6 basic elements of complete event promotion planning

Before sharing your content, please consider the following questions based on your past experience:

• When you plan an event, do you have clear goals? For example, are there clear indicators and KPIs?
• When designing this activity plan, did you fully consider what resources would be needed to realize this activity, and was this communicated in advance?
• Did you set the start, end and duration of the activity at random or did you design it deliberately?

When operating the same event, there may be significant differences between operating in a mature and stable large company and in a developing company with not particularly stable business. But at the same time, we found that no matter whether the activity is simple or complex, there are some things that must be fully considered when designing and planning the activity program.

Let’s start by learning the basic elements of an effective and reliable activity plan.

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Earlier we talked about how to scientifically learn from other people’s activities to operate a good event. Next, let’s take a little time to talk about how to independently design and execute the strategy of a complex and large-scale event.

At the beginning, let’s briefly return to the previous content. We have mentioned before that in the context of event operations, our activities can be divided into two types:

For both types of activities, if you want, you can actually do it well by learning from others. For simple single-threaded activities, as long as you spend some effort, you can basically find a more suitable reference object to learn from.

As for complex multi-threaded activities, as long as you can find a product or a company whose business model or product form is similar to yours, you can actually learn from their more successful activities.

So, since both of these activities can be done well by learning from others, when will we be faced with the tasks that we need to solve today? That is, when do you need to independently define and build a basic activity operation framework for a complex multi-threaded activity?

This may involve another knowledge point we talked about before, that is, the larger the user base and the more user paths/product lines there are, the more complex the activities will tend to be, and more sophisticated strategy designs will often be required when conducting activities.

Relationship between product life cycle stages and activities

Let's take a look at these knowledge points on the product life cycle diagram:

Introduction period:

In fact, if we look at this picture, we can see that when a product is introduced, its user base is generally small. At this time, there is often no need to involve complex large-scale activities, and there is no need for activities to have many levels. Often some simple activities are sufficient.

Growth stage:

When we reach the growth stage, we often enter the stage where we need to start doing some complex activities. When a product's user base increases and its complexity reaches a certain stage, someone is often needed to build a more complex operational framework from scratch.

When we start our business, we may develop to a certain user scale, but because we are a startup company, we do not have the same active middle platform as those mature large companies, and many active tools can be reused directly internally. The problem we face at this time is that we need someone to define a framework for activity operations, including the types of activities that are typically done in the business.

For example, site-wide promotional activities may be one category; rebate activities for old customers bringing in new customers may be the second category; the release of rights and interests and rebates for core users may be the third category. We need someone to define what types of activities we have to do and what the basic framework level of each type of activity is.

And at this stage, not only do we not have a large amount of mature data and tools at hand, but it is also very likely because we are a startup company, even if we want to find someone to learn from, we may not be able to find it.

Therefore, often within such a company, at such a stage of development, we must inevitably design some complex activity strategies and basic activity form structures from scratch. And if we want to do better, after the forms of some activities are fixed, we need to solidify them into some activity tools and templates so that our subsequent team members can directly reuse them when doing similar activities.

In this case, I think this diagram can answer the question just raised, which is when we need to independently define some complex and large-scale activities, design strategies, and even solidify them into some templates.

The technical content of independently completing a complex multi-threaded activity

Now that these issues are clear, let's take a look at what the technical content is when we independently complete a complex multi-threaded activity compared to a simple single-threaded activity, or when we do a reference activity.

The above picture shows what we said before about how to do a complex multi-threaded activity well. The key to its success or failure is probably these aspects. Let’s briefly summarize it based on this picture.

In fact, if you independently start such an activity from scratch, the technical content is firstly a simple single-threaded activity or a reference activity, which basically does not involve or rarely involves the backend design part. If you design from scratch, strategy will be an extremely important part. In other words, which group of people will be involved in this activity, or which products will be the focus of this activity? This is rarely involved in reference activities or independent simple single-threaded activities. However, if a complex multi-threaded activity is designed from scratch, then strategy will be a crucial part, or the part that determines the survival or failure of an activity.

The second part is actually to do the same activity gameplay design and activity execution. The complexity of independently doing a complex multi-threaded large-scale activity is often more complicated and requires higher technical content than a simple reference-based activity. It often requires thinking clearly about the various different activity gameplays that need to be designed. Because if I want to do a complex multi-threaded activity, I need to do gameplay design in many places. What is the relationship between these different gameplay designs? Which execution details should come first and which should come later, etc. These things may be more complicated than simply borrowing from an activity.

Basic workflow of complex large-scale activities from conception to implementation

We have laid the groundwork for the previous part. Next, let’s take a look at the basic workflow of a complex large-scale event from conception to implementation.

In fact, the process is quite complicated. Let’s look at it step by step.

