Events as Effective Year-Round Marketingwith your host, Kaitlin Pike

I’ve worked on and with a lot of events. But I’m primarily a marketer.

Events aren’t frozen moments in time.Events are repurposable content.

• Serious PR machines• Lead generation boom• Sales• Multimedia content • Fundraisers• Branding

Events as a marketing toolkit

• Write-ups in 2 major tech publications• 700 RSVPs (read: prospect leads) from StartupDigest, EventBrite, Meetup, and Facebook event listings• Converted new members• Tons of great photos, video, tweets, updates• Established ourselves in the community• Sponsors were happy• Total cost ~$3k

Doesn’t have to be a party. You got options, kid.

• Conferences & Tradeshows • Speaker panels• Hackathons• Sale Events• Webinars• Podcasts• [Blank] Day• Competitions• Product launches• Fundraisers• Events within events (VIP rooms)• Twitter chats• Flash mobs and other stunts

(eh…)• Speed dating• Workshops• Dinners• Sport events (and poker)• Award ceremonies• Anniversaries • Screenings & film festivals• Tours• Drinkups• Oh, you got Rally.org as a venue

Examples, Ms. Pike?

McKinley ElementaryAnnual DogFest

LG’s texting competition.

Zynga’s Mafia Wars had Snoop blow up an armored truck.

Creative is good. But events need to be consistent with the experience users get from your product or service. Otherwise, ye be facing a lot o’ expensive failure. Yarr.

Um, also, we’re kind of on a budget.

As promised, how to make the big lasting event impact on a budget.

• Apply to speak on panels• Get sponsors to help you• Be a Meetup sponsor yourself (kegs are cheap!)• Digital events • Repurpose multimedia content• Many conferences & tradeshows offer free booths and/or DEEPLY discounted tickets to non-profits. Always ask.• Become an evangelist: Go to

every relevant free event you can• Volunteer at events or offer anything you can=good karma• Piggyback on other events… but be cool about it.

Check list pre-event

Check list post-event

• Spreadsheet of upcoming events or ideas• Brand consistency check• Assigning a point person• Budget • PR • Event listings

• Followups with leads• Repurposing content• Calculate ROI• Iterate

Some digital event resources

• Eventup.com • Freakin’ Google docs• Banneraholic.com• LTLprints.com• Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup, etc listings• There’s this thing called “social media,” m’kay?

Thanks for listening.

Find me online at kcpike.com, @kcpike, or come next door and say “howdy”