As a startup, building brand awareness is a top priority. In order to grow your business, you need to introduce yourself to your target audiences. There are any number of ways to spend your marketing budget, but providing a personal touch can make a big impression on a targeted audience.
Brand activations are the cheat code you need to make an impact and raise brand awareness among the markets that matter the most to your success.
There are several types of live marketing events and brand activations that can help you achieve your aims.
Public Brand Activations
Getting out into a public place and putting on an event, demonstration, giveaway, or novel experience is a great way to expand brand awareness in a local market. It’s a common tactic for brands building a name for themselves as well as established companies launching new products or entering a new market.
The key to a successful public brand activation is getting the attention of passersby and giving them a reason to stay.
One way to enhance your activation is to rent a digital billboard that brings touch and gesture control to an outdoor environment. Today’s digital billboard technology gives you far more options for outdoor environments. A portable digital billboard isn’t just about getting people’s attention; it can now become an integral part of the experience by incorporating gamification or Augmented Reality features. They can enhance your unique experience in a powerful way that people are unlikely to forget.
Target Industry Insiders and Pros
B2B startups have a very precise target market, much more so than companies trying to angle in on a specific demographic within the general public.
That can make advertising tougher, but in addition to data-driven online marketing, B2B startups can make major gains by throwing an event for industry professionals and insiders.
Your first challenge is giving industry professionals a reason to show up. Interactive corporate events tend to be more successful than static affairs where the audience is stuck sitting down and listening to speakers.
When it comes to planning corporate events, judging the number of guests to invite is a tightrope walk. Just remember, most of the time, empty seats and uneaten food are a bad look. It’s usually better to have too many people show up than not enough if you’re aiming to generate buzz.
Trade Shows & Conferences
Not in a position to attract industry insiders to your own corporate event? If you’re still building enough name recognition to host your own corporate event, getting into trade shows and conferences can introduce you to the industry and drum up interest in your brand.
The biggest challenge of a trade show or conference is standing out in a crowded field. It can help if your booth has some kind of fun, interactive element that really shows off who you are.
Tying in Social Media and Brand Activation Assets
Brand activations don’t have to end with the event itself. Social media provides an excellent platform for leveraging brand activation assets like:
- Photos
- Video
- Social media tagging
- Customer feedback
You can use these as foundations for a broader marketing campaign that invites in those who couldn’t be there, expanding your audience and adding excitement to any campaign you launch.