Events are critically important to the success of any business enterprise. From annual sales kickoffs to product launches and holiday parties, these events boost employee morale and help create a positive workplace. Not only can they provide rewarding experiences to your employees but they can be a pleasantly effective way with which to engage and strengthen your relationships with your trade partners and other company stakeholders.
However, as significant as they are, it is common for businesses to invest countless hours and shell out large chunks of their conference or corporate event entertainment budget on a singular event without taking the necessary branding efforts. Failing to do so can result in missed business opportunities to leverage the event, much time and money down the drain, and even a disappointing turnout. It may be time to stop wasting valuable resources and ensure that you brand every event right.
what is event branding?
When an event is being branded, this means that the power of a brand is being leveraged to primarily create meaning for the event, to make it known, and to draw in the brand’s existing market as well as generate new leads. It is tying up the event to the brand in such a way that when you see the event designs, you won’t miss the brand behind it. Event branding can promote businesses by building brand loyalty and creating marketing opportunities. Make your event matter with these expert event branding tips.
Event branding tips in promoting your business
1. Consistency is key
Everything that has to do with your event has to spark recognition and elevate your brand in the consciousness of your target audience. This means that all the elements, from the event design to how the event is marketed, have to be aligned with your brand’s own designs, symbols, or any other features that establish its identity and distinguish it from other brands.
Before creating the materials and strategy for your event, it would be a good idea to validate your overall design and theme against the branding guidelines of your company. You can also tap the services of an event branding consultant or strategist who has the experience and expertise to coach you throughout the entire branding process.
2. Define who your audience is
Without a defined target market, you can spread your efforts and resources too thinly without meeting any of your event objectives. By having a clear picture of exactly who it is your event is reaching out to, you can craft your event’s content and message better to be highly relevant to your selected audience without diluting the brand’s image and associated visuals.
Get in deep with your target demographic by knowing all there is to know about them, their age, location, socioeconomic status, beliefs and values, needs and aspirations, as well as spending habits and purchase considerations. Only then can you tailor your event to make it meaningful and captivating enough to draw in your target group/s while still being consistent with the basic design elements of your brand (such as colors and font style) as well as its emotional qualities (tone of voice, persona, etc.).
3. Leverage the power of social media
A party with all the works and yet without a single person showing up or one that is well-prepared but has the wrong people in attendance? Regardless of which occasion is more pitiful, don’t let your event be either. Boost your online presence and ensure your event is well-attended by the right people by incorporating an effective social media strategy that clearly communicates your brand equity, values, and positioning.
But before you even begin sending out your carefully crafted event messages, first check which social platform your target audience uses the most. If they’re of the Gen X group, you can tap Facebook. For a much younger demographic, there’s Tiktok and Instagram. While you can tap all high-performing platforms to communicate your marketing message, it may not always be practical, especially if you’re working on limited resources.
4. Excite with event teasers
The decision to attend an event can have the same stages in the marketing funnel as assessing whether or not to go forward with a purchase. And always, the first step towards any conversion is awareness. When people become aware that an event is about to happen, that can pique their curiosity about the event, which can eventually lead to their decision to attend it.
That’s what teasers can do in a marketing campaign for an event. They can create that initial hook to capture attention, and then slowly build up interest in the days leading to the event. These typically come in the form of pre-event short videos posted online. Remember though that the drops between teaser posts shouldn’t be made too far apart so that the initial spark of curiosity doesn’t lose momentum.
5. Watch out for brand gaps
A brand gap is the difference between what your brand communicates and what it will actually do. Promise only what your event can deliver, and make sure that that promise is fulfilled on the day of the event.
Speaking of gaps, the online branding of your event should continue well into the physical elements of your on-site branding. Further amplify your brand by ensuring that all event design elements remain consistent to your brand down to the Pantone and typography of your brand logo. From the invitations and tent cards to the big screens and giant tarpaulins, the unity in the design has to be manifest in all materials to max out marketing opportunities.
Don’t forget to display such materials in highly visible and strategic locations all throughout the venue and, if you can, along the roads leading to the site.
