Special Events
If you're planning special events as a way to promote your product or business, then there are a few other guidelines that will help you stay on target and be more successful. Sponsored events are increasing in popularity and account for billions of dollars annually for marketing. They are extremely useful when launching a new product, increasing a product trial, or building consumer relationships with the company name. They require a lot of planning, resources (money and people), and can flop without proper advertising, but they can also launch a product to success very quickly.
Here are few tips to give your event a better chance of success:
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- Make sure the event ties in with your company and product.
- Make sure your company and product name are very prominent.
- Make sure your audience knows why it should come. In other words, make sure there is a compelling reason to attend.
- Make sure there is some newsworthiness to the event so you'll also get some PR.
- Make sure your marketing message and position are clearly communicated.
Detail each promotion or event and refer back to the specific marketing objective it addresses. Scheduling and costs will be covered in the Action Plan and Implementation section of your plan.
Now, when writing your promotion strategies, address these issues as they relate to the promotion ideas you've come up with:
- Type of promotion
- Incentive for the promotion
- Open or closed promotion - Open promotions don't require any action from the customer. An example would be a sale. Closed promotions require the customer to do something to take advantage of the promotion. An example would be a rebate, or a contest entry.
- Delivery method for the promotion
You're getting close -- now we just have to cover your sales force strategies, and then you can move on to scheduling and implementation, and, finally, evaluating the whole effort!