Events for customers: top ideas to get more customers

There’s one marketing strategy that not only brings new customers, but also boosts customer loyalty, builds brand awareness and recognition, and brings valuable insights to help you keep your brand innovating for the future. What’s more, this strategy is a lot of fun to pull together.

Creating events for customers might sound like a challenge, but the countless benefits are hard to resist. Our in-depth guide will help you plan and execute memorable and effective events.

What are events for customers?

At their core, events for customers are fun and exciting get-togethers that companies plan to bring joy and get people excited about their brand. They give people a way to engage and connect with a company that’s fresh and memorable.

These events can take many forms, including:

• • In-person – Great for local and regional businesses that serve a community and want to show that they are engaged with their customers

• • Virtual – Perfect for companies looking to expand their reach and attract a wider audience, and for those with particular niches whose target audiences may be widespread

• • Hybrid – A mix of in-person and virtual events, providing the best of both worlds with exclusive experiences for attendees no matter where they are

The kind of event you hold depends greatly on your goals. If you want to establish your brand as a local powerhouse, in-person community events might be best. However, if you want to reach as wide an audience as possible while remaining accessible and cost-effective, virtual is king.

Benefits of events for customers

Pulling an event together can take a lot of work, and require time and resources. This is especially true if you are just starting, or don’t have the right tools in your arsenal.

Even so, the benefits far outweigh the cost. A well-planned event can lead to:

• • Brand awareness and recognition – People will remember that you’re the company that taught them about your niche, or threw that stellar networking event

• • Customer loyalty – After making memories and connecting at your event, customers want to stick around and even advocate for your brand to their friends. This leads to a boost in organic word-of-mouth marketing

• • Feedback – Customers want to tell you what’s working about your brand, and how you can improve. Events allow them to do that, and allow you to show that you care about their input

• • Increased sales – Events are a hotbed for upselling and cross-selling opportunities. People are engaged and ready to listen, so you can swoop in and tell them about all the upgrades your company offers

• • Personal connections – Events give people the chance to meet and interact with the faces behind your brand. These meaningful connections create a stronger bond and make customers feel more connected to your company

Ultimately, events allow your brand to reach more customers in a unique and effective way without breaking the bank. They’re an invaluable tool for growing your business.

Types of events for customers

There are as many types of events for customers as companies are looking to put them on, but most of them will land in one of the following categories.

• • Product launches – Showing off a new product to generate buzz, bring in new customers, and form connections

• • Promotional events – Offering discounts, deals, or giveaways to attract potential customers

• • Celebrations – Marking milestones or success, such as company anniversaries or reaching a new target

• • Community engagement – Connecting with the local community to create a positive image and build relationships

• • Workshops and training sessions – Teaching customers about the company, its products, or its industry through workshops, seminars, or classes

• • Entertainment – Hosting concerts, parties, or other fun activities to thank customers for their loyalty and leave a lasting impression

• • Networking events – Offering a platform for customers and industry professionals to connect and learn from one another

If you know your target audience, and understand what exactly excites them, you’ll know the kinds of events that will bring them in. For example, if you cater to young professionals, they will be thrilled by a networking event. College students on the other hand might be more invested in a concert or party.

How to attract customers to your event

An event is nothing without attendees. Getting people excited about your event is a number one priority. Here are a few ways to create buzz around your event and ensure a major turnout.

1.    Social media

While a well-developed social media strategy is never a bad thing, when you’re focusing on exposure, it’s essential. 3 out of 4 marketers report a significant boost in traffic when social media is used.

By crafting engaging and eye-catching marketing materials for your event, you can ensure that word travels far and fast. Just make sure there’s an easy way for people to sign up once they see it!

2.    Exclusivity and FOMO

No one wants to miss out on something awesome! If you can manage to stir up FOMO (fear of missing out) with your marketing, people will be clamoring to join your event.

You might do this by:

• • Offering limited access
  • Including early-bird offers
  • Countdowns and sneak peeks
  • Working with influencers

These techniques let people know that your event is worth attending and that they don’t want to be the only ones to miss it.

