Why is a Marketing Plan Essential?

A marketing plan is a critical component for the successful promotion of any event. It serves multiple purposes:

Helps you plan out a campaign with all of the key dates: By laying out a timeline, you can ensure that every aspect of your marketing strategy is executed at the right time. You can account for pay periods, public holidays and seasonal sales spikes. This helps in maximising impact and engagement.
Create contingencies ahead of time: Planning ahead allows you to foresee potential challenges and create backup plans. If something doesn't go as expected, you'll have alternative strategies ready to implement.
Helps to structure a week-by-week checklist: A structured checklist provides a clear roadmap for your marketing activities. It ensures nothing is overlooked and helps in tracking progress.

What Should Your Marketing Plan Include?

An effective marketing plan should be comprehensive and detailed. Here are the key elements to include:

Timeline of Key Announcements: Plan out the dates for major announcements such as the event itself, ticket releases, guest and venue reveals, ticket price increases, and major PR campaigns.
Weekly Plan of Promotional Activity: This should include both organic and paid social media efforts, email newsletters, competitions, WhatsApp broadcasts and SMS blasts.
Budget Breakdown per Week/Day: Detail how much you plan to spend on each campaign and marketing channel. This helps in managing your resources efficiently. Consider increasing your spend around pay periods as in the final weeks leading up to an event.
Your Chosen Marketing Platforms: Outline which channels you will focus your marketing efforts on.
Detailed Audience Breakdown for Marketing Platforms: Specify the custom, lookalike, and saved audiences you plan to target, particularly on platforms like Meta.
Opportunities for Collaboration: Identify potential partnerships with guests, venues, and other stakeholders to enhance your marketing efforts. Arrange collaborative social media posts, advertiser access and dark ads where possible.
Expected Ticket Sales per Week with Contingencies: Provide projections for ticket sales and plan for contingencies if targets are not met.
Different Campaign Messaging for Different Regions: Tailor your messaging to suit local, national, and international audiences.
Details on How the Story of Your Event Will Develop: Outline how you will introduce different concepts and keep the audience engaged throughout the campaign.
Ticketing Breakdown by Tier and Price: Include information on different ticket tiers and price points to manage sales and create a sense of urgency.

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Event Marketing Plan: A Complete Guide for Ticket Sales