A2X Consulting

There are hundreds of ways to promote your business, but as you ponder future promotional tactics to deploy, you may want to consider the ways that hosting an event could improve your image, your sales, or build your client base. You should also keep in mind that technology has made using events for promotional purposes easier than ever. If you’ve never held an event before, here are a few suggestions that can help make the process a little easier.

Begin by using the variety of social networking media at your fingertips. Both Twitter and Facebook offer you inexpensive methods to promote an event that you are hosting or to announce your contributions to any tradeshows that you plan to attend. When sending out new Tweets, avoid being repetitive about the information you include. Instead of repeating the time and place of your event, send out a variety of Tweets that list any guest speakers or entertainers attending, your gratitude toward any participating sponsors, or to drop hints about future attractions. If you plan to utilize Facebook, create a page specifically tailored for your event, decorated with interesting images and information. You can also consider creating a blog that details your event and that offers special deals, sales, or giveaways as prizes for return visitors.

When taking part in a trade show, be sure that your brand is visible to all in attendance. You can take the opportunity to offer freebies: tee-shirts that are bright or colorful and show your brand to its best advantage; pens or stationary sets with your brand printed on them; or candy with the brand printed on the wrapper. One exciting way to generate interest in your business is to hold a raffle where you give away a larger prize. Anything you do at a tradeshow should leave the people who visited your table with positive feelings connected to your brand.

If you are holding your own event, consider adding some kind of entertainment to make it memorable and fun. You might advertise for a band, a comedian, a magical act, or hold a street dance. If you’ve never held an event before and you find that you’re drawing a blank, do a Google search for “corporate entertainment Miami” and see what sorts of options are available to businesses in larger cities. Even if your area doesn’t support the same kinds of entertainment, you may at least find some kind of clue to help with your proposed event.

After the event has concluded, be certain to practice good follow up strategies and contact anyone who left their information for you. Don’t let more than ten days pass before you try to communicate with the list of contacts your event generated. This is where social media like Twitter or Facebook can come in handy – you’ll have a list of followers or friends in front of you. It might help you to create a survey for respondents to fill out to give you an idea of what you might try for future events. Remember to say thank you in the end!