3.    Value value value

One of the easiest ways to get someone to come to an event is by having a clear way it will bring value into their lives. Simply attending an event because it’s happening isn’t going to cut it, your customers want to know what’s in it for them.

This is why educational seminars, networking events, and entertainment are so powerful. By offering people value, you’re able to get them in the door or in front of their screen.

How to create a customer event

When organizing an event, there are three distinct stages to be aware of.

1. 1. Planning and preparation
   2. Event execution
   3. Post-event activities

Each of these phases poses its own challenges, and no event is complete without all three.

Planning and preparation

Before the event is even close, your team needs to get a handle on

• • • Your goals and objectives
    • Budget and resources
    • Securing a venue, hosting software, or both
    • Establishing an order of events
    • Creating engaging marketing materials
    • Setting up registration and tickets
    • Rehearsing online content to ensure it runs well

The more you can have in place beforehand, the smoother the actual day will go!

Event execution

The day has arrived! It’s time to blow all your attendees away and turn them into loyal lifelong customers and advocates. This requires:

• • • Organizing the space or logging into your software in advance for tests
    • Staying on top of registration, technical needs, and audience questions
    • Keeping the event flowing to avoid audience drift
    • Facilitating networking opportunities
    • Find ways to go above and beyond expectations
    • Monitoring feedback and addressing issues as they come

If you’ve done your prep work, and stay vigilant, your event will go off without a hitch.

Post-event activities

While the event may be over, the work isn’t. There are tons of ways you can get more content and data from events, making them ultra-powerful.

• • • Collect feedback with surveys
    • Send personalized thank-yous to attendees
    • Share highlights on social media
    • Continue to connect with customers
    • Gather and analyze event metrics

These steps not only ensure your current event is effective but help to keep the ball rolling for future events.

7 tips for pulling off a successful customer event

Here are seven essential tips to help you pull off a memorable and impactful event that leaves your customers engaged, satisfied, and eager for more.

Set clear objectives 

Begin by establishing clear objectives for your event, outlining what you hope to achieve in terms of customer engagement, brand awareness, lead generation, or other key metrics. Having well-defined goals will provide direction for your planning and help you measure the success of the event.

Know your audience

Take the time to understand your attendees’ demographics, interests, and pain points. Tailor the event experience to resonate with your target audience, offering content and activities that address their needs and provide value.

Create compelling content 

Develop a diverse and engaging program agenda that includes a mix of informative sessions, interactive workshops, product demonstrations, and networking opportunities. Ensure that the content is relevant, valuable, and aligned with your audience’s interests.

Engage attendees throughout

Keep attendees actively engaged and involved throughout the event with interactive elements such as live polls, Q&A sessions, networking activities, and contests. Encourage participation and foster connections among attendees to enhance their overall experience.

Promote early and often

Start promoting your event well in advance to build anticipation and drive attendance. Utilize a variety of marketing channels, including email, social media, and industry partnerships, to reach your target audience and generate excitement around the event.

Provide seamless logistics 

Pay close attention to logistical details such as registration, venue selection, catering, and technical support to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience for attendees. Addressing these aspects will help create a positive impression and enhance overall satisfaction.

Follow up post-event

Don’t let the engagement end when the event concludes. Follow up with attendees to express gratitude for their participation and gather feedback on their experience. Use this feedback to evaluate the success of the event and identify areas for improvement in future customer events. Additionally, continue nurturing relationships with attendees through post-event communication and engagement initiatives.

Meet Kaltura Events – create, manage, and measure all your events on a single platform using customizable templates for every need

Kaltura is a platform that helps your team craft and execute events at every stage. From creation to post-event follow-up, you can rest assured that a Kaltura event is an optimized event.

Kaltura has pre-made templates for every use case from interactive webinars to multi-day/multi-track events, and it’s 100% customizable so your brand stays front and center at all times with a unique and made-to-fit event.

With years of experience and custom tools, from automatic landing page generation to live polls, chat, content personalization, and a powerful in-event AI assistant, it’s no surprise that Kaltura is trusted by some of the biggest brands around, including Adobe, Airbnb, and Google.

Request a demo and see how Kaltura can rocket your company’s events into the future.