Using events to help promote your brand’s digital marketing strategy sounds like a traditional approach, but it is a highly effective one. It can help you to improve brand awareness and even reach a newer, wider audience. However, for those who might not have much experience with digital marketing or offline marketing, this can be tricky to achieve.Â
If you are working with a digital marketing agency you have likely been exposed to methods of using social media and events to market a brand. For example, the recent Rugby World Cup 2019 saw brands participating in marketing campaigns, such as Heineken’s advert showcasing how to stay in-the-loop with rugby references and when to cheer. Â
Using a major event, whether it is national or international, to promote your business can increase your online and offline visibility and ensure that your brand stays on-trend and up-to-date. Not sure where to start? Below we delve a little deeper into how you can use major events to promote your brand.Â
Context Is Key
Now, you might be tempted to lock onto any major event that is happening in your area or worldwide, but it is important to keep the event in the same context as your business. The digital marketing strategy you create will only make sense if there is a connection between the event and your business. This connection will help to improve your marketing efforts.Â
For example, during the Rugby World Cup in 2019, many restaurants ran specials before and during the event offering discounts to those wearing the Springbok jersey. This event has a strong connection to restaurants, because many can show games during lunch hour or the early afternoon, and can use this to showcase their menu and brand. Choose the event carefully, ensuring that it has some connection to your business.Â
Follow Legal Guidelines
No matter how small or large your business may be, you will need to follow the legal guidelines laid out by the host of said event. During the Super Bowl season in America, the committee of this sporting event heavily regulates the use of certain terminology or imagery in digital marketing campaigns.Â
This might sound somewhat tedious, but it is important to follow these guidelines in order to gain a genuine online presence. If you have a social media marketing campaign in mind for an upcoming sporting or cultural event, it is best to look out for any guidelines from the sponsors and hosts. By doing this, you are ensuring that your advert or campaign will remain visible online and will not be reported on social media.Â
Surf’s Up: Ride The Wave
Digital marketing companies know that an effective method of using events to promote a brand is to simply ride the wave of online content related to the event. For example, if your business is based in a city or country that the event is taking place in, you can post content that is related to the event, making use of hashtags on social media.Â
People searching for these hashtags will find your business and will likely go to your profile or website because of this. You can also make use of paid content to advertise during this period by using Facebook Ads or even Google Ads. These ads will be up for the duration of the event, allowing you to gain online visibility with minimal effort. Riding the wave of this event is more suited to small businesses that might have a tight budget for advertising.Â
Crank Up The Creativity
You may not be able to use the direct terminology or images of the event, but this means that your digital marketing team needs to be creative. For a sporting event, a stock image of a stadium full of fans can create the same feeling of excitement as a team or event logo. However, be sure to use positive imagery and wording for your content.Â
Brands such as Nando’s use major events to their advantage and create parodied names and images to build awareness about their product, which you can do too, within reason. Your digital marketing company could craft creative advertising campaigns using your own branding and event taglines, allowing you to stand out from the crowd of your competitors. You could even make use of user-generated content for this marketing campaign, using event hashtags.
Your brand can improve online visibility as well as audience reach by leveraging major events as part of your digital marketing campaign. If you would like to tap into creative marketing minds for your business, feel free to contact the NetMechanic team today to find out how we can help you.
