Hooray, it’s festival season! Galway City, the city of tribes, is famous for its many festivals, and as a Galway-based creative marketing agency, you could say we know a thing or two about marketing such events. Since being crowned “Best in Social Media” at the Spider Awards and winning “Best Social Media Strategy for Events” at the Sockies, the team here at Lorg Media has put together the ultimate guide to festival marketing. Now, you too can market an award-winning festival!
Get SMART with your goals and budget
Peel back the layers of your fun festival and ask yourself, what is the point of it? Having fun is not enough, and a vague festival with no specific aims will only set you up for failure. It’s time to get results-focused by following the SMART acronym. A goal that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely will keep you on track to festival success.
If your main focus is ticket sales, decide how many tickets you want to sell and give yourself a deadline. If the focus is brand awareness, create a hashtag for your festival and decide how many impressions it should get in a given timeframe. Remember to consider your budget; be realistic about what you can achieve, and how you will achieve it.
Know Your Audience
Every good guide to festival marketing has the audience at its core. The bulk of your festival marketing strategy will depend on the event’s attendees, who they are, and where you can find them.
For example, a brand activation in the online gaming world of Roblox would speak directly to the consumers of a video game festival whereas if you were marketing a festival for university students, TikTok would play a huge role, as almost half of Ireland’s TikTok users are aged 18 – 24.
When it comes to family-friendly festivals, we know that as of June 2024, the largest share of Ireland’s monthly Facebook users are aged 25 – 34 and because Facebook generally attracts older audiences, we can assume parents can be found there too.
Platforms like Meta and TikTok are ideal for digital advertising as they allow you to target social media users based on their age, location, and interests, giving you scope to find exactly the type of people who would be interested in your festival.
Be Channel Savvy
Our ultimate guide to festival marketing adopts a multi-channel approach that makes the best possible use of each channel. Gone are the days of posting the same graphic on every social platform without first checking if it meets each platform’s recommended dimensions. Nowadays, each marketing channel has its own unique features that will go a long way in promoting your festival.
Include QR codes on your physical posters so you can track scans and direct traffic to your website. Keep your festival top-of-mind by adding an event reminder to your Instagram post. Use call-to-action buttons in your newsletter to direct readers to buy tickets or find out more about the festival programme. Reject the “one size fits all” approach and think about how you can make the most of your multi-channel marketing strategy.
Be Organised
This tip may seem like an obvious one, but how could we claim to own the ultimate guide to festival marketing without stressing the importance of organisation?
Start creating a timeline and content calendar weeks in advance of your festival. Host regular meetings with your team to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities. Use a project management tool like Asana to collaborate on tasks, assign tasks to team members, and keep track of your to-do lists all in one place.
Why? Your future self will thank you.
Use Word of Mouth
92% of Nielsen-surveyed consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any kind of marketing. That’s why we’ve included word of mouth as a valuable step in our ultimate guide to festival marketing.
Word of mouth could come from your festival volunteers or teammates.
Employee-generated content (EGC) is a fairly new term in marketing that refers to when employees post content online that highlights their employment in a positive way. Chances are if you have a good rapport with your volunteers and teammates, they will agree to tell their friends about the festival.
Use Live Marketing
Our guide to festival marketing says the work doesn’t stop when the festival starts. Think ahead to next year. If your festival is an annual event or if you’d like it to be so, use live marketing at your festival to make your audience, or those who missed out, excited to attend next year.
Options for live marketing include live tweeting, live streaming, Instagram stories on location, and more. Prompt user-generated content with a competition and incentivize festival attendees with a prize for the best photo or video. By covering all bases, you can collect content that can be used again to promote ticket sales for next year’s festival or raise awareness of your brand.
Measure Your Results
Last but not least, our guide to festival marketing highlights the importance of being results-focused before, during, and after your festival.
Look at other festivals for inspiration to see how you can carry out similar results. Track statistics regularly to see if you’re on track to meet your KPIs, and readjust your budget accordingly. Create an analytics report about your festival and present it to your team. Have an open and honest discussion with them to discover what worked, what didn’t work, and how you can improve next time.
By staying focused this festival season, you’ll not only create an unforgettable festival but also set the stage for future triumphs. For best results, share this guide to festival marketing with your team!