ProblemLaunches and events
How do we market a launch or event in a short time?
A fixed date is an advantage. It gives people a reason to act now, and it tells you exactly when the advertising has to work.
For an event or launch, work backwards from the date. Three weeks out, announce it with the date, the place and one reason to come. Two weeks out, start adverts to people in the area. In the final week, remind everyone who showed interest and make it easy to book or get directions. With less than a week, put the whole budget into reminders to people nearby.
What you see, and what it usually means
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Three weeks or more to go | Time to announce, build interest, then remind. |
| One to two weeks to go | Skip the build-up. Go straight to adverts with the date and the offer. |
| Less than a week | Reminders only, to people nearby, every day. |
| People say they did not know about the last one | It was announced once, to followers only. |
| Many said “interested” and few came | Nobody reminded them, and there was nothing to book. |
What you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time.
Write the one message
What, when, where, what it costs and one reason to come. Everything else is detail.
Make one clear image
The date and the place readable on a phone at a glance. Use it everywhere.
Create a Facebook event
It gives people a place to mark “interested”, and it sends them reminders.
Give people a way to commit
A WhatsApp number to book a seat, a free ticket, a list. A commitment turns “interested” into attending.
Tell the people you already have
WhatsApp status, your customer list, staff and partners. They cost nothing and come first.
Remind three times
A week before, the day before, and the morning of the event.
- Your own followers are too few to fill the event.
- The event has to reach people who do not know you.
- There is a cost if the room is half empty.
What we would do
We build a countdown campaign: an announcement advert, then adverts to people in the area, then daily reminders in the last week to everyone who responded. The budget is weighted towards the final days, when people decide.
Paid campaigns are planned from your budget, from N$1,499.99. You get a written plan before you pay, and the budget planner shows how any amount is divided. For an event, the planner suggests two weeks to a month.
Common questions
How early should event marketing start?
Three to four weeks for a local event. Earlier for anything people must travel or pay for. Later than a week still works, but only as reminders.
How much should we spend on an event?
Work back from what an empty seat costs you and how many people you need. The budget planner shows what an amount is likely to reach.
Can you design the poster too?
Yes. Still adverts are part of every campaign, and a printed poster or flyer can be quoted with it.
Tell us your budget. We will send back a plan.
Say what you are marketing, who you want to reach and what you can spend. You get a written plan with the channels, the duration and a traffic target before you pay anything.