The first step is to clarify the goals, time, resources, etc. We need to clarify these basic information;

Next, we should find out where the core focus of the activity is, or where the better focus is, and formulate the back-end strategy of the activity. This is basically what we have said before. For an activity, we should focus more on stimulating old users or new users, and focus on promoting and displaying which type of products. This is to find the better focus of the activity, and combine such focus to specify the back-end strategy of the activity. This is the second step;

The third step is that the strategy is relatively clear, and the next step is to plan the theme of the event and design the entire gameplay of the event;

The fourth step is to evaluate the risks of the event. Because a large and complex event has a long cycle and many links, what risks will it have? After identifying these risks, we also need to improve the event strategy and gameplay based on these risks;

These are the first four steps. After completing the first four steps, we can basically produce an effective and reliable activity plan;

After the activity plan is produced, the next step is to communicate and adjust the plan, confirm resources, and follow up on the launch. It is at this time that we need to confirm with the R&D personnel and supporting implementation personnel whether this plan is reliable and which parts need to be adjusted. For example, if R&D tells you that there are three things that cannot be done and cannot be realized, then you basically need to make adjustments, and then confirm that the resources are in place, and then follow up to prepare for development. This is the fifth step;

The sixth step is to prepare for the launch and then start the warm-up and event promotion phase, so that more people can know about the event.

Step 7: After the preheating promotion is completed, it is time to implement the activity. We need to complete data monitoring and evaluation, and determine whether to make some optimization and adjustments to the activity in a timely manner based on the data;

And the eighth step, after the whole activity is over, the activity may have a secondary dissemination part, just like the Jianshu case mentioned earlier, it actually took out some content for secondary dissemination during the activity, and then we also need to evaluate the results of the activity, basic feedback and review summary.

So these basic eight steps are the basic workflow for a complex large-scale event from conception to implementation. The upper part is the output of the activity plan, and the lower part is basically the execution and implementation of the activity. To put it simply, a complex large-scale event from conception to implementation can be simplified into two parts. One part is the planning and design of the event plan, and the other part is the execution and implementation of the event. In the following content, we will also divide the entire operation process of complex large-scale events into these two parts and discuss them with you in order of priority.

What should an effective and reliable activity plan look like?

Therefore, in the first module we must talk about how to plan and produce an effective activity plan. Since we are going to talk about the output of an activity plan, we must first know what an effective and reliable activity plan looks like. Next, let’s take a look at the structure of a simple activity plan.

The activity plan I am going to show you next is a basic activity plan made by a recruitment website in 2014-2015. You can take a look at it:

This event is actually a job-seeking and recruitment event. It is aimed at enterprises, inviting them to participate, and at users, also attracting users to submit more applications.

So we have such a basic structure. First of all, the purpose and goal of this activity is to increase website traffic and the number of registered users through the activity, with the goal of doubling the number compared to last year.

Then the core strategy of the event will follow: start from the rigid demand of recruiting business owners, initially focus on the introduction of business owners, and then combine with the promotion and dissemination of some unique positions to attract more traffic and exposure, and then mainly integrate into special recruitment sessions for different industries, and then cooperate with a large number of vertical communities to promote recruitment and job-seeking activities.

There are goals and core strategies at the beginning, and then we will enter the core gameplay. There will be some core gameplay designs, such as PK between companies. In various hot fields, some heads of popular companies will be invited to PK, and they will explain in detail why they are more worthy companies to join in this field, and job seekers will be invited to judge, etc. There will be such a core gameplay design, and you can just take a look at the rest by yourself.

Going forward, the event will certainly need to be promoted and disseminated, so we should simply sort out what the points are for promotion and dissemination. We have some points for promotion and dissemination in both 2B2C aspects.

There will be a big timetable further on.

Then what we prepare next is what core tasks we may need to complete. After sorting out these parts, I think a more reliable activity plan will be formed. At least when you take out a plan like this and discuss it with your boss, you'll basically have something to talk about, and you won't just casually ask your boss whether we should do an event but can't give a 123 on how to do it, or you have some scattered ideas and information in your mind, and your boss will be particularly frustrated when you try to communicate with him.

Therefore, I think a reliable and effective activity plan should basically include the following information structure, objectives, strategies, core gameplay, the core information points we promote and disseminate, as well as some large time rhythms. If it goes a little further, there may be a need for resources, so this is a basic activity plan.

How to produce an “effective” preliminary activity plan?

Now that we know what a reliable activity plan looks like, how should we make an effective and reliable activity plan? According to what we just said, there are four steps in total to create a reliable activity plan. Next, we will discuss them one by one.

The first step is to clarify the goals, time, resources, etc. How should we clarify them? Basically, we can confirm it upwards and internally, that is, confirm it with your boss and within the company, and you can also analyze some information data independently and make some predictions to confirm the goals, time and resources of this activity.

6 essential elements of planning an event

This is a bit rough, so let's go into more detail. Basically, when planning an event, we need to write an effective activity plan. We need to know that there are six basic elements in our minds, namely purpose, goal, time, resources, strategy, and activity form. We have six basic elements.

So what is the relationship between these six elements? Basically, purpose, goal, time and resources are the constraints we need to carry out this activity well.

Constraints are a very important concept. I hope everyone has a clear idea about it in their mind. What does it mean? When many of us fail to do something, we often complain that there is not enough time, not enough budget, not enough resources, etc. But in fact, I think that as a professional in the workplace, we must know that not everything is unconstrained in the workplace. For example, if there is no cap on the resources we can invest in an event or an activity, and we can invest unlimited resources, then what is the value of this event?

