Best Promotional Events For Businesses: 4 Marketing Ideas

A significant proportion of marketing advice for small businesses focuses on digital marketing – using your blog, targeted advertising, or social media – and this approach makes it seem as though digital advertising is the only kind that matters. In doing so, this advice overlooks the power of in-person contact and any exciting and affordable ways to reach your community. Build deeper connections with these classic strategies, standbys from a brick-and-mortar era, that never stopped working.

Join Your Chamber Of Commerce

Your local Chamber of Commerce may seem like a minor organization, especially if you’ve been in business for a few years, but joining forces with your area branch can yield a number of benefits. In particular, the Chamber of Commerce tends to promote new members and can increase the visibility of area businesses through their events, social media activity, and community outreach events. Your Chamber of Commerce also offers valuable networking opportunities, which can create connections and foster cross-promotion with other local businesses.

Try A Trade Show

If you’ve considered attending a trade show in the past but declined, now is the time to try something new, even if you only go to a small or niche show. Trade shows offer you an opportunity to meet others in the field, a kind of real-life LinkedIn, and practice your professional pitch in a place where pitching is expected. Furthermore, you don’t need much to go to a local show: invest in a branded tent, print some fliers, and set up shop. Types of marketing require a big investment, but your first trade show doesn’t need to be.

Create Community Ties

Working with your local Chamber of Commerce isn’t the only way to create ties with your community; in fact, some of the most tried and true options are to sponsor a local sports team or make a float for an area parade. By doing so, you have an opportunity to foster goodwill among a wide range of people and give something back to those who support you. The fact is, even if you don’t have a real interest in being in the local Memorial Day Parade, many people will turn out and see your willingness to participate as a sign that you’re an active member of the community – and that could be the first step towards a sale.

Sponsor Something Special

In addition to sponsoring local sports teams and other extracurricular events, consider planning a business event for other professionals in your community, such as a speaker series or networking event, or bring other businesses together to host a job fair. Don’t aim for anything too big, just something that will increase your opportunity for exposure and enhance your local connections. Despite the shift to online-first marketing, people still prefer to do business with local companies so how you engage with your local community matters.

Even if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar location in your town or make many sales in person, face-to-face marketing opportunities are vital to your success – so don’t overlook them. Whether or not you make a valuable connection that day, those events could be the start of word of mouth promotion and support that will take your business to the next level.