- January 17, 2017
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Event Marketing Trends for 2017 and Beyond
Thinking about amping up your event marketing in 2017? Gone are the days when all you needed was a cool display, a bevy of “booth babes”, and some swag. Event marketing has evolved into a high-impact tool that integrated marketers can use to connect with a larger audience. Here are a few of the hot trends and topics for 2017.
Immerse Your Audience
Consider how 360-degree digital and mobile can enhance the experience for attendees. Jennifer Hawkins, Director of Marketing at live engagement marketing firm Double Dutch, says convention apps are a must. “Fifty-six percent of users engage with event applications at least 10 times on average, proving that attendees are eager for this type of timely, contextual content,” she said. Apps also make event marketing just as trackable as digital marketing channels.
Are You Moving The Needle?
Big data rules every other facet of marketing, and integrated marketers who do events will need to show ROI. One thing that can help is if you invite the right VIPs and digital influencers to your event: you’ll ride their social media coattails and get a bump in your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram traffic.
Bring the Internet to Life
Since the Internet is most people’s primary contact with a business, make sure your physical presence mirrors that of your website. And think about the broader Web: can you mine memes or viral videos and bring those to life? (The Mannequin Challenge might be great; however, the Ice Bucket Challenge – not so much.)
Social Walls
People love seeing themselves, and a digital social wall not only creates visual appeal, but brings all your channels to life, allowing you engage followers and other event attendees in real-time, and letting you harness the power of the hashtag to own a conversation.
The End is Just the Beginning
How will you keep the conversation going after the convention? It could be posting clips of your keynote speech to YouTube. Think about what you can turn into content, and then how you’re going to share it. Hint: you’ll make the most of it with a good social media content schedule.