General perception dictates that we must do more to achieve more. But what if the answer to the big productivity question lies in taking stuff off your to-do list, not adding to it?
As it turns out, doing less is the most practical way to get more done and achieve work fulfillment. The "do-more-with-less" approach entails efficiency. The attitude centers on using the available resources and optimizing your efforts for the best possible results.
While achieving goals using minimal resources may feel rewarding, it's more challenging than it seems. Fortunately, this guide will take you through the things you need to get more done in 2024.
But first, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the trends shaping the event marketing landscape this year and beyond.
An Overview of the Top Trends in Event Marketing
The trick to taking your game to the next level is to adapt to consumer behavior changes, take advantage of the top-shelf tech, and stay ahead of the game. As an event marketer, you must acknowledge or leverage the following industry trends as you craft your short- and long-term strategies.
The Rise of On-demand Content
Event attendees are leaning towards on-demand content that aligns with their work environment flexibility. In fact, this is the second most desired event feature, according to a recent Skift study.
For instance, Adobe's Experience Makers Live event featured more than 35 sessions available as live streams. The sessions are now available online for free streaming. Such on-demand content is perfect for repurposing and can significantly enhance brand awareness. You'll continue delivering value to your audiences long after the actual event.
Personalized and Interactive Events
The days of traditional promotions are long gone. Nowadays, audiences prefer more personalized interaction and communication with brands. As a result, only the targeted and most interactive event marketing campaigns succeed. Thus, proper event planning requires personalized brand messaging and interactive elements before, during, and after the event.
Experiential Marketing
This emerging trend is necessitated by the need to provide exciting and immersive event experiences. Experimental marketing opportunities are a great way to boost event engagement. For instance, you can gamify the experience using in-event leaderboards, challenges, interaction opportunities, or via Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
Social Media Walls
Event planners, marketers, and brands are using this trend to redefine their campaigns on popular social networks. In essence, social media walls collect, filter, and curate awesome content on social networking sites into a single feed that you can display in virtual or live events. This can enhance the event experience and attendee engagement.
Redefine campaigns with a social media wall.
The social media craze has also created opportunities for user-generated content. Think of someone attending your event and gushing about it on their socials. If your brand-loyal clients create such content, it'll build trust and attract more conversions.
Studying ahead of these industry developments and other dynamics requires a practical, ultra-productive approach. With a lot on their plates, event managers and marketers can find immense value in the do-more-with-less approach. Fortunately, the following section covers the must-haves for optimizing your efforts and resources to accomplish more.
What Even Marketers Need to Stay Ahead of the Trends in 2024 And Beyond
Generally, event management and marketing professionals need the following to succeed:
A Minimalistic, Yet Robust Event Tech Stack
This first requirement might seem obvious, but most people still struggle with manual, time-consuming tasks because they still leverage a legacy tech stack.
These days, event marketers have to squeeze in tight budgetary allocations to accomplish their tasks. The most efficient way to beat this challenge is to work with fewer potent tools encompassing a broad scope of capabilities and features.
Practical Event Content Strategies
Most event managers fail to utilize event content optimally. Apart from sharing pictures and recordings with meeting attendees, you must also create valuable content for the event. Everyone should leave the event with new and relevant insights that help them improve their daily operations and navigate occasional hurdles.
Credit for Their Work
Events are among the top lead generators for most businesses. But only a few campaigns attribute successful conversions to the efforts of their event marketing teams. The result? Most professionals don't get credit for their input, a major drawback to their overall motivation and work satisfaction. Companies can fix this by implementing attribution systems that reflect the contribution of all crew members to the organizational goals.
Strategic Brand Partnerships
This is a vital ingredient for incredible events. You see, savvy organizations know the right time to pull in a partner. Think of the Zendaya – Squarespace partnership or the collaboration between Lady Gaga and Klarna.
Strategic brand partnerships is a key ingredient.
Partnering with known figures earned these brands massive interest even before the event's official launch. As a result, by the time the campaign was up and running, a vast audience was on standby, craving to be part of the session.
Influencer Marketing
Besides deliberate brand partnerships, event marketers and managers also need the power of influencer marketing to reach a broader audience with less effort. For example, invite niche B2B influencers to your event's cocktail hour or VIP dinner. If possible, have them share it on their socials. You'll not only boost event appeal but will also target a broader audience.
Third-Party Credibility
The pandemic made buyers across the board skeptical, including those buying event tickets. But seeking third-party credibility can spread the news to even more attendees. PR is vital in events because it enables hosts and brands to generate interest and establish credibility.
You can't rely on social media campaigns to convince more buyers to buy your tickets. Instead, prospects want sufficient proof that your event is worth their time and money. Fortunately, third-party credibility can go a long way in generating interest.
It's Time to Create Impactful Events
Even the most experienced managers and marketers face hurdles running events. Numerous hurdles and repetitive tasks can hinder you from prioritizing the event's impact. Optimal efficiency is your only way out, and Sweap can help you unleash it so you can do more with less. Our experienced team can help you with the following:
Run successful virtual and in-person proceedings without the busywork
Plan and create new events in less than five minutes
Raise awareness through automated email campaigns
Streamline event registration for more conversions
Notably, you can also host all your online events on our virtual platform with vast guest management capabilities to save you time. Try our platform for free or request a customized demo.