make your event a hit! marketing tips for a successful turnout
DESCRIPTION
Are you hosting Fall and Winter events like socials and parties, classes, workshops, demonstrations or tastings, conferences or award nights? Do you need a fast and easy way to get your customers to attend, but want more than just a Yes or No? See how others are creating compelling invitations and using social media to get customers to their events. Get your event noticed by communicating event details with attendees and accept registrations online - all in a single tool!TRANSCRIPT
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 1
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING FOR BUSINESS TO CONSUMER
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Agenda
Making the most of your event
Promote & Communicate
Engage with attendees
Measure your success
Worksheets
2
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 3
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR EVENT
Making the most of your event
Ease the burden of event management by going online!Keep registration open, even when you’re not.
4
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Offline management: Time consuming manual list management
Less efficient registration methods
Cumbersome spreadsheet tracking and reporting
Guessing what is wanted from the event
Online management: Easily manage all information online
Self-serve 24/7 online registration
Efficient tracking and reporting
Custom registration= Information you need and want
Making the most of your eventWant specifics to be the “Event of the Season”? – take 2-minutes to ask!
5Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Things to keep in mind: Time of Day What is ideal?Location Traffic? Adequate parking? Driving directions? WIFI provided?
An event invitation and website provide all the information needed for attendee to understand the value of the event and successfully attend.
Include a link to a survey in your regular email.
Ask the uncomfortable question about a previous event:“What didn’t you like about our last event?”
Learn what your attendees desire:What events of ours have you attended in the past?
Why do you attend events?
What types of events interest you?
What social media networks do you use?
Event successCountax
Their challenges:
Attendees had to call or fax RSVP Inaccurate information on name badges Confusion over event time and location
With Event Marketing their results:
6
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
“It saved us hours and hours of work. We still took some registrations over the phone, but simply typed them straight into the online sign-up form – then and there…and then being able to display the directions to the venue was a great help.” -Jef O’Riley, Marketing Manager, Countax
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 7
PROMOTE AND COMMUNICATE
Are you promoting to the right people?
Who do you want to come?
Create an “ideal” attendee profile:
People new and/or familiar with you?
What makes them the same / different?
Influence in networks (local and social)?
Where are they finding out about events?
Online?
Offline?
Advertising?
8Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
9
Event experience starts with your invitation
A professional looking invite encourages registration and attendance
Advertising on an invitation is not professional looking.
•Ad free invites, registration and homepage•Over 140 themes•Customizable
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Foundation from those who know you
Brand is important; show your personality-79% of respondents said they hit the "report spam" button when they don't know who the sender is.-Email Sender and Provider Coalition
Use Subject Lines and headlines that get you opened
Personalize message to recipient –the same invite does not need to go to everyone on your list
10Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Get their attention with customizable email invites
56% of consumers consider marketing messages from known senders to be Spam if the message is “just not interesting to me.” -Q Interactive
Good Invitations cause interest and action
11Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Do your invites do more than ask people to come?
Must have shareworthy content:– Provide information about why they should attend– List activities to improve attendance:
Topics Lessons Speakers
– Engage with video– Add list of upcoming events
Today, 71% of the U.S. online audience watches video on the internet, and the number of streams consumed should more than double by 2013. – Forrester Research
Video in email can increase click-through rates by as much as three-hundred percent.– Forrester Research
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Success with Event InvitationsBusiness Victories
Their challenge:
Promoting weekly teleseminars which educate customers and prospects
Boosting teleseminar attendance
With Event Marketing their results:
12
"We've seen registration go up 30% to 40%, and it's consistently growing each week, undoubtedly because we've started using Event Marketing.“-Cheri Ruskus, Business Victories
Does this invite work?
What works:Headline captures attention and sense of urgencyVisuals match event theme
Why it does not work:No way to RSVP on line!
Created sense of urgency but no way to take immediate action
Unclear how to sign up for eventNo personalizationNo map for directions on how to get thereNo way to share
Missing out the power of word of mouth and social media marketing
13
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
14
Beyond the one event
Share upcoming events in your email invitations to increase awareness
“Attend My Events” button appears in the Insert menu
Clicking this option will feature:– Event Name– Start/End date and time– Event Description (if given)– Location
Track which readers are interested in what events
15
Leverage Social Media for your invite
Use Simple Share to promote the event on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at the same time!
