10.19.18
By Lisa Major
As digital marketing trends continue to evolve, one, in particular, seems to be a favorite. Video content. Scroll through any social media feed and you’ll find a video pretty quickly. Video marketing has proven to be successful for many industries, and live streaming has made a huge impact in the events industry. From trade shows to experiential campaigns to conferences, live streaming allows event organizers and marketers to reach audiences outside of the physical event. In this week’s Happy Hour, we lead off with Endless Entertainment’s ultimate guide to live streaming events. We also discuss event marketing metrics, tech-less events, and brands who are winning with live music sponsorships and activations. We’ll close with an article that showcases brands who are leveraging social currency to gain brand advocates.
“Don’t get caught up in the technical aspects of streaming. Instead, focus on audience engagement and strategically connecting with your remote audience.” ~Michelle Kaiser
Live streaming has taken over social media feeds, and it’s doing wonders for event marketing campaigns. Whether a brand is live streaming to their network or attendees are sharing to theirs, it’s an easy way to increase the visibility of both the brand and the activation. And that’s just the beginning. Brands who use live streaming can expand their reach far beyond the activation, engaging those not in attendance. This can increase the audience size and creates a powerful presence for the brand, leading to more awareness and recognition. But like everything else in experiential, brands need to define the purpose of the live stream and need a solid plan in place. Here, Endless Entertainment walks us through everything you need to know about live streaming (and how to do it right).
“You can’t just collect data haphazardly, you have to collect information in a smart way that will advance your goals.” ~MC2
When you are planning an event marketing campaign, how can you be sure that your efforts are going to pay off? Like everything else in business, data plays a vital role in gauging the success of your campaign. While there are many KPIs to guide you along the way, three of the most common are “impressions, engagement, and physical time spent at the event.” But, those metrics don’t always show you the big picture because it’s hard to measure the emotions that come along with live events, making it a little tricky to fully grasp what’s working and what’s not. This article by MC2 shares three tips to help you measure the success of your event marketing campaign.
“It’s [technology] often integrated “just because” and it can, in the case of entertainment, spoil the fun.” ~Cramer
Technology has been a gamechanger in experiential marketing. Elements like virtual reality, RFID, and wearable technology enhance experiential events and the attendee experience. But technology can also “get in the way of face-to-face connections,” which contradicts the basis of experiential marketing. Experiential was founded on principles surrounding human engagement, emotional connections, and two-conversations between brands and consumers. And while technology certainly plays a vital role in our everyday lives and in events, many brands are getting back to the roots of experiential and going tech-less. Here are a few brands that have experimented with and benefited from this emerging trend.
“Solid social currency strategies turn social-savvy consumers into brand advocates.” ~Sparks
Social currency is a relatively new term, but one that you have most likely experienced as a social media user. In short, social currency is when people share information about brands on social media platforms in their everyday lives. The approach that you are most likely familiar with is when brands offer rewards like free products, discounts, or prizes in exchange for a social interaction such as comments, likes, or shares. This drives engagement for the brand while offering the consumer something of value, creating a win-win for both sides. Social currency strategies can elevate brand experiences, expand reach, and help brands gain followers. Here, Sparks outlines 4 social currency strategies that can help you win brand advocates.
“We’ve always known that music – particularly live music – unifies people of all demographics, but new research confirms that music sponsorships can help to build brand affinity, loyalty, and relevance.” ~Rob Patterson
Live music brings people together, people of all ages and backgrounds. Case in point, as this article shares, “two-thirds of consumers 13-49 have attended a live music event in the last year. Of that group, 62% have been to both a concert and a festival.” That’s a staggering statistic and one that brands should capitalize on. It’s not often that brands have the opportunity to reach a such a broad demographic in an already vibrant atmosphere. And the best news is, there’s a lot of research that supports the idea that attendees welcome brands at live music events, whether it be sponsorships or brand activations. Here, Inspira gives us the scoop, explaining why brands and live music events are a perfect match.
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ATN is celebrating 16 years of helping clients achieve success with their experiential and event marketing campaigns. Since 2002, our goal has always been to provide the very best staff AND service for our clients. We’re proud to be one of the pioneering event staffing agencies in the industry and we look forward to serving our existing clients and new clients for years to come.
