In 2021, the world was coming out of a haze – reopening after one of the worst pandemics of all time. During this post-pandemic period, many brands took tentative steps to reinstate their connections with consumers.
During the lockdowns, all connections between brands and consumers were digital. Now, with the return of in-person events, many brands are reinvesting in in-person events like promotional events, corporate get-togethers, etc.
One thing’s for certain – events aren’t and will never be what they used to be. The ways in which events are planned, organized, and promoted in the post-pandemic world are completely new.
What new challenges will the event marketing industry face in 2022? What event marketing trends will dominate the industry? Here’s your definitive guide to event marketing in 2022
A New Event Marketing Landscape in 2022 – What Has Changed?
Throughout 2020 and 2021, virtual event marketing grew in prominence. This cost-effective and convenient marketing technique isn’t leaving any time soon.
The Dominance of Online Events
- According to LinkedIn, 91% of all events hosted by top marketers across the world are virtual. Hence, online promotions should be the key tool for all event promoters in 2022.
- Leading businesses are using virtual events to reach out to their target audiences. For instance, Netflix hosted their first global online fan event called “Tudum” in September 2021. The event featured over 150 creators and stars from across the globe and garnered 25+ million views for the company.
- Companies like Microsoft Azure are hosting free virtual sessions for students who want to learn to program.
The Reemergence of In-Person Events
- As per LinkedIn’s survey, 75% of the world’s leading marketers will continue hosting virtual events in 2022. But, 78% of them did say that in-person events are more helpful for their brands.
- Event marketers should expect companies to maintain a healthy balance between in-person and virtual events. That means adopting a “hybrid” event marketing strategy. Let’s say 40% of your promotional activities will involve the real world, and the rest will be all online.
- Will customers feel comfortable returning to in-person events? Yes. According to a HubSpot survey, only 14% of event attendees felt uncomfortable attending live, in-person events in 2021. Expect this number to shrink further in 2022.
- Event planners and marketers are making the most of these shifts in consumer attitudes towards events. According to HubSpot, 78% of the world’s leading marketers already have plans to host in-person events in 2022.
Winning at Event Marketing in 2022
The reemergence of in-person events doesn’t necessarily mean that in-person event promotions will also reemerge again in their full strength. The pandemic proved that event marketers are resourceful professionals. Social media channels, websites, email newsletters, etc., are more than good enough tools to promote events in 2022.
Plus, they’re cheap, and they allow event marketers to scale their efforts and target specific niches. So, winning at event marketing in 2022 without a robust online marketing strategy is nearly impossible. Whether you host virtual, in-person, or hybrid events – connecting with target audiences and other key stakeholders in your events is critical.
There’s no cheaper, more convenient way of connecting with audiences before, after, or even during your events than the Internet. But, competing for audience attention online is hard for event promoters. Your target attendee will have plenty of events to choose from. How will your events stand out? It’s not complicated – just follow these steps –
Understand Your Attendee’s Needs
While planning your event marketing strategy, listen to your target attendees’ needs. How will they benefit from attending? What types of speakers would they like to listen to? Give your target attendees as many motivations as possible to attend your event. Make sure your event’s offerings are clearly described on your website, social media pages, etc. Unclear messages result in unclear responses. Give them clear motivation to attend the events.
Engage the Stakeholders
In this era of cost-cuts, event marketing strategies need to be extra-focused on providing returns to stakeholders. Give your event partners, sponsors, exhibitors, etc., clear roadmaps to ROIs. Use sponsorship packages, branded marketing materials, and content marketing to aptly reward them for their contributions.
Practice Growth Hacking
Seasoned event marketers take an analytical approach to promote their offline and online events. That means achieving small metrics-based goals at cost-effective rates. It can range from generating more “likes” on social media pages to creating leads from the event website. At the end of each event marketing campaign, evaluate your digital outreach. Aim to improve this outreach by incorporating feedback from customers into your future event marketing plans.
Cooperate with Major Names in the Events Industry
The event marketing industry’s biggest secret is that cooperation between different brands, event planning companies, etc., actually works. Events, where multiple brands showcase their products/services are guaranteed to drive more engagement. In many digital events, attendees often feel bored. Networking with top members of the event community makes marketing easier.
If you want free exposure for your events, publish them on Event Always – the leading event-listing website. On our distinguished platform, you can find details about the world’s most exciting corporate events, conferences, webinars, etc. Review what the world’s top event managers and organizers are doing and give your events maximum exposure.
Use Hybrid Events to Generate More Data
Despite the reemergence of in-person events, hybrid events are here to stay. Attendees are now used to virtual events, so brands will continue to host half-virtual half-in-person events. For marketers, processes of planning, executing, and tracking hybrid events comes with many data generation opportunities.
Review how event-related content is being consumed by virtual and in-person attendees. Going hybrid means more attendees can get involved – collect data from all of them. Track attendee journeys, especially the way they connect with the brand/s behind the event. From the preregistration stages to the post-event surveys – track every move your online and offline attendees make at these events.
Efficient and ever-improving marketing can change poorly planned events into exciting affairs. Follow these concepts to keep improving and changing your event marketing strategies in 2022.