How to Look Big With a Small Budget

Anytime you attend a show, you want to put on the best event you can, with a wow factor that draws people in and creates the perception that you are a major player. That can be hard to accomplish if your budget isn’t as robust as your vision. However, there are some things you can do that can help you look big even when working with a small budget.

Go Digital

When you implement digital event marketing tools for your event – pre, during and post – the perception of your event automatically ramps up. Almost everyone has access to digital tools, so you can create a big presence with very little money spent. Social media, mobile apps and email campaigns can elevate your image with minimal investment.

Pre-Event

Social media is king when developing pre-event activities. The idea is to create as much buzz as possible prior to the show, so be sure to ramp up your social media activities. You can create a dedicated page on LinkedIn and Facebook, as well as set up a dedicated Twitter account to tweet information that can then be re-tweeted by attendees. Pre-event email campaigns pack a big bang for little effort or money and can create the perception of a robust organization.

Event

Digital sign-in at your event automatically creates a high-tech, high-budget image. You can also use mobile technology during the event to create personalized messages (SMS) to host contests, announce activities and share images to keep attendees engaged. This level of personalized digital attention lets your attendees know you value them and want them to have a fully interactive experience. If you do have some room in your budget, think about developing an on-site app that not only engages your participants, but also captures attendee information you can use in post-event communications.

Post-Event

You’ll want to keep your event alive in the minds of your attendees, so ramping up your social media tactics will come into play again when you remind them of the event’s highlights and encourage them to engage with your company in the future. Information gathered digitally at the show can now be reviewed for event analytics to show you where you were most successful in engaging participants.

No matter what your event budget, you’re practically guaranteed a big success if you use digital tactics.