5 Steps to Create Lasting Success After Your Next Event
Guest Blog by Carly Hackbarth, a small business champion, marketer and photographer specializing in the food and beverage industry.
You just wrapped up an awesome event for your brand. You are happy with the turnout, likely exhausted and all you can think about are the next items on your to do list.
Regardless of the type of event, this is a great time to stop, reflect and ask yourself “how can I keep the good vibes going?” and “how can I translate that feel-good event into lasting results for my business?”
Here are 5 steps you should take to spread the love on your marketing channels, build community and ensure all your events lead to lasting success for your business.
Go into the event with a clear business goal.
What’s the single action you want patrons to take after interacting with you at the event? Do you want people to follow you on Instagram? Sign up for an email list? Make a purchase right away? Having one clear goal is a great way to measure success from the event quickly and beyond simply building brand awareness (which is what everyone says). It also gives you that “quick pitch” when someone leaves your table. “Thanks for stopping, we’re on instagram at ___” or “here’s a coupon for your first order”. Tracking these action metrics will also help you decide which events to participate in the future.
Take images and videos.
I get it - taking photos and video is not the first thing on your mind during an event and going to post while you’re working may not be possible. But you or a team member should take at least 5 photos while you’re there and save them for a recap post later. Focus on images of your team, products, other brands you met and attendees. Showing your marketing channels that other people had a positive experience with your brand goes a long way to engage your fans.
Recap the event on your social media with tags that allow others to share.
Make sure to tag the organizer, venue and other brands for easy sharing. Event sponsors also love to reshare content and may have a huge social reach, so take advantage of the opportunity. Instagram Stories are perfect for this - they’re super easy for others to share, so tag away!
Use those same photos in a future email to your list.
If you collected email addresses at the event or noticed new subscribers, be sure to send an email welcome. This is a great time to share positive feedback you received from patrons at the event, share other brands you discovered at the event that you loved, and thank anyone who attended. You might also share an event recap so your patrons feel the love if they’re in any photos! The same photos will help new and existing subscribers identify with the event and any brand associations that have been made.
Build your IRL community online.
Follow other brands, venues, sponsors and engage with their content from the event and beyond on social media. By commenting and liking other brands and contributor’s posts, you will create lasting relationships. Showing up for and helping promote others is a great way to build goodwill but also eventually connect common fans across brands or open the door for future collaborations.
Following these 5 steps your brand will be positioned for success during and after your next event!
Hi! I’m Carly - a small business champion who optimizes your marketing to-dos like email marketing, social media strategy and photography. I manage these tasks from start to finish so you can get time back to do more of what you love in your business. Follow me on Instagram here or sign up for my monthly email newsletter here.