■ Customize the message for each site
■ Include an image (optional)■ Easily share to all your
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles
Expand the reach of your invitation through Social Media
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Create buzz in Social Media about the event
16
Get more attendees by sharing the event on Facebook & Twitter
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
The Facebook post can contain a custom message to encourage attendance and will include a link to register.
Establish a hashtag (e.g. #B2Bevent) to track buzz around the event.
Tweet your event and watch how your followers retweet the details.
Do not forget to ask them to retweet, asking and saying “Please” really does work.
Whether you send an invite or not, promote the event on Social Media! Here’s how:
Promote the event on a schedule:Weekly The day beforeAn hour before
Create buzz in Social Media about the event
Increase attendance through professional connections
Promote the event on your LinkedIn profile
Share the event details with those you know on LinkedIn
Groups: Industry Topic
17
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Leverage Mobile Marketing
FoursquareHow can you use it?
Pre-event During Event
•Create a location to check in
•Share with friends
•Co-market with content partner? Drive traffic to each other’s sites•Leave a “tip” about your event•Leave a To Do about your event
•Develop scavenger hunt about event
•Hints in “tips” area
•Understand interests of people checking in – profile info
18
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
19
Built-in Promotions with Social Media and Search Engine Optimization
■ Help your event be found in online searches by using keywords
Topics, speakers, theme, location
■ Create an event hashtag to encourage conversation about the event
■ The hashtag is automatically featured in event communications
Leverage Social Media & Online Marketing
Can your event be found on the web?Do you have an event homepage?
Use homepage for more promotional details and drive desire to attend.
Match the branding and colors of your website to your event homepage.
Use shareworthy content.
20Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
“The homepage flexibility provides a fantastic outlet for other complementary marketing strategies such as posting for social networking and affiliates websites.”
-Shannon Beth Harrington, SB Cre8tive
Get your event details on the web
Feature all upcoming events online or on your website
21
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Provide a list of upcoming events on your website:
■ Increases awareness of your upcoming events
■ Helps improve attendance or increase the number of volunteers
■ Increase SEO value
Share the link to the event calendar in emails and Social Media.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 22
ENGAGEMENT WITH ATTENDEES
Step 1: Registration
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
23
Where, When, and How do I Pay?
Track and see the details registrants provide:
One location online for all registrants to register They provide information needed to attend Attendees register when and how they want Registration payment made online
Online registration helps save time, decrease errors and all information stored securely and reviewable by event manager.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
How registration engagesFlavaFitness Studio
Their challenge: Difficult to get a proper headcount Provide adequate event information Collecting payment from registrants
With Event Marketing their results:
24
“There’s been time saved: hours in obtaining registration information and hours in collecting payments. I would have to say in total, using Event marketing has saved me two work days at least.”– Jeni Jones, FlavaFitness Studio
Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
25
Ask registrants to share the event information. Jump start the word of mouth buzz around your event!
Once registered, attendees can spread the word about the event by sharing on Facebook or Twitter.
Note: Facebook users have on average 130 friends**Facebook FAQ’s
Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate
Reminder communications increase attendance
Include: Show countdown until event Provide hints to guess secret guest
speaker/feature: Tweet event information and
include event #hashtag in the tweet Share event details on your
Facebook wall Include a link to a pre-event survey or
poll, then near event start date or at start of event review results
Make it easy to share with “Forward to friend” link and Social Share button
26Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Reminder email
Step 3: During the Event
27
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Easy attendance Tracking on your mobile phone!
Android iPhone
28
Step 3: During the Event
Using Facebook during the event:
Use live updates to mention booth contests, fun activities and share pictures
In each post, share any links or materials of the guest speakers
Include pictures of any guest speakers or attendees. Ask attendees to “tag” themselves in photos
Encourage attendees to share or comment during the event on Facebook via mobile
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Step 3: During the Event
29
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Using Twitter during the event
Use #hashtag for the event
Encourage attendees to tweet about what they are experiencing during the event – use event #hashtag
– People who are interested but not there can follow theTwitter feed.
Encourage attendees to post photos and videos from mobile devices to Twitter with tools like Twitpic
Twitter has 165 Million Users – 50% of them use Twitter Mobile. –Mashable.com, “Mobile by the Numbers”
Leverage mobile marketing
Consider using QR Codes to keep the interaction going
Direct to website information via mobile device Get feedback via a poll or short survey that people can access via
mobile device Post video content that is complementary to the event objectives to view
via a mobile device
How do I build? -http://bit.ly/Add- .qr at end of shorten url
30
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Wonder what is behind this QR Code?
