Approach
Stuff Events, the organisers of the iconic Round The Bays event, came to Virtual Marketers to help them boost ticket sales and reach a broader audience for their 2024 event. They’d been hit by the impact of Covid in previous years and were struggling to reach pre-Covid ticket sales. We focused on developing a six-month marketing plan that utilised previously untapped paid media channels and leveraged their strong organic social following. Our approach involved understanding the event’s unique value proposition and working with Stuff to identify new target markets to drive ticket sales and participation.
Solution
We took on the goals and overall marketing strategy the Stuff Events team had created and shared with us and created a detailed plan for paid ads tailored to the needs of Round The Bays:
- Keyword Research and Ad Group Planning: Conducted detailed keyword research to identify high-potential search terms and new target markets. This research informed the creation and focus of our ad groups, ensuring precise targeting and maximising the relevance and effectiveness of our ad campaigns.
- Google Search and Display Advertising: Planned and implemented Google Search campaigns to capture high-intent users and deployed Google Display ads to increase brand awareness among relevant audiences.
- Paid Social Media Advertising: Leveraged paid social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) to engage with potential participants through targeted ads, expanding the event's reach beyond the usual market.
- Creative Ad Development: Suggested engaging ad creatives tailored to different audience segments, crafting compelling messaging to highlight the unique aspects of the event.
- Promotional Strategy and Retargeting: We adapted the campaign strategy to leverage key promotional windows and price changes and utilised retargeting to capitalise on user interest, resulting in 6,000 sign-ups in the final week due to the ongoing buildup and strategic promotions over the six months prior.
- Performance Tracking and Optimisation: We created a live reporting dashboard to continuously monitor campaign performance, enabling us to make data-driven adjustments to optimise ad spend and maximise ROI throughout the course of the campaign.
Key Outcomes
The collaboration with Virtual Marketers, alongside a strong updated marketing strategy for the 2024 event led to significant achievements for Round The Bays:
- 2024 Ticket Sales: Reached an impressive 27,000 entries, marking a 35% increase from the 2023 event.
- Website Traffic: Increased website traffic by 27% through targeted Google Search and Display ads.
- Brand Visibility: Enhanced overall brand visibility and community engagement through a sustained digital presence.
Testimonial
“We were so excited to work with Virtual Marketers to really amp up our event this year. We’re a small team so partnering with Britta and VM meant we could explore areas we had only experimented with. They were so great to work with, invested in the success of the event and were constantly looking for ways to improve the ad campaigns. They also broke down the jargon and helped us learn along the way. ”
— Bex Taylor-Haskel, Marketing Manager for Stuff Events
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