We Gotta Stop Meeting Like This!

2016

Event Planning: Where to Start

• Attack your meeting or event like any other planning process.

• Set your goals and objectives (Are you raising money? Selling widgets? Raising awareness? Boosting morale?)

• Define your target audience (as detailed as you can get)

• Set your strategy (What communications tools will you use? What unique outreach can you employ?)

• Evaluate after the fact (Did your strategies work? Did you have the right people there? Did they do what you wanted them to do? What needs to change for next year?)

crowdsourcing

live streaming

tweets

hashtags

periscoping

responsive design

google url builderregistration sites

tracking links

fast wifi email marketingdirect mail

video

podcasting

facebook

linkedin events

square

engagement

remarketing

online surveys

microlocation

optimizing campaigns

partnerships

influencer marketing

incentives

Reality Check No. 1:Integrate your channels,

think SYNERGY

• Ensure your brand/creative look is the same across all portals

• Plan content that works across all outlets, and then promote, promote, promote

• Your CTA (call to action) should be used (via a link) in every form of communication

• Infuse your social footprint into every other strategy (social links in all emails, on print pieces, on web landing pages, etc.)

Reality Check No. 2:If you don’t track, you

won’t improve

• Create tracking URLs for every form of communication (emails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, direct mail, blog posts, partner marketing, etc.)

• Use the info gathered to determine where your resources should go and which vehicles perform best

• Use Google URL builder or tracking link features in software platforms such as EventBrite (UTM parameters: URL + Tags)

• Monitor these daily (check click-through rates, open rates, number of sales, etc.)

• If email open rates are high and click-through rates are low, it’s time to test your call-to-action, email copy and images

Reality Check No. 3:If you don’t have the right audience, your

event will fail

• Spend time creating a profile of your perfect attendee (What do they like to do? What do they read? Where do they hang out? What websites do they visit? What memberships do they have?)

• Use past attendee data to set targets for your current event

• Use Facebook and Twitter paid features to match similar demographics with past attendee emails (“lookalike audiences”)

• Invite at least double, often triple, the amount of people that you want at your event. People are fickle and don’t show.

• Offer incentives to VIPs to encourage them to attend

• Enlist partners that can tap into similar target audiences and help spread the word about the event

Reality Check No. 4:You have to entertain your attendees. Engage

them at all levels!

• Create communities BEFORE the event so attendees can start networking early (Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, hashtags)

• Be a facilitator at your event and help connect guests before, during and after your event

• Provide exclusive content before and after the event (speaker white papers or short videos, etc.)

• Door prizes and freebies work; people like stuff

Reality Check No. 5:People attend events

for reasons they’ll never tell you

1. I feel alone.

2. I don’t want to be at work.

3. I want to drink, eat and party for free and in abundance.

4. I am broke.

5. My boss told me to go.

6. I want to stay away from my family.

7. I don’t know anything about your event subject.

8. I am in for the goody bag.

9. I want to visit somewhere new.

10. I don’t want to spend a single penny.

– Julius Solaris, editor of EventManagementBlog.com

10 Secret Reasons Why We Attend Events

Reality Check No. 6:You can’t have a meeting or event

without using social

• Hashtags are important. Don’t go without one and use it in every marketing piece and blog post! Monitor real time via HootSuite and TweetDeck

• Create Facebook and LinkedIn events

• Use blogs, and encourage your speakers to write guest posts for you

• Leverage paid social media options; they are cost effective and super targeted.

• Consider Facebook ads to remarket to prospects (Facebook custom audiences allow you to show ads to people who have already visited your website but haven’t purchased)

• Gamify your event – use contests and games via social portals to boost ticket sales and generate excitement for attendees (the person who tweets the most using the event hashtag wins free tickets to next year’s event!)

• Use videos and graphics to better excite prospective attendees (testimonials, speaker profiles, quotes and more)

• Empower others with easy-to-share content (provide email copy with trackable links, images, video, etc.). Also, use ClickToTweet to allow purchasers to share their excitment.

• Use Facebook’s Call-to-Action button to encourage people to register for your event.

• Welcome new Instagram followers with a direct message 15-second video thanking them for following and inviting them to your event. Use the event host or a speaker as the spokesperson.

• Add your event graphic to your email signature line so it’s always being advertised even in your daily communications.

Reality Check No. 7:Don’t be wooed by shiny and new; keep

using the tried-and-true

• Print is NOT dead. Direct mail campaigns can be highly effective. (especially if it has a subtle off-white coloring and watermark!)

• Email marketing is alive and well with tons of great platforms (EventBrite, LeadPages, GetResponse, MyEmma, Constant Contact)

• Pitching stories to the media can help quickly spread the word.

• Internal incentives – hold contests among staff to help generate ticket sales.

• Good ‘ole advertising; just don’t forget your digital and social options.

Resources

EventMBhttp://www.eventmanagerblog.com/

EventBrite Bloghttps://www.eventbrite.com/blog/

Free E-book: Social Media for Eventshttp://socialmediaforeventsebook.com/

Using UTM Parameters in Google Analytics How-to Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om-on74pv-o

Facebook Lookalike Audience Helphttps://www.facebook.com/business/a/lookalike-audiences

TweetBeamhttp://www.tweetbeam.com/

Questions? Comments? Your Tips?

Thank you!