Finding Your Audience & Your Event's Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Launching a successful event requires careful planning and execution. One of the first steps is clearly defining your audience, preferably in a written document, such as a buyer persona.

Hold up, what is an event buyer persona?

An event buyer persona is a detailed representation of the ideal attendee for an event. It's a fictional character that represents the target audience of the event and includes demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics. The persona is created based on market research, surveys, and other data sources to ensure that the event is tailored to the needs and interests of the target audience. By understanding the buyer persona, event organizers can create more effective marketing messages, select appropriate venues and locations, and tailor the content and format of the event to meet the needs of their audience. Overall, the buyer persona helps event organizers make data-driven decisions and ensures that the event is well-received by attendees.

Find your unique selling proposition (USP)

Once you have identified your audience, the next step is to figure out your event's value proposition or unique selling proposition (USP) based on what your audience cares about.

To determine your event's USP, you should ask yourself four questions:

• Firstly, why is your event unique? What makes it stand out from other events in the market? This could be based on content, speakers, format, location, service, or price. You could also apply one concept to another, like creating a Lollapalooza for pets or a conference for the unemployed.
• Secondly, is your event relevant and valuable to your audience? It is crucial to ensure that your USP appeals to your defined audience and delights them. It is not enough to differentiate your event based on a unique aspect if your audience does not care about it.
• Thirdly, what benefit will your audience leave after attending your event? This question aims to translate your relevant and valuable USP into a benefit that resonates with your attendees. It is essential to think from the attendees' perspective and provide them with a clear and tangible benefit that they can take away from your event.
• Lastly, can you turn your event's USP and benefit into a compelling story? Events with a strong narrative stand out in the market because people are moved by stories. To create a compelling story, you need to focus on your defined audience, their challenges, your unique solution (your event), and the lasting benefit that attendees will achieve from attending your event.

In summary, defining your audience and figuring out your event's USP is crucial for launching a successful event. By answering the four questions mentioned above, you can differentiate your event from others in the market, ensure its relevance and value to your audience, provide a clear benefit to attendees, and create a compelling story that resonates with them.