How to create a successful event promotion?

Every time a large-scale event is held, many operations staff will work overtime all night long to write plans, hoping that their plans will be approved by their superiors.

However, many people may go back and forth, revise over and over again many times, but still cannot meet the requirements of their superiors!

Why is this?

Because you don’t have the mental framework to plan an event.

This article will use the 5W2H analysis method as the basic analysis framework of the event, and systematically share with you: how a successful event is created! Online activities are also of reference value.

Why should we master the 5W2H analysis method?

The 5W2H analysis method, also known as the seven-question analysis method, was first created by the U.S. Army Ordnance Repair Department during World War II.

Because it is simple, convenient, inspiring, easy to understand and use, it can be widely used in various scenarios.

5W2H allows us to organize an event without just staying on the surface of things, but to explore the essence of things through phenomena.

It’s like, you think the purpose of a new product launch is to boost sales of new products, but the company’s real purpose may be to eliminate the excessive backlog of old products.

Therefore, the value of the 5W2H analysis method lies in that it can help us understand the real motivations and purposes behind things!

Secondly, the 5W2H analysis method can also help to make up for omissions in considering issues.

For example, some people go to the supermarket to buy vegetables or ingredients, but often buy too little or the wrong ones.

When faced with this problem, the simplest and most effective way is to make a list of the things you want to buy and you won’t go wrong buying according to the list.

The missing link between buying too little and buying the wrong item and not missing anything is often a checklist!

In fact, writing a plan is the same as buying groceries: a plan is one-sided and forgetful; a plan is comprehensive and thoughtful, and what is often missing between the two is a list!

You can think of 5W2H as an analysis checklist, which can help us quickly establish a framework for analyzing problems, think about problems more comprehensively, and do things according to the framework. Even if it may not be brilliant, at least there will be no mistakes!

The above is the value that 5W2H brings to us. Next, I will show you how to use 5W2H to analyze an event.

How to use 5W2H for analysis?

1. Use why to determine the purpose and significance of the activity

Why mainly represents the purpose and significance of the activity. How to accurately determine the purpose of an event?

Here are two suggestions: think globally and change your perspective.

(1) Global thinking

We have all heard the story of the blind men and the elephant. It inspires us that if we only stand from our own standpoint and perspective, the elephant we see is only a part of the real elephant!

In other words, if you fail to see the overall picture of things, you will have one-sided cognition!

Different people have different understandings of activities. Sometimes, event managers, bosses, collaborative colleagues, sales departments, business departments, etc. may all be important parts of an event. Sometimes you need to work together with other departments to organize a successful event.

So how do we consider the problem from a global perspective?

① Strengthen communication with the other party

If you receive a work assignment and rush to stay up late to write a plan! The final result will definitely not be ideal, and there may be multiple revisions.

The correct approach should be: after you receive the task, you should communicate with your boss or the department leader you are in contact with as soon as possible, seek his opinions and suggestions, and ask about the purpose and goals of the activity, and put forward your own ideas; then, start writing the activity plan!

② Learn to understand the other person’s way of thinking

If your activity plan is rejected, the first thing you should think about is: Why did the leader reject my plan? How does he usually think about problems? If I follow the leader’s usual thinking structure and way of thinking about problems, what kind of plan would I write?

A smart operator will definitely be able to understand the other party’s way of thinking from their daily habits.

(2) Change of perspective

There is a saying: When you stand at the foot of a mountain, it is impossible to see the scenery at the top of the mountain.

Why?

Because: different perspectives!

Let’s say you’re an event planner and your company is planning a launch party at the end of the year. If you were in your position, you would think: I must make this event a success, so I should do this and that, and then, you would write a plan according to your ideas and hand it over to your supervisor.

But the supervisor asked, "Why do you only consider how to arrange and decorate the event, how to invite the media, and how to design the process? Have you ever thought about what role this event plays and what effect it has in our entire brand marketing throughout the year?"

Then you revised the plan many times and finally got the approval of your supervisor. When you took it to your boss or director for approval, you encountered setbacks again. Your plan was sent back and the boss or director wrote on it: the plan should focus on the input-output ratio and pay attention to the impact of the activity on the company at its current stage!

Now, are you confused?

What should we do?

An effective way is to train yourself to look at problems from a higher perspective.

If you are a specialist, you should think about the problem from the perspective of a manager. If you are a supervisor, you should think about the problem from the perspective of a director or boss!

Broaden your horizons and understand the real why and strategic significance behind an event!

2. Use who to determine the participants and collaborators

The target of the activity is the key link, that is, we need to be clear about who the activity is aimed at and who will do it?

An event involves many links and people, so it is best to make advance and detailed plans for personnel arrangements.

First of all, activities cannot be separated from the participation of users, so how to take care of the needs of important users during the event is also an issue that organizers need to think about seriously!

If you invite some heavyweight guests to the event, you must make arrangements in advance. It is recommended to communicate and coordinate about 2 months before the event, or even earlier!

3. Use where and when to determine the time and location of the meeting

The literal meaning of "where" is place or location. But in fact, there is much more to an event than just where!

The online quasi-traffic entrance for diversion, the offline venue location, venue size, venue layout, which mainly involves the construction and layout of the venue, and on-site maintenance during the event, are all considered where.

The following is a collection of where in the activity process based on my own understanding and practice:

Of course, the above content about where does not have to be written in great detail, but as an event planner, you need to have a clear idea of ​​it!

