As an Event Manager, do you think that the only events you should be attending are tradeshows? Well, we’ve got news for you. The more that you expand your vision, the more that your demographic (and business) will grow. If you are in the field of technology, get it out of your head that you can only attend IT conferences. From sporting events to concerts to street fairs, the limit of your brand’s reach is up to you. Whatever event you choose to attend, be sure to arrive prepared not only to mingle, but to make a strong connection with potential clients. In this article, we will discuss how using event merchandise will translate into gaining loyal consumers.
No matter which way you spin it, people love free stuff.
How often do you see people turn away free samples of food at your local market? How many times have you seen people go crazy for a free t-shirt at an event? Look at your collection of pens; we bet not many are store-bought. A free product is one of the easiest ways to get a person’s attention. However, we want to show you how to use that initial interest and successfully convert it into revenue.
Which events should you attend?
The first step is to choose your event wisely. Think about your current demographic and how you could expand it. Delve deeper into different age groups, ethnicities, and interest groups. For example, say you run a craft brewery. However, you are only drawing in broke, post-college graduates who come in specifically for your happy hour. Sure, you value your current clientele. Nonetheless, you realise that you, too, might be living in your mother’s basement if you don’t bring in higher paying clients.
Think about what kind of people you’d like to add to your clientele. What do they do for a living? Where do they hang out? What are their favourite activities? As the owner of the craft brewery, you may want to make an appearance some golf tournaments. Pay a visit to your local casinos or rent a booth at the next car show. Choosing the right events to attend is crucial. However, it is only part of the equation. Knowing the keys of using promotional merchandise at events will make your investment worthwhile.
How do you determine which promotional products to use?
When choosing the merchandise to pass out, don’t take the easy road. Skip what everyone else in your field is handing out. Unless you’re trying to attract writers, don’t bother with pens. Use your creativity to stand out as much as possible; design a quality product that people will actually use. In the instance of the craft brewery, a beer bottle opener, an eye-catching t-shirt, or a schooner glass would all work seamlessly as promotional merchandise. Why? Well, people who drink beer would actively use all three items. Each time they do, they will think of the brand that was so generous with them. When you are giving, it’s very likely that this act will be reciprocated – in the form of purchasing your products. This is how loyal consumers are born.
At Red Tomato, we are here to help you successfully grow your business, no matter if you’re a veteran or in the process of creating a start-up. If you would like to discuss ideas about which events or promotional products are right for you, please let us know! We will work side-by-side with you, helping you create the perfect alchemy of investment, creativity, and increased revenue. You will be amazed at how using promotional merchandise at events can lead to life-long clients, who in turn will very likely bring in referrals.
Are you ready to start planning your next event? Download your Free Event Planning Checklist and make your life easier.
“An interesting giveaway almost always guarantees participation.” -Deepa Christina Radh
You’ve done your research and your marketing team has picked out the perfect event merchandise. This is going to be your biggest event yet, and everyone is expecting your ROI to soar. After you think that you’re completely prepared for your day, be sure not to skip one of the key elements to success. Whether you’re representing your company at a trade show, festival, conference, or sports event, crowd engagement can make or break your investment. In this article, we will help you achieve your goals with the most innovative ideas for event crowd engagement.
Make it Personal
No two events are the same, and there is no one-size-fits-all promo merch for different demographics. As QuickTapSurvey points out, “At the center of any activation lives a big idea that must be creative, measurable and relevant… You shouldn’t expect the same activation to be successful across a bunch of different [events]. Personalise your idea based on the personality of the [event] and the needs and tastes of its core audience.”
Promoting your brand at a sports event will obviously draw in a different crowd than an opera concert, and your approach needs to reflect that. You shouldn’t expect that your logo-emblasoned beanies will go over well for both occasions. Also take factors, such as weather and event-based needs, into account. You could pass out blankets in the winter and sunglasses at a summer festival.
Crowd Games
Whether you’re at a travel conference, a marketing tradeshow, or a rugby game, most people love a fun, interactive game. According to research, roughly 90% of event attendees who engage in crowd games will remember the brand that hosted it. That’s quite a favourable percentage. Games in physical and digital form both work well. A trivia game that encourages attendees to engage others ensures that more people will get involved. This translates to increased brand awareness. On the flip side, if you own an app company, take advantage of how often people use their phones. Create a simple game specific to the event. Allow them to unlock rewards- such as promotional merchandise or a coupon code- with each level they pass.
Social Media Engagement
While everyone loves receiving free, useful gifts, you must always keep in mind how to get the most out of your company’s investments. This is where social media comes in, and your strategy should span the event before, during, and after the fact. Create a hashtag specific to your brand and the event. Send out a Facebook blast prior the event, hyping people up with clues to what you’ll offer. During the event, encourage people to tweet, tag your company on Facebook, or share a photo of their new gear on Instagram. Make sure they use the hashtag! After the event, thank everyone, and create a slideshow of the most popular posts.
A great way to motivate people to use your hashtag is to set up a photo booth. Take advantage of the selfie-obsession, and give them a colourful backdrop to pose in front of. Don’t forget to make your logo clearly visible! Another idea is to offer prizes to a few, randomly selected, attendees who have used your hashtag. For example, if you’re at a technology conference, offer a coveted item such as an iPad engraved with your logo. Stick to your budget, but keep in mind that the better the prize, the more engagement you’ll receive.
All in all, the more crowd engagement you inspire, the more your ROI and brand awareness will increase. No matter where you perform your activation, keep it useful, fun, and interactive. Also, don’t forget to utilise the power of social media.
What did you think of these crowd engagement tips for events? What has worked best for your company in the past? Please leave your answers in the comments below!
