Over the last month we have had the pleasure interviewing Eventective clients who are successfully using online marketing to increase event revenue. There were many common themes during our conversations and this article provides a summary of how these event businesses are using Eventective to fill their calendars with event bookings.
Establish an Online Presence
People planning events are online and event businesses have to be too. Make sure your business displays prominently in event related search terms so prospective customers see you as they research online and consider you for their event. Some ways to do this include a well-designed website, blog, social media presence and advertising on event and wedding websites such as Eventective.
Promote Rates Online
One of the first questions a prospective customer often asks is “what is my event going to cost?” We have heard from many event businesses that adding packages with pricing information to their Eventective listings and websites have generated more targeted inquiries that led to booked events. Plus being upfront with your rates better manages your time by eliminating prospective customers that do not have the budget for your services.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Update your website, Eventective listing and other marketing communications with quality photos and YouTube video that showcase your event spaces and services. If you are hosting or participating in an event, make sure to have photos from the event so customers can see you in action. It is much more interesting to see a beautifully decorated banquet hall for a wedding reception than an empty hall with bare tables. Set yourself apart from competitors by including well-written content that conveys what makes your business unique and spotlights you as an expert in your field.
Work Leads
We’ve said it before and we hear it from clients, leads often do not respond. This is not uncommon with internet leads and event businesses that have the most success with leads are those that respond to a lot of leads, call or email as soon as the request is received, sell themselves and work the leads.
Advantages of the Eventective Premium Subscription is you do not have to buy leads – they are included in your subscription rate – and you can create a database of prospective customers that you market regularly to through email campaigns and newsletters.
Track Success
Knowing where your phone calls and inquiries are coming from is essential to measuring your return on investment for online marketing activities. Ask every customer that calls you, emails you or completes a form on your website how they found you. Use tools such as Google Analytics to track how people are landing on your website and what pages they are viewing. This knowledge helps you better allocate future marketing dollars.
Spend Money to Make Money
This quote was frequently made in our interviews. If you do not have a large marketing budget, start small and choose one online company to advertise with. As you start to build your event business, you’ll have more revenue to put back into marketing. Advertising online gets your business seen by people that may not have otherwise considered your services.
Eventective is happy to discuss your online marketing goals. Give us a call at 207-253-1653.
