You understand how a lot a well-executed occasion can profit your small business, nevertheless it begins with getting folks within the door.
By following electronic mail advertising and marketing finest practices as a part of your promotion technique, you’ll be able to pack the home.
And, as soon as your occasion is over, you should utilize electronic mail to observe up with attendees to get the lowdown on what labored and what didn’t.
Right here’s how you should utilize electronic mail to assist be certain that your occasions are profitable each time.
What’s electronic mail advertising and marketing for occasions?
Occasion electronic mail advertising and marketing is a strategy of sending a number of advertising and marketing emails with the singular objective of selling an occasion.
And whilst you could marvel if electronic mail is the easiest way to advertise an occasion, know that even with a number of digital advertising and marketing sources, electronic mail advertising and marketing continues to be the best platform for getting the phrase out to those that are already inquisitive about your small business.
In any case, the typical electronic mail open charge throughout industries is practically 30%, and it’s even increased for sure industries, together with eating places and childcare.
However event-related emails aren’t restricted to promotion. Submit-event electronic mail advertising and marketing enables you to construct on the momentum, providing you with precious info to enhance your subsequent occasion.
How do you market an occasion by way of electronic mail?
Regardless of how a lot effort you set into planning and organizing your occasion, it received’t achieve success if folks don’t present up. E mail advertising and marketing gives you the prospect to attach with people who find themselves already inquisitive about your model. So how do you do it effectively?
To start with, electronic mail advertising and marketing for occasions isn’t restricted to a single electronic mail despatched to your record. You’ll want to announce it early and maintain folks engaged by way of a collection of emails.
Announce the occasion
Step one in a killer occasion is to let folks understand it’s taking place.
Hopefully, you’ve been following electronic mail advertising and marketing finest practices, and you have already got your electronic mail record segmented (or grouped) into totally different classes.
Don’t fret if everyone seems to be on one massive record. That’s okay. You can begin by sending customized announcement emails to everybody in your record, telling them concerning the occasion and alluring them to register.
When you might imagine that you must have the whole lot in place earlier than promoting tickets, you don’t. When you’re busy reserving company and planning the logistics behind the scenes, ship out save-the-dates. Embody the occasion’s identify, date, and site, and add a message telling your readers to remain tuned for extra info.
Construct pleasure
Following your preliminary save-the-date, stagger numerous particulars of the occasion by way of a collection of occasion promotion emails.
When you need to ship out some info early, like registration deadlines, venue and lodging info, and different logistics, you’ll be able to maintain some massive particulars near the vest till the occasion date nears, trickling out increasingly particulars as you get nearer to the date of the occasion.
Share teaser movies for cross-channel advertising and marketing
Ship out brief teaser movies earlier than your occasion with hyperlinks to its touchdown web page and your social media feeds. Together with an entire video makes your electronic mail massive, growing its probabilities of ending in spam, so maintain these teasers brief — simply sufficient to make somebody need to click on by way of and see extra.
Add a CTA encouraging folks in your electronic mail record to share the video with their community, and embrace buttons to make it simpler for them to information others to your occasion touchdown web page or your social media feeds. Any such cross-promotion can increase your general occasion advertising and marketing technique.
Ship out occasion reminders and updates that tease recipients
Reminders are an effective way to construct pleasure to your occasion.
As your occasion attracts nearer, ship out reminders that may excite readers by together with nice photographs, and attention-grabbing particulars like presenter bios, band highlights, catering and menu choices, silent public sale prizes, and different tidbits that may pique curiosity.
At all times embrace a CTA and a hyperlink to purchase tickets or register. And when the occasion will get nearer, remind your electronic mail contacts that point is working out to enroll.
Add worth to your VIPs
Most occasions supply totally different registration tiers. If you happen to’re providing a VIP degree, use occasion electronic mail advertising and marketing to make it value somebody’s whereas to pay extra. Attraction to individuals who’ve attended your occasions up to now by providing them a limited-time low cost on VIP entry.
Automate VIP-specific emails with details about particular occasions and perks they’ll entry for being VIP. If you happen to’re internet hosting a silent public sale, exhibit a few of the precious prizes and point out that VIPs get early entry to the bidding.