Choosing to sponsor another company’s event might be the best investment you ever make. Sure, it can be risky if you are on a budget. Nonetheless, teaming up with another business with parallel values can open limitless doors. By sponsoring another company, you will also gain a long-term business partner and source of support. You’ll have the opportunity to meet their demographic in person, allowing you to grow your own brand awareness. It’s a win-win, as long as you activate your sponsorship wisely.
As an Event Manager or a Marketing Coordinator, it’s crucial to understand the purpose of your sponsorship. In this article, we will cover key factors to consider and how promotional products will help you activate your sponsorship.
1. Data Collection
Sponsoring an event and giving away promotional products means gaining access to the other company’s loyal customers. Whether being introduced via paper or in person, this means a much longer email list for you. It also clues you into demographic specifics, helping you assess what markets to target in the future.
2. Drive Potential Clients to Your Website/Social Media
When designing promotional products for the event you will sponsor, include your website and/or social media handle information. Nowadays, most marketing is done online; you want to make sure that people know where to find you after the event has finished. Plus, it’s always a good idea to grow your amount of online followers.
3. Crowd Engagement
One of the best ways to activate your sponsorship is to encourage crowd engagement. Perhaps attendees recognise your logo, but there’s still nothing like making an impact in person. Get to know people, make friends, and leave them with a face behind your company. Another great idea is to organise a contest at the event with a (logoed) grand prize. This is sure to pique attendees’ interest in the sponsor.
As Estelle Delannes stated, “Whether it’s by giving exclusive products or offering cooking classes, engaging with the audience is always key to develop brand awareness… An event sponsorship’s success resides in [its] activation.”
4. Brand Awareness
Brand awareness involves so much more than collecting data, driving potential clients to your website, and giving them a face to associate with your business. All of these factors are crucial, but there is still more that will draw people in. Use your promotional merchandise to convey not only who you are, but also what you believe in.
For example, if you are a sustainable lifestyle company, give away branded reusable bags. Or if you promoting Australian tourism, give away merchandise like this that will automatically remind people of who you are and what you stand for. Many times, this is ultimately what turns a consumer into a loyal client- when your mission aligns with their values.
5. Event Branding to Activate Your Sponsorship
While the above four factors are crucial, using promotional merchandise to achieve your goals just wouldn’t work if the products didn’t speak for themselves. To activate your sponsorship successfully, take time to assess what would appeal to both your established demographic and that of the company you’re sponsoring.
Consider making VIP products that are specifically for the event, and encourage people to share photos of themselves with your merchandise on social media (don’t forget the hashtag!). This will not only remind future clients of the event every time your product is being used, it will also further your social media reach. We suggest giving out wearables such as sweatshirts and beanies, or products that will be used on a daily basis, such as BPA-free water bottles or laptop backpacks.
At Red Tomato, we are here for you every step of the way during your sponsorship. Please let us know if you have any questions whatsoever- from whom to sponsor to how to approach crowd engagement. Send us a message, and let us suggest the right promotional products to help you activate your sponsorship in the most effective way possible.
As with any brand activation, preparing your brand for an event requires a lot of little pieces coming together. Making sure brand ambassadors are prepared, creating beautiful displays, purchasing event merchandise are just a few. Here is a complete event checklist for activating your brand and making sure those pieces fit together seamlessly.
Understand your buyer persona
Your buyer persona needs to be at the center of any marketing efforts your company is investing in. However, your buyer personas are especially important in brand activations. That is why it is the number one point on our events checklist.
Why is it so important? In order to prepare your brand for an event, you need to know who exactly you’re targeting. What are their pain points? Challenges? Why are they at the event? How is your brand going to solve their problem? Knowing your target audience before going to an event will help you tremendously in resonating with potential customers at an event.
Second on our events checklist is brand consistency.This doesn’t just mean making sure your colors are the same in the images you post on Facebook and on Twitter. Brand consistency means having consistent messages, tone, solutions, look, feel, and yes, colors and logos, throughout all mediums – on and offline.
Checking off brand consistency on your events checklist is essential for your brand activation. It makes sure your potential customer won’t get confused. All elements of your brand, including tone, messaging, look and feel, should be the same on your website as they are at an event. You want a lead from an event to turn into a customer post-event. How will that happen if they go to your website and the messaging is different than what your employees expressed to them in person at an event?
Don’t forget to refer to your brand style guide!
Sharing your company’s brand style guide with your events team will ensure that company ambassadors portray your brand consistently throughout all mediums.
When your entire team has a copy of the branding guidelines, it’s more likely that your company will be communicated in a consistent manner across all channels. People who received your company business card at an event will see the same branding on the website they visit when they’re back in the office.
Make sure your signage displays a clear message
Who is your target audience at this event and what issue are you trying to solve for them? Those are the two most important items that should be communicated by your event space. Your company’s signage should be easy to read, consistent with your brand, resonate with your buyer persona, and answer those two questions.
Have consistent uniforms that tell your brand story
Your brand ambassadors uniforms will contribute to brand consistency and will aid in telling your brand’s story to potential customers. This takes us back to the buyer personas (we told you they’d be at the center our events checklist!).
What type of uniform will connect best with your buyer persona? A more professional uniform? A playful, laid back uniform? Does your target client work in a startup and prefer a more Zuckerburg-grey-tee-and-blue-jean look?
Hand out giveaways that keep your brand top-of-mind long after the event ends
Customers that receive a branded gift from a company are more than 85% percent likely to do business with that same company. Handing out a promotional product at an event brings your brand home. A giveaway that is relevant, useful, and timely is more likely to turn a lead into a customer.
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