In any industry, it’s important to stand out from the competition and generate buzz around your brand. But in an age where consumers are bombarded with thousands of advertising messages on a daily basis, getting the public’s attention can be difficult, even if you’re one of the biggest companies in the world. That’s why event activation has become an increasingly popular marketing strategy; when used correctly, it can help you attract new customers, differentiate yourself from your competitors, increase customer loyalty, and more!
What Is Event Activation?
According to Google, event activation is implementing strategies to increase attendance at an event.
Much like a car needs fuel, so does your brand. If you want to get anywhere in the business, you need to be in constant motion. An event activation is a great way to keep on track with your goals and continue your forward momentum. At its core, an event activation is simply what it sounds like; you rent out space at an event and promote yourself there. The idea behind doing so is that most people already attend these events, so if they happen to see you or experience your presence at that time, they’ll associate it with their attendance at that event. This makes for some pretty effective branding!
Best Way to Create Effective Brand-Activation Events
•Make it exclusive: Offer something that no one else can. This means you don’t want to organize a wine tasting, where people are going to walk away with more than they bargained for (the hangover). Offer your customers or clients gifts that they actually use. They will keep them as mementos of your event and show them off every now and then.
•Embrace technology: If your event involves a large group of people, technology can easily help you collect and access information about attendees. For example, if you’re doing a networking event for social media professionals, simply creating an online profile for each attendee and sending them an email with login information will help you quickly assess who’s coming to your event—and what they may be looking for. Plus, there are additional ways to track participants’ whereabouts during the event with mobile apps.
•Create custom activities: Customize every part of your event, including activities, catering, and entertainment. This lets you tailor your activation to an individual company’s objectives and goals.
•Offer opportunities for interaction: Give consumers a reason to talk about your brand by designing events that encourage interaction among attendees.
•Create buzz: Creating a unique experience that generates a lot of buzz will help create powerful word-of-mouth marketing that can boost product sales and get people talking about your brand long after it ends.
•Include your staff: For example, if you’re hosting a Halloween party, ask your employees to come in costume. Not only will they appreciate that you’re involving them and allowing them to show their creative side, but customers and guests will also appreciate seeing staff having fun too. Offer bonus points for holding a best-dressed employee contest! People love awards, especially when it comes to costumes!
In Conclusion
Event activation involves bringing a brand to life. Branding is one of those things that gets overused these days, and it’s used by too many companies who don’t really understand its power. Most people think about branding as just a logo or a look and feel for your company. But a logo isn’t branding; it is simply an extension of what you stand for and what you do. Branding is all about standing out from your competition, letting customers know why they should come to you first, and helping them recognize when someone else tries to step in with a look-alike product or service. A good way to think about it: logos are like uniforms; brands are like attitudes!