Reply the correct questions
Because you’re planning the occasion and all its particulars are contemporary in your thoughts, you won’t think about what folks must know earlier than they register. In your preliminary electronic mail invitation and early follow-up bulletins, embrace a contact type and invite folks to submit questions.
Additionally, take note of what individuals are asking in your social media feeds if you submit about your occasion. Use these inquiries to get rid of potential objections folks may need earlier than they register.
Use Automation
Designing automated messages as a part of your occasion advertising and marketing technique will enable you entice extra potential attendees with out spending a whole lot of additional time writing and sending emails. It will probably additionally convey severe oomph to your efforts and supply.
Right here’s a chook’s-eye view of the other ways you should utilize electronic mail automation to advertise your subsequent occasion:
- Click on segmentation — This electronic mail advertising and marketing function divvies folks into totally different teams based mostly on how they work together together with your electronic mail. Your electronic mail advertising and marketing platform enables you to see who’s opening your emails and which hyperlinks they click on.
- Autoresponders — Because the identify implies, these packages automate electronic mail replies. They’re notably helpful for responding to actions your electronic mail recipients take additional up the drip marketing campaign. You’ll be able to arrange an autoresponder thanking folks for signing up to your occasion and others based mostly on numerous actions.
- Drip campaigns — Executing drip campaigns by way of your electronic mail automation can assist maintain your occasion contemporary in folks’s minds because it nears. This entails a collection of emails based mostly on how your contacts work together together with your preliminary electronic mail.
The best a part of all this? You should use these instruments collectively to maximise your efforts.
Right here’s an instance of the best way to use electronic mail automation as a part of your occasion advertising and marketing technique
Begin with the occasion invitation. Embody two calls to motion (CTAs). One to register and one other to request extra info.
Use these CTAs to click-segment your readers. Those that adopted by way of and registered will go on the “registered” record, and those that requested extra info will go on an “” record.
Then, arrange two separate autoresponders.
The primary autoresponder is for these on the “registered” record, and it’ll begin constructing pleasure for the occasion by together with a registration affirmation that gives the “what,” “when,” and “the place” of the occasion. And it ought to allow them to know that you just’ll be sending additional occasion particulars and updates sooner or later.
The second autoresponder might be for many who clicked on the CTA to request extra info. This electronic mail ought to present extra details about the occasion and be filled with partaking copy (textual content) and engaging visuals.
After all, it also needs to have CTAs that encourage readers to register.
Following the autoresponder emails ought to be a drip marketing campaign for many who have registered.
This marketing campaign ought to be a collection of excitement-building emails that comprise messages like “we will’t wait to see you” and “you’re going to like…” With CTAs that encourage sharing the e-mail with mates and coworkers to allow them to additionally register to attend the occasion.
For everybody else in your record, you’ll be able to nonetheless entice them to register by sending out one-off emails that present extra details about the occasion and embrace messages like “You received’t need to miss this” and “We’d like to see you.” And naturally, these CTAs ought to encourage the recipient to register and share the e-mail with mates and coworkers to allow them to attend collectively.
TIP: Use SMS textual content message advertising and marketing to inform your attendees of any last-minute info akin to day-of-event reminders or occasion safety and climate updates.
Finest practices for occasion electronic mail advertising and marketing
You’ll be able to increase your probabilities of a terrific turnout by following these finest practices for advertising and marketing your occasion.
Write partaking emails
Positive, it’s quicker to rattle off an inventory of details about your occasion after which hit “ship.” However you in all probability received’t lure many individuals into shopping for tickets with that tactic.
Write partaking emails with actionable language that evokes folks to join your occasion.
The secret is figuring out your viewers and tailoring your message to them. This is likely one of the important causes to section your electronic mail record. Every section will doubtless be motivated by totally different messages. For instance, individuals who attend your occasions yearly could reply to recaps with images of earlier occasions and a message reminding them how a lot they’ll get out of the occasion.
Individuals who’ve by no means attended your occasion could reply higher to an electronic mail exhibiting them what to anticipate with a brief video testimonial from individuals who have already attended.
Earlier than writing your emails, take into consideration who you’re writing to and what they care about. It will enable you determine the best way to focus your message.
Take note of the design
Whereas your copy ought to be well-written and interesting, don’t neglect your design.
