From Badminton Horse Trials to a talk at your local pony club, the success of event marketing remains the same – creating unique opportunities to engage with your customers in new and meaningful ways.
However, many equine businesses utilise the same tried and tested sales methods when setting up shop at a local event. In essence, they approach events as they would in store, instead of using the new location to their advantage with their customers.
Events offer an unparalleled atmosphere to interact face-to-face with a highly targeted, participatory audience, so how can your equine business leave a positive and lasting impression?
The answer is you need a markedly different approach to event marketing to reap the rewards; that is, long-term customer loyalty.
Let’s get started…
Give, Give, Give
If your equine business is one of several hundred exhibiting at a major equestrian event, you need to consider how you can make the experience of visiting your booth more memorable than the rest. This begins by turning your focus away from your company and tapping into what value add will appeal to your target market.
Discounts, free samples and giveaways are almost expected these days, so you need to take these tactics one step further. Whether you can afford $5 or $500 tactics, a successful event marketing campaign gives your prospects and customers an experience they’ll remember, and want to share with their friends.
The measure of a well-executed event marketing campaign is a positive brand experience that creates buzz, even after the event has finished.
Create a Plan
For every event you attend, it’s important to plan your event marketing campaign in advance to ensure you can reach your goals and measure your return on investment. For example, if you plan to spend $500 to host a VIP function for 50 of your most valued customers in return for feedback on a new product and a mention on Facebook, you’ll need to determine if $10 per customer is worth the investment.
In addition, it’s important to determine how your event marketing campaign fits into your overall marketing plan for your equine business. Not only do you need to consider how to implement a unique and successful event marketing campaign for the event itself, but you also need to establish your follow-up process.
Continue the Conversation
Quite simply, many equine businesses don’t carry out a strong follow-up process after an event. What are you going to do with those email addresses you collected, your new followers on Facebook or the library of video testimonials you created?
Perhaps even more important than the event itself, is the follow-up that you initiate to keep the conversation going long after the event has finished.
While generating excitement around your products or services is testament to a strong event presence, long-term customer loyalty is built over time with highly targeted communications via your website, emails and social media channels. The event itself is only the beginning.
Looking for some outside support? Don’t wait for success, create it — with the experts in equine marketing, Archer Creative. To learn more about how we can help you exceed your growth goals, call us on 1300 077 126 or visit www.archercreative.net.au.
