Meet RuthAnne.
She’s an account manager at BG Digital Group and lover of all things adventure. After just over two years with our business (RuthAnne joined when we were still Bellagurl Marketing), she has already established herself as our office’s outdoor brands expert. Her days outside of the office are spent fishing, hunting, playing on the water, or anything else that keeps her on her feet, which makes RuthAnne perfectly suited for event marketing on the Crystal Coast and beyond.
RuthAnne is well versed in event marketing with organizations like the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, and recently spent the week in Manteo, experiencing the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. Her ideal client would mix her two favorite things: event marketing and adventure industries. If your brand falls into that category, RuthAnne has a very important message for you: here’s how to break into the adventure industry with event marketing.
(Psst – if you’re looking for some background, try reading 9 Reasons You Need Event Marketing in NC.)
Know The Industry.
“If I’m about to begin marketing an event, the first thing on my list is to become an expert on the industry. The outdoors and adventure industries can be more difficult to learn about. There is typically a lot of specific terminology that loyal followers of the industry will use. During fishing tournaments, I would not only learn how to identify gamefish, but I would also learn what to expect for an average weight, average length, and past records in tournament history. Get involved, learn the terminology, and get to know all the people involved so that when you need something in the heat of the moment, you know exactly where to get it.”
Go back to management basics.
“Putting together a schedule of events for the day is obviously a necessity, but you can do better. For live event coverage, you’ll need a shot list of every picture for every social media outlet. Know where the crowd will gather and where you can get the best view of the subject. At fishing tournaments, there are media everywhere to provide live coverage for news outlets, the website, etc. But remember that social media coverage is just as important. More people are watching from online than ever before, so get a media pass and get the shots you need. Keep a list nearby of every shot you wanted to get, and check it off as it gets posted.”
Brush up on your social media skills.
“For adventure brands, your target audience includes people that love the great outdoors, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also love social media. For those who couldn’t make it to the event, they’re probably looking for live, exciting, up-to-the-minute social media coverage, so do a little research to find out where your audience is, whether its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or elsewhere.
While you’re at it, explore your options for making social media posting as efficient as possible. For our events, we use a team of at least three people for live coverage on social media. If you’re on your own, you’ll definitely want to use tools like Hootsuite on your phone to send out updates across multiple platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram, all at the same time.”
Practice great customer service.
“Live coverage doesn’t always end when the event is over. You’re doing public relations behind the scenes, mixing event management with brand management. You can expect to be fielding a lot of questions from people on social media, and they’ll be expecting answers fast.”
(To learn more about how to practice great customer service online, try reading How Social Media and Customer Service Go Hand in Hand.)
Take advantage of user-generated content.
While BG Digital Group was providing live event coverage during tournament week, our social media manager, Carrie, and RuthAnne teamed up to create engaging social media giveaways while fans waited for blue marlin weigh-ins. When the tournament overlapped with Father’s Day, RuthAnne put together giveaway packages for kids to win for their dads.
“Encourage fans to spontaneously engage. You can use giveaways through event sponsors, or start the wave by simply sharing fan photos. Even without the incentive of a contest, people love to see their faces on a screen. Something as simple as sharing a fan photo can spark interest and get social media users promoting your event for you.”
That’s all for today from RuthAnne! Stay tuned to see where she takes her adventure industry expertise next, and check out our personality blogs for the rest of the BG Digital Group family here:
Copy Carrie’s Favorite Instagrams and Get More Followers
Become and iPhone Photography Expert With Susan
6 Eyecatching Font Pairings from Chelsea
3 Brands that Delight With Rosalind
