Advertizing
First, is the event too big for you to handle? Your first decision is whether you should send it to a specialized company. This will be more likely the case if:
- The event is new
- The intended attenders don't know the host organization or the event.
- The event is large and expensive, and/or
- You anticipate using high-cost mass media advertizing, especially TV.
On the other hand, it is more likley that you can handle it yourself if:
- The event is recurring and already has a defined constitutency of people who recognize your brand.
- The event is smaller and the financial risks are manageable
- You anticipate using advertizing media that are within your skills and resources.
If you have the ability to handle it, then read on.
Target population
Your first task is to decide on a target population. In other words, what particular kind of person are you trying to attract to the event? The reason is that you will get far better results for your advertizing if you can focus it on those whom you want to attend. If you simply try to get anybody, you will usually waste most of your advertizing budget.
Describe the key features of the target population related to marketing the event. For example, you might define them using the following categories:
- Constituency: Do they recognise your organization name or any branding? Have they attended this event before? How much loyalty do they have?
- Demographics: What is their age grouping, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status? These will tend to indicate some kinds of likes and dislikes.
- Location: Are you they local or city-wide?
- Likes and dislikes: How do you know they are interested? What kinds of images and messages do they prefer? What kinds of messages will put them off? These can be quite subtle but can still determine whether or not they come.
- Decision-making patterns: Do they like to try new kinds of events? Or are they loyal to particular kinds of events and unwilling to try new ones? When do they make their decision to come: early or at last minute?
- etc.
What else do you need to know about the target population to do a profile analysis?
- What do you really need to know? And what do you need to know it for?
- What kind of data is readily available (e.g. past and current registrations, networks, etc.)?
- How will you collect any other data you still need?
- Can you give people an incentive of some kind for giving you data?
- How can you design data collection to suit your needs?
- How will you analyze data?
Your publicity will work better if people already know the organization running the event and have attended in previous years. Growth of a recurring event tends to be incremental, so you should be aiming for a good percentage increase on the previous event.
Define the event
It might sound silly, but you need to ask "What is the product and who is the client?" For example, a large amateur sporting associaton hires you to run a final play-off series for boys' basketball.
For the boys, the "product" is a chance to win the basketball final. For others, it is a series of exciting basketball games where the whole season is on the line.
When it comes to attracting people to come, you have various kinds of clients for this one event:
- The competitors, who might make up the bulk of people actually attending
- The competitors' parents, who will decide to support their children to attend
- The ticket-buyers, which might mainly be the competitors' families.
Consequently, you need to focus your marketing on:
- Getting the boys to register to play
- Getting the parents' permission for the boys to register
- Getting others (especially competitors' families and friends) to buy tickets
Choice of media
You will need to decide which media you will use and set an implementation timeline.
Your constituency will probably have its own communication channels, so you should choose the media that will work best for those channels. That is the way to get your advertizing materials into the hands of the target audience.
Your main kinds of media are as follows:
- Paper brochures and flyers are still in demand, and people expect high quality glossy color printing. However, people treat them as disposable no matter how good they are. The current trend is for postcard-sized mini-flyers. Business-card size mini-flyers are still in use. These smaller versions appear to have been a way of providing the highest quality presentation at lowest per-unit cost.
- Website version of the brochure, often with a webform for registration and credit card payment. This automates the compilation of a database, payment, and some of the bookkeeping. The challenge is to get people to go to a particular website, so it is largely a follow-up to other kinds of publicity.
- Written invitation, either printed or as a letter. Content includes time, date, name of event, how to RSVP, directions, and parking (see below).
- Junk mail: Large paper mailing to a mass address list. Although most will be discarded, probably unread, its success is measured by its percentage response rate.
- Junk e-mail (spam): It probably works best for people who recognize your brand and have some level of loyalty. Otherwise it is even more likely to be unread. Besides, some jurisdictions have anti-spam laws.
- Contact list mail: Mailing to a known constituency. These are people who already know the organization running the event and perhaps have some kind of loyalty. Expect a much higher response rate. Some people feel that a paper invitation is more credible. If the mailing list is sufficiently specialized, you can include a personalized letter.
- Radio ads: Different radio stations serve different demographics.
- Social media: It's free, and it already has contact lists. Good follow-up with regular postings and excellent graphics are essential.
- Posters: Mailing to a known constituency of kindred organizations that already know the organization running the event.
- An email helpdesk for enquiries: This might be a good backup to the website for specific information. Helpdesks can be expensive if you have to employ people, so it's usually better to make the website easier to navigate and provide better information.
- A telephone infoline: These are helpful for smaller events, and a contact phone number is normal for private events and many corporate events. They are inreasingly out of date for many mass market events.
You might also give an avenue for more information. For example, a brochure might refer to the website for more details. An invitation might give people a telephone number or email address.
It's a good idea to have a way to measure the effectiveness of your advertizing, and some media are better than others. For example, websites give instant information. Flyers give you none.
Designing media
All publicity materials and the website need to look impressive and reflect a consistent brand and theme, so you will usually need a graphic designer to give them a high quality, innovative design. Your graphic designer will adjust the design to be attractive to the particular target audience, and you cannot presume that a particular design will work just because it looks good.
Whichever kinds of media you use, you need to:
- Clearly identify exactly who is holding the event and their contact details
- Provide information on:
- What kind of event it is
- What will motivate them to respond positively
- Date and starting time (and perhaps finishing time)
- Accommodation details (if relevant)
- Fees/ticket prices, what it covers, and how to pay
- Venue address, access, and parking details
- What kind of response you want (e.g. register online, buy tickets, RSVP)
- How much time people have to respond
- Enclose registration form (if applicable).
You might also need to specify what people need to bring. This is especially relevant for participants in sporting events.
- Exactly what equipment do participants need to bring?
- What will you provide?
- What if people want to bring their own equipment anyway (e.g. because it is better or because of personal preference)? Can they negotiate? If so, who with?
- What equipment storage facilities will you provide for their equipment, and what security arrangements need to be in place?
- How will you inform participants beforehand?
- Case: One country's cycling team showed up at an international sports event without cycles, because they mistakenly thought that the local event managers would provide them.
Monitor response
Check whether your advertizing is being effective. If you find later on that you need to boost attendance (for example, if ticket sales are slow), you should check what you can do. For example:
- Increase publicity
- Phone prospective attenders
- Discount registration fee
- Give group registration fees
- Offer free registration to sponsors or staff.