In the business of event & entertainment marketing the question of “how much is too much” comes up all the time. It comes up in the planning and implementing of marketing. It comes up with sales. It comes up with sponsor/partner pitching. Do you know when it’s too much?
Long before an event or show goes on sale you are planning the marketing for your event. You have to come up with a budget and then make it work. What you don’t know in advance is the result. Today, I don’t think you can ever have too much marketing. First off, you most likely cannot afford “too much”. Your marketing plan should have a goal of reaching as many of your potential customers as possible. In our business this usually means about one month of marketing. If you have the opportunity to saturate the market you should do it.
Sales is a different animal in the world of selling an event. This is more personal. You are contacting someone directly to ask for their business. In group sales you are asking the group leader for the sale. You might start with a direct mail piece followed up by a phone call. Even better, you are meeting them in person to pitch them on the show. What if they don’t give you a yes or no answer? How much sales pressure do you put on them? Too much and you run the risk of losing the sale. No one I know likes an over pushy sales person.
Sponsor/partnership sales is even more dangerous. In most cases, you are asking someone to give you lots of money for the partnership. Good potential partners receive proposals every day. You have to walk a fine line between standing out from the others and being annoying. You also have to be careful not to involve too many cooks in the kitchen. How many people from one event do they want to hear from? The potential partner either likes your event or doesn’t. If they like it and want to put a deal together, they will. Most importantly remember, they are giving you something you want and they don’t have to.
