Almost one year exactly, I had a client that had a very significant pain point that was coming further to the surface post the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world went back to hosting events, many of their older patrons were not comfortable attending events, which posed the problem of not only finding but reaching the younger demographic that they would want at their event.
Step 1: Survey
We ran surveys through our email lists, social media platforms and, specifically on our Instagram stories. Knowing that we were looking for a younger demographic, Instagram and TikTok were the two social platforms that we knew would provide the best statistics.
We asked what this younger demographics ideal event experience was like, what factored into their buying power, what price points were feasible for them, and what they wanted to take away from the event. Cultivating our research into three final pitches, we worked through internally as a team what we would want to add to our marketing platform for the event.
Step 2: Three-Touch Points
It wouldn't be as simple as one post on Instagram to reach our new, younger, targeted audience. It often times takes two to three touch points just to resonate and leave a lasting memory. Our addition for this client was a line dancing and swing dancing contest to promote their country music festival - complete with custom belt buckles to award to the winners. This was where the younger crowd that listened to country-western music was finding themselves to enjoy the music.
At each of the ten-dance stops for the contest, we collected names, phone numbers and email addresses for a drawing for free tickets to the event. Winners of the contest also got free tickets to compete in the next round at the festival; encouraging their friends to also join and cheer them on.
We utilized the email addresses to create a look-alike audience on Meta Platforms (Instagram & Facebook) and then ran targeted dance-culture themed advertisements through that look-alike audience for a minimal number of dollars leading up to the event.
Step 3: Survey, Survey, Survey!
Just as we started, we ended with surveys. Post contest, we surveyed first and foremost those that helped organize the event. Then we surveyed and interviewed in a recap session with the venues that hosted stops, as well as the winners of the overall contest. Additionally, we sent out a survey to everyone that was a part of the event, and, knowing not all of them would check emails, we also did a survey on our Instagram story again.
Step 4: Make a Game Plan
Immediately following the events closure, we created an entirely new plan for the next year to build on the information we had already learned. We now knew that line dancing was the most popular contest, but that there was a lot of interest both our new audience and our steadfast, original audience to learn how to swing dance. We also learned what kind of country music they liked to listen too, to assist us in booking an even more dynamic artist lineup for our next event. We knew exactly how to manage our events to make them run efficiently and we had our email lists for all of those that attended in past years.
As you can see, social media continues to grow and adapt as the beast that it is. It's no longer a simple landing page - you can have a great website for that! It's multi-dimensional, it requires thought out plans, out-of-the-box creativity and a genuine interest in the audience(s) that you want to reach on the platform.
Finding Your Audience Where They Are - A Case Study