Whether you’re playing party planner for a pint-sized birthday bash or orchestrating a mega-corporate extravaganza, a cleverly concocted marketing plan is the secret ingredient that can transform your event from drab to fab!

Business-wise, our friends from Deloitte say that businesses in Australia with a documented marketing plan are 313% more likely to achieve their marketing goals than those without a plan. 

Unsurprisingly, if you want to be sure your event will succeed, you need an excellent marketing plan.

Alrighty, let’s start off with a little marketing 101, shall we? So, picture this: what on earth is a marketing plan, you ask?

What is a Marketing Plan?

A marketing plan is a document that outlines the activities you’ll use to target your audience and promote your event. 

“A well-crafted marketing plan is an essential roadmap for your event, helping you understand your target audience, identify the strategies and tactics to reach them, and build a framework for delivering an effective event,” says marketing strategist and digital virtual event expert Shane Perry of Maxfunding.

This should include all your strategies for getting the word out about your event. From details of your methods (social media campaigns, print advertising, email marketing etc.) to which targets you’ll focus on (corporations, schools, families etc.). Your marketing plan should contain all the details of how you will send your message to the world.

Now that we know what a marketing plan is, let’s jump into creating your own. Here’s how to do it:

1. Set Goals and Objectives

First things first! What do you want out of this event? Make sure that all stakeholders agree on the event goal and objectives, then outline what success looks like. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) found that small businesses in Australia implementing a marketing plan experience a 30% higher return on investment (ROI) compared to those that do not have a plan. Hence, it’s worth investing time and money into creating a proper marketing plan.

2. Research Your Audience

Do your homework! Who is your target audience? What do they need from your event? How will you reach them? Use the event purpose to determine your target market and research the best ways to reach them. According to a recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) study, businesses with a well-crafted marketing plan enjoy a whopping 57% higher likelihood of effectively reaching their ideal customers and achieving those sweet, sweet conversion rates. Pretty impressive, right?

3. Pick Your Channels

Now that you know who you are trying to reach, it’s time to decide which channels will be most effective for your marketing plan. Is digital advertising better than traditional media? Which social media platforms should you use? What about email marketing? A 2019 survey by Gartner found that businesses in Australia that allocated most of their marketing budget to digital channels reported a 32% higher ROI than those focused on traditional media. Isn’t that great?

4. Craft Your Message

Now comes the fun part – creating your message! What’s the primary value your event offers? Focus on how it can help improve your target audience’s lives. According to a survey by The Communications Council, nearly 70% of Australians place more trust in businesses that appeal to their emotions. How does that relate to your event?

5. Set Your Budget

Let’s talk cold hard cash, my savvy friend! How much money do you have to play with? Time to put on your thinking cap and get those creative juices flowing. Let’s come up with some budget-friendly masterstrokes for your marketing plan that won’t break the bank. Oh, and here’s a little nugget of wisdom for you: according to a striking survey by Accenture, Australian businesses that ace the art of managing and tracking their marketing budget enjoy a 27% higher return on investment than their less budget-savvy counterparts. Cha-ching!

6. Execute Your Plan

Alright, buckle up and get ready to rock that marketing extravaganza! Now that your marketing goals, strategies, and budget are locked and loaded, it’s time to kick things into high gear. Let’s play with time, my friend! Develop a supercharged timeline for each activity and set those sassy deadlines like a pro. That way, you’ll conquer all the tasks with impeccable timing and keep that overall plan on point. Time to unleash your marketing superhero powers!

7. Track Your Performance

Listen up, marketing maestro! It’s time to unleash your inner detective and dive into the world of tracking and analyzing. Set up your sneaky tracking methods for every channel you use, and remember to do some serious research to uncover the hottest tools and software out there. Trust me; they’re your secret weapons for success! And hey, here’s a fun fact straight from the Australian Market & Social Research Society (AMSRS): businesses that stay on top of their performance tracking are way more likely to hit those targets and achieve their wildest objectives. Get ready to track and conquer, my friend!