When potential clients can’t walk through your doors—maybe they live out of state, are planning from afar, or simply don’t have the time to visit—it becomes even more important to showcase your venue in creative, accessible ways. People planning events need to feel confident about a venue they may not see in person right away.
That’s why a strong digital presence isn’t enough on its own. A polished website and beautiful photos help, but today’s planners want an immersive experience that lets them feel your space from wherever they are. Here are four effective ways to promote your venue and attract guests without requiring an on-site visit.
Update Your Marketing
When was the last time you updated your brochure? Or added new photos to your website? Sometimes when business is busy, marketing materials take a back seat to all the work you’re doing. And that’s okay! You have to prioritize your time; you can’t do everything at once. It may be time to give your marketing some TLC.
This includes print and digital materials—from your website to any social media platforms and downloadable or mailed content. Do you have new photos from recent events? Maybe you have new packages or offerings. Get your team together and see what materials need to change, and then change them!
Host Virtual Tours
Just because your customers can’t come to your venue doesn’t mean they can’t see it. There are so many ways to host a virtual tour, for every budget and every step of the booking process. (In fact, we came up with five ourselves, from panoramic pictures to full-blown 360-degree videos.) The key to a good virtual tour is to think about past in-person tours. What questions came up often? What parts of the venue did customers ask to see? Promoting your venue is easiest when you can anticipate your client’s needs.
Don’t forget about customers who have already booked with you, too. They may want to see the venue again, or need to see the lay of the land to establish seating charts and special decorations. You may have already sold them on the venue, but their experience only ends when the event is over! Consider creating a 3D floorplan of your venue using AllSeated or Socials Tables. That way, you and your customer can collaborate on seating and table arrangements.
Offer Online Scheduling
Because so many people planning events are browsing for venues online, make it easy for them to contact you or schedule a virtual meeting. This lets potential customers instantly reach out—a key part of promoting your venue. If they leave your website because they can’t conveniently contact you, they may never return. Plus, you can decide what information to gather before they submit any requests. That means you can collect important details, like email addresses and event types, so you can properly prepare for the meeting. (And contact them for future deals—without spamming, of course.)
Adding an online form or scheduling tool can be done easily on most website platforms. Some platforms offer scheduling as a feature, while others are compatible with a free add-on or widget that will do the trick. Chances are, your website fits into one (or both!) of those categories. You can offer time slots for online meetings or virtual tours. If you’re not there yet, an online form for questions is a great start.
Get Listed
If you’re not listed on an online event directory, you’re missing out! Listing with an online event directory means you don’t just have your own website traffic to leverage—you also have the SEO and search rankings of the directory’s website. While your main marketing website is perfect for in-depth exploration of your venue (complete with a virtual tour, right?), the trick is getting customers onto your website.
Anyone planning an event wants to quickly narrow their options down, based on pricing, capacity, and location. An online venue directory lets them do all of that from the comfort of their couch. Then, they visit the websites of their top venue choices. Eventective is an online venue directory for any type of event—from weddings to parties and meetings. We offer different listing packages to fit your needs and budget, and interested individuals can contact and book you directly from our website!
Conclusion
It’s a whole new world out there—one that is being run from behind computer screens. Promoting your venue online is the best way to participate in the “new normal” of our future. Update your marketing materials, bring your guests to your venue virtually, and get listed. We know you can do this!
What new ways have you started promoting your venue, and have they worked? Share your stories with us!
