lay’s Potato Chip ad that challenged you to eat only one. They knew that once you opened the bag and had a taste, you wouldn’t stop. Let’s take that same concept and apply it to event marketing. How?

Embrace The Snack Culture

We live in The Snack Culture. We go online and devour music, games, movies and information the same way we eat snacks.

Vine Videos = 6 seconds

Twitter posts = 140 characters

Average Facebook post = 1 sentence

We are all busy and want pre-packaged, bite-size chunks that we can chew up and swallow quickly. And, just like potato chips – these chunks are highly addictive.

Stop Force Feeding Event Marketing

Compare that idea to the traditional way of promoting a meeting or event. We have all done it that way and continue to do it, even though it’s gotten stale and ineffective. I call it the old 1-2-3.

1. Pre-event promotion

2. Event communication

3. Post-event wrap up

1-2-3 is made up of one large, indigestible chunk, one message and one big marketing push. And it has three big problems.

•  It’s a single, linear campaign.

•  It is one-way communication.

•  It just talking AT people.

Don’t Wait Before You Market

Why do we stick to the old 1-2-3? We want to wait until we have every detail of the meeting figured out, scheduled and locked down before we market the event. So we get lost in logistics until we realize that it’s 6-8 weeks out and no one knows anything. That’s when we panic and hurriedly execute the same predictable marketing we done before:

“Save the Date” email

Media announcement of the event

Event website online

2-3 follow-up emails that stress, “Time is Running Out”

Look back at all the events, meetings and workshops you’ve done, and I’ll bet this was basically the plan. The major problem is, when everything is finally ready, we just pull the trigger and expect it to work. But by the time you have everything about the meeting settled, it’s too late. The moment you have signed the contract for the venue, hotel or meeting location – start marketing.

The New Marketing: 100-Calorie Experiences

Let’s completely redesign event marketing and start talking TO instead of AT attendees. This is a Snack Culture, so let’s don’t expect people to sit down to a large, long banquet of heavy marketing and digest it all at one time. Here’s how to make people want to register and attend events.

Think of it as a tasting – like a row of appetizers or today’s popular “small plates” – and not a banquet.

Break the marketing up into a series of small, easy-to-eat and tasty bites that each center on an event experience. Then deliver them in a series of short, simple, conversational updates and developments. These are your addictive snacks.

Sending one email or communication per week works well.  Each time, say something interesting, valuable and timely. Your goal is to help the potential attendees feel that they are important and involved. This is the valuable engagement you want. What could have been just a bunch of spam emails is now an ongoing conversation.

Here are some tips for “cooking up” your addictive snacks. Each one of these is a marketing touch point.

The Overall Experience

Imagine a gigantic snack rack of all the different things that your potential attendees will taste and enjoy. That’s what you have. Highlight the overall experience of the event and not just the location and dates. Think lots of verbs and action and not a list of titles.

The Speaker Experience

Showcase who is speaking, their track records and why they are big deals. Treat them like guest stars. Make every speaker a must-see. If you have a big name speaker, make her/him a separate announcement. “Jack Welch sits down with our CEO.”

The Session Experience

This is the big message or impact. The key is to give this a sense of “insider” information. Attendees will hear big news first. Give them some juicy details to build their appetites. Don’t be afraid of a little conflict. There should be nothing “general” about a General Session.

The Workshop Experience

Forget what the workshops are – focus on that they do. What will participants gain after the session? The idea is to present the workshops as timely, cutting-edge and in direct response to the changing needs of the attendees. They are the biggest value delivery system.

The Trade Show Experience

Trade shows can get lost in the shuffle. You can easily promote new products, trends or technology that will be in the trade show. How about networking opportunities or hands-on demos? Your sponsors will love the attention, and this will build participation.

Share something new each week, and don’t forget the activities and parties. You aren’t selling, you are telling!

Make People Want to Register and Attend

This is important. I’m not suggesting elaborate marketing. Each email or communication is a headline, 2-3 sentences, a logo and a link – that’s all. What makes this strategy so powerful is making the messages informal, personal and approachable.

Use these tips to brainstorm and create your own snack-size marketing based on your event. Remember, always market the experiences and the value. Send regular teasers or things that grab attention. As details are developed, create “marketing munchies” of hot, new details to announce.

President has inside view at the new expansion plans

Big Deal Speaker at conference

Double Your Gross workshop added to event

Party All Night scheduled at conference

Next, Give People a Taste

This marketing strategy will generate some significant results. But let’s blow out audience engagement. Let’s give potential attendees an actual taste of the content and the experiences!

Would you buy shoes without trying them on? Would you buy a 60” flat-screen TV when all you could see is the box? Then don’t expect people to make a commitment of their time and money to attend your event without knowing what they are buying. And, let’s be clear on this point, they are buying your event.

Give out samples:

•  An excerpt from the President’s speech

•  The content agenda of a session

•  The menu of a party

•  The name of the big talent at the closing event

You aren’t giving away all the surprises – you are building interest and that enticing sense of being an insider. It’s easy to add a link, plus you are giving people something to do.

A Ton of Return From Snack-Size Marketing

Serving bite-size event marketing creates serious momentum and unexpected returns. With every mini-engagement, you are creating an image of the event experience in people’s minds. Pretty soon you’ll discover that people are talking about your event. They are sharing what they enjoy and hate while they are experiencing them. And they are giving instant thumbs-up or thumbs-down reviews to friends and peers.

Bet You Can’t Eat Just One

You want to be a part of these conversations. Unless the event location will change people’s lives, just mention it and put your real attention on the experience they don’t want to miss. What’s going to happen? What will make it exciting? Who can they meet and what can they talk about?

Follow this new strategy and your marketing can provide a consistent flow of bite-size information that will build anticipation and earlier registration for the event. So don’t be afraid to make it fun. Surprising. Emotional! Keep them interested and hungry for what’s coming next.

They’ll soon realize that being there is essential. It’s THEIR event, so they absolutely should be there.

Let’s spend 15 minutes talking about your next project or challenge. It’s a free consultation so we can get to know each other. Just click on CONTACT US or send an email to andy@ideagroupatlanta.com and get in touch.

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