Content marketing isn’t limited to the screen or the internet. It doesn’t just exist at the click of a mouse or the opening of an email. The best marketers know that you need to get creative and think outside the box if you want your content to achieve maximum reach. It’s like investing – you need to diversify your content marketing portfolio!
Using Content at Events
Sometimes, the old school and traditional methods work just as well (if not better) than the modern ones. The personal touch still wins the crown when it comes to marketing. This is why you should start thinking about how to use events, trade shows, and conferences to promote your business and win new customers.
If you’re curious about the smartest ways to use content at events to grow your business, then keep reading!
1. Choose your events
Let’s face it, there’s no point putting lots of effort into presenting your content if it’s not going to capture the interest of the right target audience. You’re not going to sign up to present at a fashion event if your product is FinTech.
While this might seem obvious, you do need to look closely at the line up and focus of the event. Sometimes, even though it might seem like the event is in your niche, it may turn out that you missed reading the fine print and that it doesn’t really meet your brand and business goals after all.
It’s worth prioritising the events taking place in your business vicinity, so you don’t have to bump up travel costs. Also, choose an event which will not only allow you to promote your business to customers, but which will give you access to keynote speakers and presentations, so you can learn while event-ing.
You might even be able to scope out your competition! There’s nothing wrong with keeping an eye out on other stands’ content, or capturing the most important points made by an impressive speaker, and then turning that information into a blog post later which you can share with your respective audiences. Did someone say networking??
The types of events you should be searching for and looking into include:
- Tradeshows
- Showcase events
- Conferences
- Roundtables
- Expositions
- Recruiting Fairs
- Seminars
- Product Launches
- Galas
- Networking events
You can keep up with the most relevant upcoming events by searching on platforms such as Eventbrite and Meetup, as well as organisations and associations related to your service. Sign up to their newsletters to keep on top of the best events to attend.
2. Choose your content format
Your content format will be different depending on the type of event you are attending. Content can refer to anything from a speech to physical promotional material. In the case of events, it’s best to focus on one or two formats, rather than content overload. The goal is to effectively communicate your brand and service messaging, not create a theatre around it!
So remember, less is more, and you’ll only have a short amount of time (sometimes even just a few seconds) to present yourself to the audience.
The most effective content formats to leverage at events are:
- Speeches and presentations
- Demos of your product
- Promotional material
- Business Cards
3. Involve the audience
While you can’t tailor each piece of content to every individual attendee in advance, you can definitely present them in an interactive and personalised way. Be willing to answer people’s questions and talk to them about your business, using your content as a prop to support you. This is how the greatest content marketing works, both online and offline.
4. Get creative
It’s important to elicit a response from event attendees with your content. Try and make your content fun and engaging. If you are presenting, don’t rely on a dull Powerpoint or Excel sheet – why not include a “live quiz” to get your audience thinking, or some video content to illustrate your points? Have you looked into the Pecha Kucha technique? Is your content educational, as well as promotional?
If you aren’t presenting, you can be equally creative with your tradeshow booth display or exhibition stand. Think about every touchpoint of the consumer journey, just like you would if they were shopping online. How attractive is your booth design? Are your business cards arranged in an accessible, attractive way? Have you empahsized your logo with a life-sized figure?
Remember, you need to create an environment which is conducive to sales, networking, and deal-making!
5. Promote yourself
Most importantly, don’t be shy! Confidence goes a long way when leveraging your content at an event. Content can’t always speak for itself, and this is the beauty of event marketing. Your booth is there for a reason, and being fully confident in this fact is the first and greatest step to event marketing success.
Conferences and tradeshows are also excellent opportunities to do some research and information gathering. As well as creating content which will promote your brand at events, ask potential customers questions and queries about their business needs. This way, you can follow up later with product and service improvements, trend reports, or interesting content for your audience to read online. A great method for gathering this sort of data includes conducting polls and surveys at your tradeshow stand.
Do you have any inspiring event marketing stories to share? Leave them in the comments! Whether you’re planning your first event presentation, or are a seasoned pro, it can be a nerve-wracking experience – but an exciting and rewarding one too!
