When it comes to hosting a memorable event, much of the effort should also be put towards branding. Event branding is essentially what gets people excited to attend your event and get to know more about what positive impact your brand can have on their businesses or their lives.
Effective branding is not just about what visuals and logos look the best to introduce your event. There are many tactics that you need to consider when it comes to introducing your event.
Fortunately, at Superevent, we’re well-versed in the intricacies of what it takes to market a successful event. In this article, we’ll take you through our best practices for effective event branding that you can take on for your next professional event.
What is Event Branding?
Event branding is the influencing and management of the reputation of an event that aims to attract a good number of attendees and event sponsorships to build event revenue. However, branding isn’t just limited to increasing revenue. It also aims to attract and retain customers for a brand or company.
The basic principles of branding such as creating a name, symbols, colors, imagery, and position are applied to an event to give it a unique identity. Additionally, voice, tone, and brand messaging are equally as important for an event.
Why is Event Branding Important?
- To evoke positive emotions
When you brand and promote your event well, it helps your target audience and attendees recall positive emotions associated with your products or services. The more positive their experience was with your event branding, the more likely you will gain a new customer, a repeat sale, or a brand advocate.
- To set customers’ expectations
Essentially, event branding influences what your consumers expect from your event. So, when your event branding is strong and in line with your value, you can ramp up the right amount of excitement before your event date. Additionally, the more unique your branding is, the more you separate yourself from your competitors who may host similar events.
An example of strong event branding is that of INBOUND, one of the most renowned marketing conferences for professionals. Although the event is hosted by HubSpot, it has developed into a brand of its own that attracts thousands of attendees year after year.
- To increase brand value
According to a report by EMI & Mosaic, 84% of event attendees said that they had a more favourable opinion about the company or brand being promoted after experiencing the event. So what does this show us? It shows us that creating an effective event branding strategy that is consistent with your company’s core messaging can help to solidify your brand value for your customers.
Types of Branded Events
- Workshops or Masterclasses
In a workshop or masterclass, your event gives a “hands-on” approach where your attendees can fully participate in learning a skill that’s directly related to your brand. It is more immersive than simply listening to speeches or panel discussions.
With this style of event, you have a greater opportunity to connect with your attendees on a more personal level. It’s even greater when you are hosting or teaching the class yourself because the experience will directly be tied to your company.
- Webinars
A webinar is a virtual event that can be hosted by one or more organizations working in collaboration to share useful content with a local or global audience. Just because a webinar is online, it doesn’t hinder interaction between hosts and attendees, it’s actually able to connect a wider demographic of people through global reach. Another great perk is that webinars can be saved for those who were unable to attend the live session. Organizations can use webinars to build brand awareness and provide useful industry knowledge.
- Outdoor Events
Outdoor events can be an enjoyable alternative to a virtual event if you want to bring your target audience to one location. An outdoor event can encourage more socialization and are ideal for networking meet-ups, award ceremonies, and company picnics.
When planning for outdoor event branding, you’ll need to consider the location and the season. Weather-proofing should always be a major consideration so that attendees can be comfortable and the program can run smoothly no matter how the weather changes.
- Conferences or Seminars
A conference or seminar typically promotes a company’s offerings or revolves around a trending industry topic. At this type of event, companies may also provide samples or detailed demonstrations of their products or services.
Event Branding: Best Practices
- Start With a Memorable Event Name
Your event name is essentially the first piece of micro-content that is attached to your event, which your potential audience will come across first. Therefore, it’s best that your event name accurately reflects your vision and the value your attendees will gain by attending. However, you don’t want the event name to be too dependent on the brand.
Salesforce is a great example of a company that struck the perfect balance with its annual event named Dreamforce. It’s a suitable mix between a standalone event brand and an extension of the company’s brand. Better yet, it captures the purpose of the event, which is to share exciting industry ideas, establish communities, and promote philanthropy.
- Invest in Event Management Software
Event management software is a beneficial necessity in event branding to ensure you organize, track and manage everything related to your event, from one place. After all, managing an event is not an easy feat, no matter how large your team is.
With event management software, you can also automate tedious admin tasks like registration processes. This way, your team will be free to focus on other aspects of your event such as brand promotion and relationship building.
