Combining Offline and Online Marketing and Advertising Strategies to Host a Successful Event

Hosting a function, meeting, conference or other activity at your company is a inspiring way to attract potential customers to walk in your doors. You can do anything from offering a free training workshop to organizing local business owners for a networking seminar. If your event is a success, your company could gain name recognition and get the upper-hand on your competitors.

Come up with Offline Events But Market Them Through Online Channels

Sponsoring or hosting an event at your office can be a quick way to get new customers in your door. Whether you’re offering a free class or hosting a networking event for local professionals, the extra name recognition you’ll gain by putting on the event can not only be beneficial to bringing in new potential clients, but it’s always a way to build up your reputation in your local community.

Marketing and advertising your event through flyers, newspaper ads or bulletin board postings just aren’t going to cut it these days. Get social by using your business’ Facebook page to create an “Event Page,” and announce the event on all of your social media platforms, use blogs to let potential customers and the community know how to prepare and even spend a few dollars on promoting the event via social media advertising.

Take Word-of-Mouth Online

Many organizations get a lot of promotion from word-of-mouth marketing, but why wait for the word to spread organically? Instead, take a video of a customer actually talking to one of your best employees. (Don’t worry, you’re not creating an Academy Award-Winning performance — so don’t stress too much about quality. Your video can be “rough” and “real.”) Since you have your camera out anyway, take a moment to interview one or two of your happy customers or simply snap a picture of them enjoying your product or service. Showing delighted customers is an effective marketing tool both online and offline.

Use Calls to Action (CTAs) Offline to Help Generate Traffic Online

Calls to action (also known as CTAs) tend to be connected with online videos, content marketing (i.e. blogs) and inbound marketing. The simple truth is, these CTAs work with offline classic marketing too. From TV commercials to billboards, tell people to visit your website or social media pages to learn more. Bonus Tip: A small amount of incentive in these CTAs go very far, but it is worth it to gain new business. Try incentivizing people to show up at your event by offering a free white paper, win prizes that pertain to your business, dontate to a local charity, etc. If people think there’s something in it for them — or your community — by attending your event, you’ll have more people show up.

No marketing plan is effective if you use only one method. Therefore, you need to utilize both online and offline marketing strategies to have a successful event.