It is important to create detailed event recaps to track the effectiveness of your experiential marketing program. These reports will help you measure your campaign against your program objectives, determine which tactics were a success and which should be modified for future campaigns.
- Agree on program objectives. – It is important to collaborate with the program’s key stakeholders during the development phase of the program to ensure that all parties have agreed to the program objectives.
- Decide what you will measure. – Determine what specific metrics you will be gathering. There are several ways to track the success of a program from sales, to impressions and number of premiums distributed. Check out How to Measure the ROI of Your Mobile Toursto get some ideas on sample tactics for ROI metrics. Make sure that these are tactics that you can track, i.e., will you be able to get sales numbers related to your program, will you be able to track media coverage?
- Decide how you will gather reports. – What format will you use for your reports? Will you utilize an on online reporting portal? (Check out a future blog from Pro Motion on the benefits of online reporting.) Will you utilize emails, paper reports, etc.? When deciding what format to use for reporting think about how you will use the information, who will need access to the information and how often it will be updated.
- Create a detailed report to gather all information. – Create a report that your Brand Ambassadors will complete after each event. Include specific questions to track all of the agreed metrics. Be sure to gather additional feedback from Brand Ambassadors, consumers, sales representatives, event contacts, media partners, etc. about each event. Include information that could help with future planning or would provide insight into a specific event such as weather conditions, event attendance, event contact responsiveness, etc. Make sure that you include a photo and or video recap for each event.
- Gather reports. – Gather reports from Brand Ambassadors after each event so that they are completing the information while it is still fresh in their minds. Make sure that they understand the program objectives and the importance of accurate event reporting. Ensure that all team members have the same definitions for each reporting metric.
- Analyze feedback. – Check reports for trends, success and areas for improvement. Look for a future blog outlining tips for monitoring experiential marketing recaps.