How to excel at event marketing 2.0
In the past, your event ended once the final guest had left and the banners had been taken down. Not anymore. Thanks to social media, your event continues for as long as people are talking about it. In order to get as much as possible out of your event marketing, you need to communicate with your guests before, during and after your event. While you might want to spend the first few hours or days after your event catching your breath, now is the time to form valuable relationships with your event attendees.
Getting in touch with your guests promptly casts your brand in a good light
Time is of the essence when it comes to following up with guests after the event. Get in contact with them as quickly as possible to thank them for attending – not only will they appreciate it, but they’ll come away thinking your brand is attentive, efficient and professional. How you contact them will depend on the guest. You will already know a bit about them and their business prior to the event – especially if you make use of Event Management Software. As a result, you’ll be able to tell if a thank you tweet or a phone call is more appropriate, depending on their business and their level of seniority. Whichever means you use to relay your appreciation of their attendance, be sure to do this as soon as possible.
The secret to event marketing is feedback about past events
You can use the time immediately after your function as an opportunity to gather feedback from your guests, while the day or evening is still fresh in your attendees’ minds. Make it as easy and quick as possible for guests to provide this feedback. Sophisticated Event Management Software conveniently enables you to send an SMS survey. Avoid asking questions that require lengthy answers in order to ensure you don’t put your guests off. You can pool this data to help get to know your guests and their businesses better, and as a result, create even better and more successful future events.
Offering your guests value turns you from a good event planner into an excellent one
Don’t forget to offer your invitees value. A thank you message is neccesary, and appreciated, but not sufficient – particularly if you want feedback as well. This will take different forms depending on the guest, the kind of conversation you had with them at the event and what kind of business they operate in. Perhaps you are coming back to them with an answer to a question they asked you or advice about a problem they mentioned they had; a special offer on a product they showed interest in or contact details of someone you introduced them to.
Personalisation is the overriding theme of successful event marketing
The more digital and automated our working world becomes, the more we need to work towards maintaining personalised interactions. We hold events because nothing beats that one-on-one communication and being able to put a face to a name. Thanks to the wealth of information you can collect via Event Management Software, event marketing is easier, and more effective than ever before. Event Management Software makes gathering and analysing this information fast and simple, so that you have everything you need to leave all your attendees feeling like VIPs.
If you’d like to find out how we can help you make sure your next event has that personalised edge, get in touch with RSVP for more information.
