As an event creator, it’s easy to feel like you’re just another face in the crowd when it comes to promoting your business or your venue.
Even if you’re diligently posting on social media, sending emails, and paying for Google advertisements, seeing all your hard work and effort go to a one-time sale can be frustrating.
At Eventbrite, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of creators with their event marketing, and here’s what we’ve learned: The key to generating crowds of enthusiastic event attendees is community building.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to build an impactful venue and event planner marketing campaign and break down examples of event creators who are nailing theirs. Let’s go!
Rethink your approach to event marketing
It’s no secret that the events industry is competitive. As of 2023, there are 127,037 party and event planners in the US alone.
Like any business, event creators and venue owners tend to focus on marketing strategies that aim to drive ticket sales and attract as many people to their upcoming events as possible. If this is the approach you’re taking, you might want to reevaluate the way you think about marketing as a whole.
Design Theory explains that branding has the power to impact a consumer’s physiology and that the most effective way to build a brand is to focus on a marketing approach known as “brand tribalism.”
A brand tribe is a collection of people who share the same attitudes and emotional connection with a brand and identify themselves with the product.
The idea is to avoid focusing on selling tickets to different people every time. Instead, borrow from the recurring revenue model and put your time and effort into a marketing system that builds brand loyalty.
This might seem counterintuitive at first, as creating exclusivity seems like it could decrease your event attendance rates. But building a tribe of loyal attendees has long-term benefits for your business, such as:
- Higher revenue through recurring ticket sales
- Opportunities to diversify your income stream (like selling merch)
- Increased referral rate and positive word-of-mouth marketing
Think of it this way: Don’t focus on marketing your events to the broadest audience possible. Instead, think about how to promote your type of event as a unique experience to a small tribe of the right people — your target audience.
Implementing brand tribalism in your event marketing plan can make attendees feel like they’re part of an exclusive community and actually enhance their enjoyment of your event.
3 elements of powerful event planner marketing
As an event creator, you should put just as much thought into making your marketing campaign as creative as the event itself, if not more so.
Impactful event marketing relies on your ability to make attendees feel connected to your brand and eager to join your tribe. Here are some ways to use brand tribalism to elevate your event planner marketing.
1. Focus on social proof
Social proof is a powerful tool that helps you create a sense of community around your event. It’s the theory that people are influenced by the actions and opinions of others.
For example, a couple is more likely to try a restaurant that a local food influencer on TikTok has recommended than one that has no Google reviews or social media following.
Attendees have limited time and money — they want visual proof that your events are as good as you claim.
Some ways to use social proof to build a community include:
- Offering free tickets to attendees who review your events on TikTok or Instagram
- Re-sharing any social media posts you’re tagged in
- Inviting micro-influencers to your events
Social proof instills confidence and credibility in your brand. Take the Park City Culinary Institute, for example.
Of the 126 Google reviews left by attendees, not only are most overwhelmingly positive, but they’re also accompanied by photos and specific details about the event, such as the name of chefs.
These added details act as additional proof that their events are worth attending.
Invest in influencers (even if they’re expensive)
Investing in influencers can be a powerful way of creating brand trust and driving action, even if it means spending more money upfront.
In 2023, influencers have more sway over people’s actions than traditional celebrities, with 50% of millennials trusting influencer recommendations.
Different types of influencers to target include:
- Macro-influencers, who have a large following of over 100,000 people
- Micro-influencers, who have a mid-sized following of 10,000-100,000 people
- Nano-influencers, who have a small but loyal following of under 10,000 people
While macro- and micro-influencers can be expensive, the rewards can be significant. For example, although one post from an influencer on YouTube may cost almost $4,500, it could lead to people discovering your events for years to come.
Build your community and sell more tickets!
2. Create hype around one distinguishable feature
Cultivating hype is one of the most effective ways to attract more attention to your successful event. However, with the vast amount of content available online, you’ll need to get creative!
In the video linked in the intro, Design Theory explains that branding can directly impact the experience a potential customer has with your product. For instance, wine in a bottle that feels heavier when poured may be perceived as having a more satisfying taste than wine from a lighter bottle.
