Event Marketing Insights: Using AI to Work Out How to Know Which 50% of Your Marketing Actually Works

Which 50% of Your Marketing is Working?
You’ve probably heard the saying: “50% of marketing works – the problem is, no one knows which 50%.”
For event planners and business owners, this hits hard. Too often we’re either picking a platform and hoping for the best, or blasting the same message everywhere, and in the end… saying very little to anyone.

The real challenge? We don’t know which efforts are driving results.
 

Tracking Event Marketing Metrics
Since February, I’ve been measuring my own marketing results and comparing them year on year. Here’s the snapshot:

• Number of events: no change
• Facebook followers: up 2%
• Instagram followers: up 18%
• LinkedIn followers: up 4%
• Mailing list: down 5%
• Revenue: up 1%

At first glance, it looks like growth. But when you step back, it’s not translating into real outcomes. Awareness hasn’t shifted much, and revenue barely moved.
For event managers, this is a reminder: follower counts don’t always equal ticket sales.
 

Event Marketing Strategy: Focus on the Right Channels
The solution isn’t doing more marketing. It’s doing the right marketing.
Success comes from knowing:

• Where your audience hangs out online
• What conversations they’re having
• How they describe their challenges in their own words

Traditionally, this meant hours of customer research calls. That work still has value, but AI tools now make it possible to tap into authentic, unfiltered conversations at scale.

Using AI for Market Research in Event Planning

Recently, I used AI to scan online conversations about event planning. After a few iterations, here’s what came back:

Data Availability Scores by Platform
• Facebook Groups: 9/10 – highly active and authentic
• Instagram: 7/10 – good conversation volume
• Reddit: 4/10 – limited but useful
• TikTok: 3/10 – mostly educational content
• LinkedIn/Quora: 1/10 – minimal user-led discussions

The insight? Facebook and Instagram are where people openly share struggles like “I don’t know where to start” or “I feel overwhelmed.” On other platforms, those challenges stay hidden.
For event marketers, this means:

• Facebook & Instagram → Build relatable, problem-solving content.
• LinkedIn & TikTok → Position yourself with authority and solutions, not “can you relate?” posts.

Top 5 Event Planning Challenges (From Real Conversations)

Here are the most common struggles people face when planning events:
1. Not Knowing Where to Start – the dreaded blank slate problem.
2. Overwhelm and Stress – especially with high-stakes events.
3. Lack of a Roadmap – no proven, step-by-step process.
4. Isolation – feeling alone without community support.
5. Bridging Passion and Profession – turning a love for events into a career.
If you’re designing services, campaigns, or offers for event planners, anchoring your messaging to these challenges will resonate.

Why This Matters for Event Managers
Without AI, uncovering these insights might have taken 20+ customer calls. Instead, I now have a roadmap for my next event marketing campaign.

This kind of clarity helps event professionals:
• Write more relevant marketing copy
• Design offers that address real pain points
• Focus effort on platforms that matter most

Guesswork doesn’t move the needle. Insights do.