The kind of noise on online marketing channels today makes it very difficult for a business to get the attention and visibility it needs. Everyday millions of businesses use paid channels like Google and Facebook ads to communicate to their target customers. The result; an average Facebook user comes across over one hundred messages that were paid to reach them on a daily basis.  We need a strong marketing strategy to overcome this.

The solution is simple. Businesses need to complement their online marketing with more tangible, offline efforts. What if we told you there was a way to interact, engage and gain valuable insight from your customers –potential and returning alike? A fun campaign to create an identity that customers can connect with in everyday life and, with a little creativity, can significantly bring down CPAs (customer acquisition costs).

We’ve come up with a quick start guide across a few verticals to show you how.

SAAS

SAAS based businesses focussing on online store development and simplifying selling on marketplaces. The Zepo and NowFloats model. How about you invite 25 of your potential clients along with your Banking, Payment Gateway, Reports and Analysis, Digital Marketing and Wallet partners. The partners represent the package your client will be buying into. Use this opportunity to initiate a meaningful engagement with your client. Let them know exactly how they will be benefiting by taking their business online with you and the process behind it.

Must have resources

The largest resource drain in such events is the venue. Fortunately, you have a wide range of free or inexpensive venues to choose from. Socials in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, Lamakaan in Hyderabad. Your package partners would include representatives from companies you normally work with:

Banking: ICICI, HDFC, HSBC, Kotak Mahindra, SBI
Payment Gateways: InstaMojo, PayU India, CCAvenue, Paypal
Digital Marketing: In-house teams or third-party organizations such as MediaJackers, Rankhigher
Wallets: Paytm, Mobikwik
A little food never hurts too!

Your impact

A natural question is how effective your results really are. The objective of your events is to see a 100% conversion of attending potentials. And make them advocate you. Focus on creating a well-planned event with great execution. Achieve quality conversions by engaging customers, explaining about the best practices followed by you and sharing your reports and analysis on the online sales industry.

2. Food and Beverages

Finding the right marketing campaign is a lot like creating a new recipe and new recipes need to be tried to become famous. HungerBox and Chai Point are two companies in this space who could consider an offline campaign such as this.

Organize a tasting event for potential corporate clients. How about you invite them over for a Monday lunch or a five pm tea tasting? We know no one can walk away unaffected after trying out your product for themselves.

The key here is to put your product out there and make your clients feel their office would be a much happier place with a delicious lunch and refreshing chai.

Production must haves

Venues aren’t such a big issue here. Have them over to one of your outlets/offices or go for one of the aforementioned venue options such as Socials, Lamakaan and so on. The consumables may put a small dent in your pocket but we’re sure it’s not something you can’t afford.

Your impact

The resources required to pull this event off successfully are your core. Your USP. Aim for a 100% conversion, that’s the goal. But even a 10% conversion should see you sitting comfortably. Start calling up potentials now.

3. Co-Working Spaces

Co-working spaces are at a great advantage when it comes to events based marketing. They have one of the most painful resource requirements nailed down, Venues. BHive and CoWorkIndia are two spaces we thought really have the potential to organize great events. As a facilitator for start-ups, how about you consider start-up launches there?

Launches bring together entrepreneurs, well-wishers and potential clients for one hell of an evening. Launch Fridays by YourStory was a launchpad event conducted on their office rooftop! This isn’t just about communicating your affection for all those start-ups you nurtured, it’s also about generating interest in the startups through media coverage for the event and organic posts by the attendees on social media channels.

A great launch can go a long way bringing in more start-ups simply through word of mouth.

Production must haves

Since you already have a great venue, food and drink would be a very nice but not necessary addition. Your guests would love your thoughtfulness and attention to detail. It’s just another thing that makes you stand apart. Anyway, a small launch with 50 selected guests would probably work better than a full blown celebration. Keep it exclusive.

Your Impact

The budget you might need for the event doesn’t have to be too large. It’s the planning and organization that counts. That being said, spending an inoffensive 100 bucks per person for finger food doesn’t set you back much, even for a 50 guest launch. In return you have won over budding entrepreneurs looking for something more than just a co-working space and more importantly, shown your clients how much you care.

You can build on your success by hosting networking events, grander launches with high profile attendees and media coverage. The sky is the limit.

4. E-Commerce

E-commerce in India is booming. So is the competition. While there’s so many different types of companies out there, a couple of them like Redwolf and LazyNinja are giving the T-shirt industry a run for its money. What if you host a fashion show to exhibit your products.

Be creative about it, bring in your friends and family to model your clothing. Make it fun, market your brand for the smart, everyday people it is for. You will be involving your potential and returning customers, your team and your passion for an event that has the potential to really turn heads and generate interest.

Production must haves

As we said, get creative. It doesn’t have to be a huge production. Rope in your friends, invite some of your best customers and make it fun. Finding a good venue might be a problem but that shouldn’t stop you. Take it outdoors for an evening show on the beach or have a flowery backdrop in a large garden. it’s all about grabbing attention.

Your Impact

Your budget is more about how creative you can get with the resources you have. You can reduce expenses by doing away with models, bring in your photographer friend instead of a highly demanding professional, rent instead of buying.

The show is guaranteed to create chatter on the social media channels by the attendees posting photos, status updates, tweets and videos of that great moment during the show. Better recall for a great product is basically one of the secret formulas for success.

5. Wheel Events

BlaBlaCar is gaining traction every day. Introduce commuters to joys of carpooling.

Set up a weekend event for a nice ride to the nearest destination for a delightful lunch and back. Bangalore to Mysore, Mumbai to Lonavla, keep it fresh. We know how great carpooling is, help others experience it and get comfortable with the idea.

Production must haves

Choose a nearby destination and a charming restaurant that serves delicious food. Fuel and restaurant expenses for 10 rides and 40 passengers should amount to roughly a couple of weeks worth of a social media channel advertisement.

Carpooling is a wonderful concept that just needs a push for people to embrace it.

Creating events that would do just that will allow people to experience it and bring them back as regular users. You could plan alternative experiences that don’t rack up food bills as well. Explore and create.

6. Arts and Culture

The art industry has seen some really good companies come up in the last few years. Chumbak and Happily Unmarried, with their loyal, bordering on fanatic customer base are just two of them. The art industry lends itself well to event based campaigns as anyone remotely artistic is really curious about what goes on behind the scenes. The process that starts from conceptualization right to execution.

Take a bunch of the creatively-initiated into your studio and give them a tour. Tell them the story behind their favourite knick-knack and give your team the chance to meet their fans.

Production must haves

None that we can think of. Apart from your time.

Your Impact

The resources involved are quite literally negligible. The impact, on the other hand, is incalculable. Your customers are engaged and new interactions can bring in more consistent, returning buyers. Events are a huge source of organic publicity through social media channels- photographs, tweets, check-ins, status updates and maybe a few short videos of your design process?

Events also let your customers connect with their favourite brands and makes them genuinely excited about spreading the word.

Whether you’re a start-up or an established firm, events help you build reach and increase engagement. There’s a marked difference in brand association and recall when your presence is not restricted online. As we mentioned before, you can significantly bring down your CPAs by going online and complementing it with event based marketing. Redbull figured it out a long time ago. It’s the perfect example of association through events and pretty much guarantees ubiquity. All of Redbull’s high octane events complement their efforts as a brand and as a product. They embody energy. It’s time your business did that too.

Team Explara

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