Therefore, in your marketing campaign, it’s important to create a unique aesthetic and feel around your events. If your event looks exclusive and cool, event participants are more likely to enjoy it.
Instead of promoting everything you offer, focus on one distinguishable feature that makes it unique and appealing to your target market. One event company that has this down to a science is Something Dope.
Something Dope uses event trends, PR stunts, and guerilla marketing techniques to promote the idea that they’re the number one supporter of independent artists in LA.
They do this by highlighting their open mic nights, where a new artist gets on stage for the first time every week.
Something Dope sells the idea that by attending their events, you can be part of a select group of people who witnessed the next big artist getting discovered.
Some ways they promote this unique feature is by:
- Conducting “on the street” interviews
- Creating inspirational posts from interviews with famous musicians
- Showcasing snippets of exciting acts they’ve featured in previous events
There’s no doubt that your event has something special to offer your audience, so make sure your audience understands what they’ll miss out on if they don’t attend!
Lean on your compelling brand story
Sharing your brand story is a powerful way to create hype around a specific aspect of your event.
Your audience is interested in knowing who you are and why you do what you do. They want to connect with your brand on an emotional level and, more importantly, find out if they can trust you.
For example, Duck Club was founded by two creators who wanted to breathe new life into the Boise, Idaho music scene. They started with one music festival and have since grown a loyal following of music lovers who want to see “the hottest shows in the coolest city.”
Here’s how you can use your brand story to connect with your audience:
- Post social media stories that show a behind-the-scenes view of your venue or business
- Create a short, punchy tagline for your brand
- Share artists’ stories that inspire attendees to take action in their own lives
Remember that your business is more than just a business — it’s a part of who you are. Attendees, sponsors, and artists are drawn to brands that are genuine and transparent.
3. Use an event marketing platform
Converting cold traffic into loyal tribe members is a challenging task, even for the most experienced event marketers with the best marketing plan.
That’s why it’s essential to concentrate on marketing your venue or future events to audiences that are already interested in your niche and therefore have a higher likelihood of resonating with your brand.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is by using an event marketing tool like Eventbrite.
By partnering with Eventbrite, one of the world’s largest event platforms, you can increase your exposure and credibility among avid event-goers. These audiences rely on Eventbrite to discover new and exciting things to do on the weekend, the latest shows to see, or venues to visit.
While social media marketing is a powerful tool for promoting your event, leveraging targeted traffic sources like Eventbrite can significantly improve your return on investment and boost conversion rates.
It’s a bit like going fishing in a pond or a lake — while both work, it’s a lot easier to catch fish in a pond.
Traditional marketing methods don’t allow precise audience targeting. That means you’re likely spending money on consumers who aren’t interested in your content.
Instead, Eventbrite allows you to:
- Use customized tags to increase the visibility of your event
- Embed tracking links across your entire event marketing campaign to show where ticket sales are coming from
- Create and manage a subscriber list
Almost one in every five events in 2022 generated more than 50% of ticket sales from Eventbrite-driven demand.
Improve your event marketing strategy with data and analytics
You can also determine the effectiveness of your marketing through Eventbrite’s data and analytics tool.
You need to understand what the data is telling you about each of your promotional campaigns to make informed decisions about your event planner marketing. With this information you can easily identify what is making an impact on your target audience.
Eventbrite allows you to:
- Set a designated time period when you’d like to view the data for one specific event or all your events, starting from 30 days to “all time”
- See the number of page views for your event listing
- Evaluate data on all of your events as a whole to see common trends
By leveraging these insights, you’re better equipped to develop a successful marketing campaign that connects with your target audience.
Level up your event planner marketing strategy
Understanding the power of your brand and how you are unique and different from the thousands of other event businesses out there is crucial when it comes to event planner marketing.
By establishing a strong connection with your attendees and building a loyal tribe rather than solely focusing on selling as many tickets as possible, you can create a steady stream of income and long-term success for your venue or event business.
The best way to get your event in front of attendees looking for cutting-edge companies like yours is to use Eventbrite. Our powerful platform puts you in direct contact with your target audience to help you grow your tribe.