When represents time, which can also be broken down into specific parts. In an activity, when may mean:

For example, for an offline event, the warm-up phase should not exceed 15 days, and 7-10 days is generally appropriate; the communication phase should be 7 days, and the official time of the event depends on the specific situation, and is generally controlled within 3 hours. If the time is too long, it will be detrimental to the transmission of core information!

4. Use how to determine the division of labor details and preventive measures for activities

The how to do it is usually the most time-consuming and labor-intensive part. We need to first determine the core activity strategy, detailed implementation steps, specific promotion channels, clear division of labor, precise time control, accurate material preparation, etc.

As for the specific steps on how to do it, we still need to decide based on the actual situation of the activity. for example:

For example, in online activities, the development process needs to make the activity rules clear. Is the activity reusable or one-time? How to determine the launch and end time of an event? What are the arrangements for online promotion and offline page after the end?

If there is relevant data display, the display rules and reading effect also need to be clear, involving how the user interface operation retrieves information and notifies the user, such as how to prompt the user to claim the prize after winning the prize, etc.

As a coordinator and executor, no matter what the division of labor is, it must be clearly assigned to individuals and the progress of each work must be followed up in a timely manner. At the same time, it is also necessary to be forward-looking and make good risk plans in advance.

Materials for offline activities must be confirmed during the preparation stage, such as whether the QR code materials can be scanned after being printed, whether the materials are not replaced in time after changes are made to the event prizes, etc.

In the interactive session, ensure the quantity of gifts. If the gifts are gone but the activity is still going on, it will also affect the user experience.

What should I do if the projector breaks down on the day of the event? Is there any alternative method? What should we do if someone disrupts a press conference (similar to Baidu's Robin Li being splashed with water by the audience)?

Whether online or offline, when considering plans, processes and how to implement them, try to take into account all unexpected events that may occur before, during and after the event. Prevention is always better than remediation!

5. Use "what" to determine the theme and results of the activity

In an event, what can represent the theme and even the positioning of the event, and it also represents the results or output of the event!

Let’s talk about the results of the event. If after a new product launch conference, the organizer only considers what the company has gained, then the effect of this event will definitely not be very good! In fact, if a business relationship is only about one-sided profit, the relationship will not last long!

There must be a certain degree of importance among multiple results. To understand this importance, we must go back to the original why, and judge the results of the activity based on the why and sort them by importance.

Taking online activities as an example, we simply need to focus on data indicators such as attracting new users, promoting activation and retaining users. In terms of event operation, activities can be set up according to these three indicators respectively.

New users can be attracted through special preferential activities for new users, such as: coupons for new users, free trials for new users, gifts for new user registration, etc. For corporate users, we can start with strong corporate support policies.

The purpose of activation is to improve the activity of platform users. At this time, it is necessary to analyze the regular login cycle of platform users and take corresponding activities to increase the frequency of user logins. The usual means of operation are: login points mechanism, lottery mechanism, limited-time benefits, membership level policy and other incentives.

Retention requires analysis of what stage the product is in and which users are lost? Why is there loss? What are the means of recall? How to retain users after a recall? It is also necessary to be able to predict user churn and take measures to prevent it in advance.

6. Use “how much” to determine the input and output of an activity

Any activity will inevitably involve expenses and costs, as well as output. Therefore, how to measure input and output becomes very important!

How do we evaluate the cost and conversion of an event?

One way is to compare with activities in the same period last year or similar activities. The comparison mainly includes the intensity of the activities, the resources invested, the changes in the industry and the conversion situation, so as to estimate the effect of the activity.

If it is an online activity, the indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of the activity mainly include page visits, number of new users, new user conversion rate, number of users who have completed transactions, transaction conversion rate, CPC, CPA, ROI, ARPU values, etc.

We can set an indicator in advance before the event, and we need to monitor various data in real time during the event. As the event coordinator, we need to have a clear grasp of the progress of each person in charge, conduct timely inspections and adjustments, and strive to achieve and exceed the goals.

Of course, some activities may choose "strategic losses": for example, the activity concept of cost first and output second; the attitude of completing an event regardless of cost.

This situation may be for hidden interests and long-term interests. But no matter how we measure input and output, to determine the real how much, we have to go back to the original why.

What is the ultimate purpose of holding this event? In order to achieve this goal, what can be given up, what can be retained, what can be increased, and what can be reduced!

The how much link always serves the ultimate purpose.

Summary and related thoughts

The 5W2H analysis method not only allows us to accurately understand the real purpose behind the event, but also helps us to take overall control and consider things carefully.

Of course, if you take all aspects of an event into consideration, you can definitely plan a good event, right?

The answer is no. Even a general who has fought many battles and won many battles cannot guarantee that he will win the next battle. Because his enemies are definitely uncontrollable. Even if you have analyzed many problems and come up with countermeasures, the battlefield changes rapidly and there will always be things you cannot consider.

Even if we use 5W2H in the most comprehensive way, there will still be uncontrollable problems during the implementation process.

This requires us to accumulate our own knowledge and practical experience through personal practice, exercise our ability to predict problems, and be able to respond to challenges head on. Only in this way will our 5W2H list become more and more perfect, and we will be able to go into the battlefield with ease.

Author: Operation Xiaokaxiu

Source: Operation Xiaokaxiu