Unlocking the Marketing Goldmine: How Springfield Businesses Can Tap into The Illinois State Fair

Advertising alongside large events is great for business. You can reach a wider audience and get your name out there to connect with your target market. And lucky for you, there's a huge opportunity to spread the word about your brand every summer – The Illinois State Fair! 

Advertising alongside events like the Illinois State Fair can be a great way for your business to reach thousands of people visiting that you may never have been able to reach otherwise. Consider these events a marketing goldmine, where people are looking for new experiences and you can associate your brand with fun and vibrant energy.  

What the Illinois State Fair Means to Central Illinois 

The 2023 Illinois State Fair starts on August 10th, giving you ten festive days for optimal outreach. With the right marketing plan, you could speak to thousands of new consumers, partners, and return customers daily. Last year the State Fair saw more than 636,000 visits to the state fair, and weekend attendance saw a growth of nearly 100,000 since 2021. There was also an estimated $6.4 million collected in revenue.  

This year, similarly, large attendance numbers are also expected, creating the goldmine of opportunity for your business to join in to reach this expanded audience. Before August arrives, develop a strong plan to maximize exposure and optimize your brand's voice to make an impression every day of the fair. 

Maximize Your Exposure 

As a Springfield-area business, you have the best opportunity to maximize your exposure. You can: 

• Broadcast your business on Mid-West Family Springfield local radio stations (98.7 WNNS, 92.7 WMAY, 97.7 WQLZ & 102.5 The Lake) and our available podcasts 
• Use digital marketing to promote your services by creating content geared toward locals 
• Work with local influencers to endorse and promote your brand  

Remember, the more visible you are, the better.  

At Mid-West Family Springfield Illinois, we can help identify the key audiences for your brand and maximize your exposure during the State Fair through these and other marketing tools: 

• Geo-fencing and geo-farming: Digital display ads and campaigns only reach people within a certain distance of your store or key outposts. This ensures your marketing dollars stay targeted toward the right audiences instead of being dispersed across unlikely buyers.  Fencing provides device boundaries for your current campaign while farming can provide the devices (or customers) that visited last year’s fair. 
• Targeted display ads: With targeted display networks, you can set the criteria for who is served your ads. Instead of just focusing on geography, you can prioritize audiences of specific ages, interests, and online behavior trends, further concentrating exposure on the viewers you want to reach. 
• Video: You can also capture your audience's attention with the most engaging medium—video—for ads and content.  
• Retargeted ads: Most new prospects require multiple touchpoints before they become an engaged customer. Retargeted ads specifically reach out to audiences that have already been exposed to your brand to solidify that connection. By utilizing retargeting ads during the state fair, you can continue the conversation with your new prospects who may not be familiar with your business or brand.  

Grow Your Brand 

Maximizing reach and frequency while building top of mind awareness are some of the primary marketing goals for most businesses leveraging the State Fair’s surge of consumers into central Illinois. Then, growing that connection between your brand’s key benefits and those central Illinois residents and businesses can lead to new customers and more.  

While exposure is about reaching new audiences, brand growth is all about developing a feeling of interconnectedness and customer loyalty. These campaigns can keep your brand in front of prospective buyers. 

A well-constructed marketing strategy can help you identify key audiences, prioritize the right campaigns, and get the most out of your marketing dollars. Check out our brand development services to learn more. 

Endless Opportunity for Business Growth 

At Mid-West Family Springfield Illinois, we're here to help with every stage of planning and preparation. Learn more about our event marketing expertise and how it can benefit your business. Then, see how we can help you make the most out of the opportunities like the Illinois State Fair and other central Illinois events.