So I think that in the workplace, whether we are doing operations work, product work, or other work, our value is often reflected in our ability to make better choices based on certain constraints. We know how to carry out our work in a way that is best for us. This is the part that reflects our value.

Therefore, in the workplace, most jobs must have their own constraints. I think the same is true when we are planning an event. We must first figure out what the constraints are and how strict they are.

After clarifying the constraints, in fact, our strategies and activity forms will be designed according to the constraints. What the goal is will determine how we should formulate the strategy. Our time and resources may also affect the form of the activity. Therefore, there are 6 basic elements when planning an activity.

The first four of the six basic elements determine how the last two should be presented. However, some students may be confused about the two concepts of constraints, purpose and goal. What are purpose and goal? What is the difference between them? I think it is necessary to briefly introduce the difference between purpose and goal.

The difference between "purpose" and "goal"

Simply put, the purpose may indicate a direction, and the goal is to quantify the purpose and conduct a more detailed evaluation. For example, the purpose of an event may be to attract new users, increase revenue, increase user activity, and spread the word, while the goal may be a more specific quantifiable number, such as a 10,000 increase in the number of followers of the public account, a doubling of revenue year-on-year, a 10% increase in user activity rate, a 200% increase in the WeChat index, etc. This is the difference between purpose and goal, and I think everyone will have a more intuitive understanding of it.

I would also like to add that the ultimate direction of event operations is often some core operational indicators and some business indicators. Therefore, the several purposes we mentioned here may all be the goals of our daily event operations. However, there are generally big differences in planning and execution between communication-oriented activities and activities that attract new customers and increase revenue. Usually in a company, this is the main work content of the brand team or the marketing team, and is not the main focus of the operations team. Therefore, what we will discuss will also be content guided by some major operational indicators.

Now that our purpose and objectives have been clearly identified, we need to return to the initial question: how can we identify the constraints of the activity?

Two ways to confirm "activity constraints"

There are actually two ways:

1. The objectives, target resources, time and other constraints are very clear, and the boss can give you the answer directly

Before we do a complex large-scale event, I think we should first communicate with the boss, and then the boss may be able to give you all the answers directly. This is one possibility.

2. All constraints are vague. The boss can only tell you the purpose at most. You need to define other constraints clearly before moving forward.

The most your boss can tell you is that he is doing this activity to attract new customers, increase your income, and improve user activity. He can tell you the purpose, but he hasn’t thought clearly about the specific goals, resources, time, etc. At this time, you need to clearly define your goals, time, and resources before you can move forward.

So basically there are two ways to confirm activity constraints.

There is no need to explain the first method, your boss can give you the answer. If it is the second way, the boss only gives a purpose, and we have to define the goals, time and resources ourselves, how should we define them? Here I will also give you some simple reference ideas.

First of all, in terms of goals , suppose your boss gives you a goal, which is to increase revenue or the number of users. Then the goal can be reasonably estimated based on market size, competitive situation, business trends, etc. For example, if you want to judge the market, its scale is one billion, and we have currently achieved 100 million, which is a good foundation. Next we will enter a rapid growth phase, then your target expectations should perhaps be slightly higher, at least the current scale should be increased by about two times, maybe that's the feeling.

You can also judge based on the current competitive situation. If my competitors are running faster than me, then I must at least not fall too far behind them. If I want to do an event, I hope that the growth rate of my business and some core indicators of my business will not lag too far behind my competitors.

It may also be based on the business trend. For example, my business is declining and has been declining for several months. I hope to stop the downward trend first. I won’t expect it to increase or not. I just want to stop the downward trend first. It may also be possible to restore the downward trend to the number before the decline.

These are some target dimensions that you can refer to in terms of goals.

In terms of time , if you generally need to define it yourself, I think you may have to base it on the market situation. For example, do some activities have to take place at a specific time, such as anniversary celebrations, Double Eleven promotions, and similar activities. These activities are the objective choices of market users and have a time limit.

If it is not such an activity, but an activity with a freely determined time period, it can be estimated based on the development cycle within the team or the estimated needs of business goals, and some judgments can be made based on this.

Finally, in terms of resources , if you propose the resources yourself, for example, your boss says he doesn’t know how much it will cost and asks you to give me an idea, I think generally speaking, the judgment should be made based on the existing resources of the target team.

For example, looking back at the past, if you could acquire new users for ten yuan in the past, maybe you want to do an event now, and want to achieve a volume of 100,000, then you can basically get one user for eight yuan, which should be relatively cost-effective, and you can make a basic estimate.

If you are really unsure, you want to do an activity and you say you want to do this activity, but I actually cannot judge what the effect will be after it is done, so there is definitely a risk. Then there is also a way, which is to set an initial acceptable investment first. For example, I will invest 200,000 first to see if the effect is good. If the effect is good, I can make additional investments. If the effect is not good, I will stop the loss first, and that's it.

So this is about if you are really in a company and you need to define your own goals, time and resources, then some common ideas are probably like this, and this is just for your reference.

Author: Xu Xiongxiong

Source: Xu Xiongxiong

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