When you plan an event, you pull out all the stops. So, too, should it be with your event promotions. Apogee Search's Brian Combs suggests in a recent MarketingProfs article to add paid-search marketing to your event promo mix. "With almost half of all Internet users now using search engines on a typical day," says Combs, "paid search is a great means of increasing exposure for local events."
Combs provides the following tips for running a paid-search campaign as part of your event promotion:
Create an informative and engaging landing page. Be sure to answer the "who, what, where, when, and why" questions instantly, and make registration as easy as possible.
Emphasize verbs and dates. Combs found that in one client's campaign, ads with action-oriented copy produced a 150% higher click-through rate than those that didn't use verb emphasis.
Geo-target your message. Use attendee data from previous years to make informed decisions on how broad an area to target.
Limit your keyword list. Bid on words that make sense for your event, and try bidding on some general keywords.
Decide how long to run your campaign. Do the bulk of your attendees begin registering six months or one month in advance? "Coordinate your paid-search efforts to coincide with past patterns," says Combs.
The Po!nt: Think outside the email box. Marketing events with paid- search campaigns can be a great source for additional traffic, especially when combined with other marketing channels.
Source: MarketingProfs. Click here to learn more.
by Christina "CK" Kerley