At Superevent, we have an efficient solution for event management. Our all-in-one event platform allows you to build a web and mobile app for your professional event in just a few clicks. It doesn’t matter whether your event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid, you’ll find relevant features to supply your every need.
- Create an Event-Specific Website
Although creating a landing page dedicated to your event on your company’s website is good enough, creating an entire website for your event is a much better option. This way you’ll have an extensive place to share all event-related information and your target audience will be able to have their queries addressed and get inspired by the value you have to offer.
The data platform company, Snowflake, created an impressive website for its 2022 Snowflake Summit event. It has a crisp theme with beautiful graphics while also highlighting the topics central to the event: diversity, inclusion, and equity. The website also highlights the benefits of the event, pricing, and agenda, so attendees don’t waste time registering.
- Offer a Unique Experience With Special Guests
Inviting special guests like prominent industry figures, influencers, or celebrities can really enhance your event branding. It will help build some legitimacy over your event, attract valuable sponsorships, and encourage the many followers of the special guest you invite to consider attending.
The key is to do your research thoroughly before you reach out to an influential person to ensure that their appearance will actually add value for your target audience and the theme of your event.
- Be Transparent About The Perks of Attending
Emphasizing the benefits of attending your event is crucial for your target audience to understand the value of investing in your event. You can do this in a variety of ways besides just listing the perks.
- Testimonials
- Inspirational videos
- A presentation of impressive stats from any previous events your company hosted
You can also consider following the steps of HubSpot, which added a “Why Attend?” page to their 2018 INBOUND event site. The company also did a great job of including engaging visuals, testimonials, and exciting blog posts about the success of past events.
- Launch On-Brand Email Campaigns
Email marketing campaigns are another effective channel to reach out to your event attendees. The tone you use in your emails can range from formal to fun and casual, depending on who your target audience is and the brand messaging of your event. You can switch up your event marketing email types, but your voice needs to remain consistent so you don’t lose your audience’s attention.
- Use an Official Event Hashtag
Your official event hashtag is a key tool that will allow your attendees to find and discuss any topics online that are related to your event. Of course, it’s best to establish your hashtag well before the event starts, so that you can promote it on social media and boost your engagement.
At your event, make sure your hashtag is visible to remind people that they can use it when speaking about or sharing insights from your event. Don’t shy away from offering incentives to your attendees when they share your event online using your hashtag.
Your hashtag will also serve as a valuable tracker to see what sentiments people are expressing toward your event. Try and respond to them then and there, so your attendees are aware that you value their opinions.
- Invest in a Paid Social Media Campaign
Social media is the modern hub of building connections. So you’d do well leveraging it in your event branding. All you’ll need to do is invest a little money into paid ads on major social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to ensure your well-designed event content reaches your target audience.
Here are a few ways to promote your event on social media:
- Create an event page on Facebook
- Post an event countdown on Instagram Stories
- Post teasers about what to expect at the event with the relevant details
- Find a way to build your email list during the event
You’ll want to maintain the connections you’ve made with your event attendees who may have not been aware of your company. So don’t hesitate to get their emails!
Here are some methods you can consider to build your email list during your event:
Keeping it traditional: You can use an old-school method of pen and paper which can offer a personal touch. At your event, set up an attractive station that holds a big bowl next to a bunch of small paper slips. Here, attendees can write down their emails and drop them in the bowl.
Adding a sign-up form to your event website: If an interested attendee has taken the time to find your event online, they may want to stay informed about other things your company is up to. As a best practice, consider placing your sign-up form in a very visible and accessible area of your website.
Incentivize email sign-up: Sometimes your attendees may need some encouragement to leave you with their emails. You can consider offering additional incentives to sign up such as branded freebies or gift bags. This way, your attendees feel valued, and you get your brand messaging out there.
Wrapping Up
As we can see, focused event branding plays a key role in ensuring the success of an event. By leveraging the strategies we’ve shared, such as creating a memorable brand name, emphasizing the value of attendance, and consistent engagement with your attendees, you’re sure to see a positive outcome.
If you’re planning your next event and still haven’t tried reliable event marketing software, Superevent is here to help! Our intuitive all-in-one platform will help you create your own event app (no tech experience required!) so you can manage your attendees, live stream, and host Q&As. Don’t hesitate to try it for yourself and create an event for free today!
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