Use an electronic mail template with good design parts to create an electronic mail that’s visually interesting. However don’t overdesign. Your electronic mail ought to be easy sufficient {that a} reader can decide what your occasion is all about and simply click on by way of to a touchdown web page or ticket web site.
Write compelling topic traces
On the subject of electronic mail topic traces, much less is extra. Preserve your topic traces brief and keep away from promotional language.
Most electronic mail providers type emails into classes and your invitees could not even see your electronic mail if it results in unsolicited mail or on the promotional electronic mail record.
Deal with how one can add worth to the reader. Use an open-ended query to pique your reader’s curiosity and entice them to open your message.
Because you’re restricted on area, embrace any essential deadlines within the topic line. Remind your readers about registration deadlines and different key dates.
Take a look at your messages
Like all electronic mail advertising and marketing campaigns, getting occasion emails proper the primary time is hard. Play with numerous messages by conducting A/B checks on totally different segments of your electronic mail record. Ship an electronic mail with one topic line to at least one group and alter the topic line for the following group.
When you’ve despatched your messages, examine the analytics to see which messages have the best open charges and click-through charges. After just a few checks, it’s best to begin seeing patterns that may enable you good your topic traces and electronic mail content material.
Occasion follow-up
We’ve spent a whole lot of time on pre-event electronic mail advertising and marketing, nevertheless it’s additionally essential to interact your viewers as soon as your occasion is over. Use these post-event electronic mail advertising and marketing instruments to remain on the high of your attendees’ minds and get insights into your occasion.
Thanks emails
Ship a thank-you electronic mail to everybody who attended. With out them, your occasion wouldn’t have occurred in any respect, so it’s well mannered to acknowledge everybody who took trip of their schedule to attend. And a thanks electronic mail serves as an effective way to construct a relationship with present and potential prospects who attended your occasion.
State why you’re thanking them, and element why it was essential to you. Subsequent, embrace some language relating to the way you need to maintain constructing the connection. Would you like them to return to your retailer and see your stock? Would you want them to return to your subsequent occasion? No matter it’s, shut your thanks electronic mail with this info.
Submit-event surveys
One of the simplest ways to make your occasions higher is to study what you probably did effectively and what you might enhance.
Following every occasion, ship out a survey to everybody who gave you their electronic mail once they checked in.
Preserve it brief and candy. Ask easy, open-ended questions like what you probably did effectively and what you might enhance upon
Ask attendees to charge your occasion and share whether or not or not they might come once more. If they are saying no, have them elaborate. Maybe they have been anticipating one thing totally different. Use this info to tweak your occasions and your promotional methods for the following occasion.
Ship out a reminder to your subsequent occasion
It’s by no means too early to construct momentum to your subsequent occasion and there’s no higher approach than partaking individuals who have already attended.
In your follow-up emails, remind attendees about your subsequent occasion or collection of occasions. If you already know the date, embrace a save-the-date on the finish of your message.
Encourage your attendees to behave by giving them a particular supply like early entry to registration or discounted VIP tickets for the following occasion.
Add worth to your occasion with particular perks
Even if you happen to’re not internet hosting one other occasion, you’ll be able to add worth to your attendees by providing them one thing particular as a thanks. Ship out a limited-time promo code on white papers, retailer merchandise, or different attention-grabbing objects.
Arrange a particular report, video, or one other piece of content material that’s solely accessible to individuals who’ve attended your occasion.
Use occasion electronic mail advertising and marketing to enhance your occasions
Internet hosting occasions is an effective way to construct rapport with present and potential new prospects. Occasions supply distinctive experiences, they usually give folks an opportunity to work together together with your model.
- Begin early by sending out an electronic mail invitation or a save-the-date.
- Stagger your emails to construct pleasure and ship teaser movies to drive folks to a touchdown web page, and social media feeds.
- Because the occasion approaches, use emails to reply questions and supply extra info to people who find themselves attending.
- Use automated responders to observe up with folks based mostly on their actions.
- Attain out to folks after the occasion and thank them for coming.
- Lastly, ship out a survey and use what you’ve realized to enhance your subsequent occasion.
With occasion electronic mail advertising and marketing on the coronary heart of your occasion advertising and marketing efforts, you’ll be able to make sure that attendees might be excited all over your venue doorways.
Construct much more pleasure and engagement at your subsequent occasion. Be taught the best way to create an occasion hashtag.
