9 Sales Promotion Ideas for Your Event Planning Business

You need to invest as much time in promoting your event planning business as you do planning the great events that you assist people with. Of course, you can’t do that without a proper strategy. Like anything, sales promotions have a lot to offer but they will offer different outcomes for everyone. What works for one event planner might not be as effective for the next, and so forth.

Fortunately, you’ve got all the resources that you need at your fingertips, including this handy guide that will offer nine sales promotion ideas. Some of these are must-haves while others are unique innovations, but in any case, they’re all effective. And remember you can always outsource your sales outreach if you need help or don't know where to begin. Take the time to consider ways that you could create unique promotions and attract your target audiences using the ideas below for inspiration. 

1. Referral programs and discounts 

In the event planning industry, referrals and word of mouth can help you get the business that you desire. Rather than just hoping people talk, you could create an incentive program to get more referrals for your business. You could offer a free service or discount of some kind for referrals and more. It’s going to help build your brand reputation, increase your customer base, and ensure that your existing clients remain loyal for the future. 

2. Expos and trade shows

Event planners should always be taking advantage of trade shows and expos. Not only is this a good place to network and connect with others in the industry, but it’s a great place to find new clients and leads that may need your services in the future (or know someone who does). You can do some research online and find all kinds of events all over the country, as well as plenty of virtual events that you can attend to help boost your event planning business. 

3. Create virtual “events” and webinars

Speaking of virtual events, why not go so far as to create your own? If you want to draw in clients or networking partners, you can do a lot with the virtual technology out there today. From Zoom meetings and mixers to webinars and presentations, there are plenty of ways that you can get people’s attention by giving them something to experience. 

4. Free or discount offers 

Event planners all have their own methods of charging for services. Some charge by the event, while others charge by the hour. Still more people may charge per day, etc. What matters here is not how you’re getting paid, but that you’re using this as a way to provide people with discounts or freebies in return for their business. For example, if you’re hired to plan a wedding, you might offer reception planning at a discount since they’re already booking one service. 

5. Retarget clients for new business with discounts and incentives

This is a great way to work your existing client base and get repeat business. Offer incentives or discounts related to whatever services you have offered in the past, or something that may logically follow. For example, you could give your wedding clients a coupon to share with friends and family for a certain percentage off your services, a free consultation, or something of the like. Find a reason to bring people back—life is full of reasons to celebrate. 

6. Incentivize reviews and testimonials 

Feedback from firsthand users is always going to help improve a company’s reputation and draw in more business. If you’re doing things well, there’s a good chance that you will get a lot of testimonials and reviews just because of how appreciative your clients are. However, you can take things up a notch if you offer some kind of incentive. This will get more people to respond and assist you with building your reputation. That third-party insight is a big part of decision-making for most people, so the more you can offer, the better. 

7. Make social media your platform for showcasing events and more

Social media isn’t just a place where you create profiles and sit back and watch. This is an interactive platform and it’s one that you need to embrace if you’re going to succeed in promoting any business, let alone an event planning business. Showcase the events that you host on your social media profiles. Let people post reviews and other valuable information. Create a robust social media marketing strategy that covers all the bases and gives you the promotional visibility that you deserve. 

8. Optimize your website for SEO and more 

Just like your social media pages, your website needs to do more than just exist. SEO is less of an “idea” and more of a must-have for every business today. If you’re in the business of planning events and helping people throw the best parties, you’ll understand the importance of making sure that your website is at its best so that it’s working for you. When your website is optimized for SEO and search engines, people will find you on their own and your organic traffic will grow. 

9. Partner with the team at Smith.ai for assistance with outreach campaigns, lead intake, and more

You’re an event planner and you are probably quite busy planning the various events that you have going on. You may not have time to deal with outreach, marketing, and handling incoming leads, and you don’t have to. Instead, you can partner with a team like the dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai and we’ll do it all for you. 

We’ll make sure that you have systems in place to answer all of the new leads that are coming in, including 24/7 answering services. Plus, we’ll even handle the outreach campaigns from the start so that nothing misses a step and you get all the leads you deserve. Not only can we handle outbound prospecting and calls, but we can also assist with follow-up via text and email, appointment scheduling, live website chat, and so much more.  

Schedule a consultation to discuss what a partnership with Smith.ai can do for your event planning business. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.