1

H o w t o M a r ke t Yo u r E v e n t

A u g u s t 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

2

Armbruster Consulting GroupChange What Is Possible.We are problem solvers, opportunity seekers and innovators.

We provide strategy, program execution, and everything in between.

It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are.

3

Call Objectives

• Marketing evaluation and analysis

• Share event marketing and recruitment best practices

• Determine a point of differentiation for your events

• Provide a framework to evaluate marketing options

• Outline recommended next steps

4

There are no magic wands, no hidden tricks, and no secret handshakes that can bring you immediate success, but with time, energy, and determination you can get there.

Darren RowseFounder Problogger

5

STEP ONE• Data analysis from

past events and marketing activities• What tactics are you

currently using?• What tangible results

are they producing?• How efficient are they?• What is our budget

and ROI?• What is missing? 1

6

Case Study:Total Funds Raised by Source

7

Case Study:Participants by Source

8

Case Study: Avg. Participant Fundraising by Source

9

Data Analysis Takeaways• In total dollars raised AND number of

participants, Referred by someone, Returning Participant, and Social media are the primary drivers for success

• When looking for where to invest more resources, the average funds raised by participant shows us an opportunity to invest in Google Ads, TV/Radio, and E-newsletter

• Need to analyze the data again with cost/expense data to create an accurate acquisition cost per participant

10

STEP TWO• Understand what

marketing tactics are being used successfully around the country 2

11

Businesses should follow and learn from others’ successes and failures in order to better understand and predict their own.

Larry WeberAuthor Marketing to the Social Web

12

Marketing Tactics & Best Practices Personal solicitation Email marketing Direct mail Corporate partner engagement Quality event experience Referral programs Facebook advertising Print advertisements (comp) Signage SEO Experiential

13

Marketing & Recruitment Best Practices and Trends• Update SEO/SEM: Update all event website language and tags

to support higher search engine rankings• Create assets to support messaging: Work with staff to

identify mission stories, CEO stories, and compelling imagery in all marketing and communications, including: website, landing pages, email communication, ads, and printed collateral  

• Segmented marketing: Configure lists, auto-responders, and pages  

• Emails to data/RE data: Send up to 3 recruitment emails to be sent to segmented audiences of your data/RE data

• Direct mail to “email opens”: • Use a “self-mailer” that can be direct mailed to supporters

that opened the recruitment emails. This “one-two” hit has been a successful strategy for recruitment.

14

Marketing & Recruitment Best Practices and Trends• Implement a RFI option online and in published materials• Lead management: Focus on warm leads!• Test market recruitment language: Conduct research

via telephone interviews to develop marketing language then validate proposed marketing language via test groups or Facebook Ads.

• Refine your marketing plan by understanding the emotional motivations for a participant with questions such as:

• What do they read?• Who they trust?• What language do they use?

• Enhance the participant experience for repeat participation and growing revenue year-over-year: Find your point of differentiation

15

What makes our events different from other charity activities? How do we stand apart from the crowd?

• Ability to make your mission tangible with a mission moment at the event

• Develop a sense of community using your chapter Facebook page, emails and personal stewardship activities

• Family-friendly/opportunity for kids to get involved

• Leverage the brand awareness and integrity• Ability to share stories of impact

16

STEP THREE• Evaluate and

select the right marketing tactics for your events 3

17

When you break down all the fluff, there are two ways to promote and market your organization: dumber, slower, and expensive – or smarter, faster, and cheaper.

David Siteman GarlandHost of The Rise to the Top

18

ChangeLoseKeep

19

Tactic EvaluationSelection

Criteria

• How will you determine which marketing tactics to use?

• Create a framework to evaluate each tactic apples to apples.

• Be results-focused.

Filter

• Generate a list of every marketing concept or opportunity.

• Provide enough detail to accurately rate each option.

Prioritiz

e

• Based on responses, begin to put all options in order based on results and impact.

• Adjust ranking based on past data and factors such as immediate opportunity or desire to test concept.

20

Sample Tactic ScorecardTACTIC PROJECTED

REGISTRATIONS

REACH

EASE OF IMPLEMENTATI

ON (scale 1-10)

USE OF RESOURC

ES(scale 1-

10)

COST

Social Media

100 25,000 3 (easy) 1 $1,000/mo

Goodie bag inserts

Radio

TV

Print

21

Tactic Scorecard Creation• Fill in criteria and ratings• Sort and prioritize• Ensure that tactics selected will help you

achieve your goals

22

STEP FOUR• Communicate and

implement the new marketing strategy 4

23

…as you’ve noticed, people don’t want to be sold.

What people do want is news and information about things they care about.

Larry WeberAuthor Marketing to the Social Web

24

One-Page Marketing Plan• Key messaging• Goals and objectives• Strategies

• Tactics• Budget• Action items • Person responsible• Metrics• Resources needed

25

STEP FIVE• Repeat STEP ONE!

• Data analysis from past events and marketing activities• What tactics are you

currently using?• What tangible results

are they producing?• How efficient are they?• What is our budget

and ROI?• What is missing? 5

26

Recommended Next StepsStep One

Analyze past dataDetermine what works and what should be removed

Step Two

Create a comprehensive list of marketing opportunities and ideas

Step Three

Determine evaluation criteria (cost, registrations, difficulty to implement, etc.)Grade and prioritize all opportunities

Step Four

Finalize and communicate plan

Step Five

Evaluate resultsMake revisions

27

Questions and Answers

28

Do all the good you can. By all the means

you can. In all the ways you can. In all the

places you can. At all the times you can. To

all the people you can. As long as ever you

can.

John Wesley

29

Thank You!Contact me:Rachel ArmbrusterPresidentArmbruster Consulting Group, Inc.512.944.3417rachel@armbrusterconsulting.comwww.linkedin.com/rachelkarmbruster@rarmbruster