Mobile + Events = Success
FoursquareHow can you use it? Watch how many and who has
checked in– Know when the people you want to
connect with have arrived Watch the comments, tips and to do’s
left by attendees– Gain a clear understanding of what
popular/trending in your event Watch for instant feedback
– Negative comments about the food– Problems with the facility
Ask attendees to leave a review of the event on Yelp.
31
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 32
POST EVENT COMMUNICATIONS
Post Event Email and Homepage
33
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Post event email and homepage
Thank attendees
Include link to post-event survey
Give participants a way to stay connected through the “Join Our Mailing List” link or social media sites
Post quotes from attendees
Provide contact information for the individual who can answer questions
Send follow up email and updatehomepage for post event information
Collect Post Event Feedback
Use a Survey Ask about satisfaction with content,
facilities, etc.
How likely are they to come again?
How likely are they to tell others about your events?
Ask questions that get answers you can act upon Example: “What didn’t you like
about our last event?”
Over 60 templates to start with to meet your objective
Includes good questions
You can edit, remove, add, and re-order questions
You can add your logo, colors and images
34
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Feedback and Data for next event
Analyze participation to identify high value prospects, then perform the appropriate follow up
Leverage details from your registration data to help identify the right segments of people to invite to your next event
Use the information they have shared to personalize your future communications
Segment:– Details such as who paid,
how they paid, demographic, geographic, etc.
35
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
How do you know if your invites did their job?
Is the message being shared?
Did you meet the objectives?
36
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Measure your objectives by: Measure attendee objectives by:
The number of people who attended
Show rate of individuals registered
Revenue from the event Conversations about event in Social Media networks
Analyze data collected via reports and survey
Feedback in surveys
Best Next Steps
Try Online Event Marketing For Free
http://www.constantcontact-event.com/
Check out a Live Product Tour
Register for the live “Event Marketing Product Demo”
http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/webinars/live/index.jsp
Questions? You have a consultant here to help at 1-855-816-6508
Follow Event Marketing on Facebook and Twitter:
http://on.fb.me/EvMFB on Facebook
http://bit.ly/EvMTw on Twitter37
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 38
QUESTIONS?
Plan- Using Objectives
Share your story: Recent or Upcoming Event Attendee Objective Your Objective Value and Content Focus of event
Audience Goal Your GoalSize of Event
Value of Event
Content Focus
39
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Are you promoting to the right people?
Attendees-Who is perfect for your event?
Where do they spend time? Where do they seek event information?
In common What is different
Real Life Online Real Life Online
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
Attendee Worksheet:
40
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Leverage Social Media PromotionTools Before During After
• Promote the event by sharing the event details on your wall
• Share updates on your wall and upload pictures from the event
• On your wall, thank those who came to the event
• Answer remaining questions from event and send email with link to your wall.
• Create an unique event hashtag
• Using bit.ly create short event URL for tweets
• Customize your Twitter background with the event brand
• Schedule tweets in advance to promote
• Maximize the opportunity for a re-tweet by limiting your tweet to 120 characters
• Encourage tweeting during the event
• Create a Twitter List of your conference speakers for others to follow
• List people’s Twitter username’s on their badges
• Encourage people to continue discussion
• Use tweets to promote next event
• Have link to event homepage in your profile
• Invite connections to attend
• Encourage those that meet at the event to connect
• Continue networking after the event
• Create a location to check-in
• Co-market with content provider
• Leave a “Tip” or “To Do”
• Develop scavenger hunt about event
• Review Check-ins and Tips left by attendees
41
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
Boost attendance with promotional variety
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.
42
Remember: communicate where your audience is listening!
Invitations Homepage Social MediaSend personalized invitations with a personal appeal
Create a unique event homepage
Engage those following you to boost attendance and awareness
Make sure to include:
Important event information To ask recipients to forward the email to friends and familyA list of upcoming eventsEncourage to talk about event in Facebook and TwitterLinks to register-automatically done for you with Event Marketing
Make sure to include:
Information about the event, topics and guest speakersRegular updates on the homepage, with our easy to update homepageA “Join my Mailing List” box, to keep the connectedUse the “Attend my Event Widget” to promote upcoming events on your website
Make sure to include:
Updates about the event (Examples: new speakers, discount offers, etc.)Link to registration for the event from all posts and tweetsEncourage those who have registered to post or tweet they are attending-automatically done for you with Event Marketing
Let them know and they’ll show!