Sandra Flores and Event Marketing
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
0 likes•265 views
Make sure your next event is a HUGE SUCCESS!! Tips and pointers!
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (13)
Similar to Sandra Flores and Event Marketing
Similar to Sandra Flores and Event Marketing (20)
More from We Coach The Pros
More from We Coach The Pros (9)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Sandra Flores and Event Marketing
- 1. © Constant Contact 2016 CampaignsThat DriveAction Events and Online Registration
- 2. © Constant Contact 2016 Sandra Flores Business Solutionist 832-915-0706 Welcome "We provide motivated small to mid size companies money making processes. So they can be more productive, create more sales, stronger relationships and grow their business rapidly.”
- 3. BE A MARKETER All it takes is Constant Contact® #BeaMarketer
- 4. 4 Pull response Push content What are campaigns?
- 5. 5 John Doe JohnDoe@email.com JohnDoe@email.com Pull registrations Push invitations What are campaigns?
- 6. Types of events 6 Seminars & lectures Workshops & classesConferences Networking & gatherings Fundraisers & galas
- 7. Agenda 7 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Why use online registration? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps
- 8. Agenda 8 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Why use online registration? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps 1. Why run an event?
- 9. What’s your goal? 1.Why run an event? Create engagement Raise money or drive purchases Grow your list Reward loyalty Educate Celebrate milestones 9
- 10. 10 Entice to stay in touch Engage people Engagement drives social visibility Provide a “wow!” experience
- 11. 50.50% 29.00% 10.04% 0.01% Date/time conflict Other Location Cost 200,000 RSVPs x .01% = 20 Don’t be afraid to charge for your event.
- 12. Agenda 12 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Why use online registration? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps 2. Event promotion
- 13. 2. Event promotion Create Buzz (5-6 weeks out) Give attendees time for planning, booking travel, donations, etc… 13 Increase Registration (3-4 weeks out) Maximize Attendance (2 weeks out to event date) Event Date
- 14. 2. Event promotion Create Buzz (5-6 weeks out) 14 Feature the event and registration page on your website
- 15. 2. Event promotion 15 Publicize your event... list it. Social Media Event directories Local paper Event calendars Co-marketing
- 16. 2. Event promotion 16 Then? Leverage your newsletter.
- 17. 2. Event promotion 17 Invitations (email & paper) Increase Registration (3-4 weeks out) Social media posts
- 18. You’re almost there... take it home! 2. Event promotion Maximize Attendance (2 weeks out to event date) 18 Send email reminders Provide tickets or confirmation Reminder on event website or homepage Updates & reminders on social media
- 19. Agenda 19 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Why use online registration? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps 3. Why use online registration?
- 20. 3. Why use online registration? Event details 20 The invitation... keep it simple. Remember to use an interesting subject line! Logo / Graphics Compelling message for attendance
- 21. 3. Why use online registration? 21 The registration form... don’t do this.
- 22. 3. Why use online registration? 22 The registration form... keep it simple. Event details Simple form fields Logo / Graphics Brief description Event name
- 23. 3. Why use online registration? Do they know it’s you? 23
- 24. What should you collect? 3. Why use online registration? Demographics & Logistics Number of Guests Session Options Event Specific Information Payment Method
- 25. 25 Meal & Giveaway Info (Food Preferences, Clothing Sizes) Leading Questions (Child’s School?) Food Allergies or Restrictions Emergency Contact Information Accessibility and Other Needs
- 26. 26 3. Why use online registration? data in...Bad Open-ended questions
- 27. 27 3. Why use online registration? data in... data out.…Bad
- 28. 28 3. Why use online registration? Good data in...
- 29. 29 3. Why use online registration? …Good data out.
- 30. Considerate of time Free of typos 3. Why use online registration? 30 Test it yourself first. Simple & clear Check that it is:
- 31. Backyard Tent Rental 31 You have the information... what’s next?
- 32. 32
- 33. 33
- 34. 3. Why use online registration? 34 Social proof... Make it work for you.
- 35. 3. Why use online registration? 35 Make social proof work for you.
- 36. Think beyond the event. 3. Why use online registration? Demographics & Logistics Number of Guests Session Options Event Specific Information Payment Method Grow your email list. 36 Build new customer/supporter relationships. Demographics & Logistics Number of Guests Improve future event planning & marketing efforts.
- 37. Payment & donation options matter. 3. Why use online registration? 37 Check or credit card Pay at the door Credit card processors Online payment solutions
- 38. Agenda 38 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Online registration – why bother? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps 4. Post-event actions & follow-up
- 39. 4. Post-event actions & follow-up 39 The most important thing you can do after the event, say... “Thank you”!
- 40. 4. Post-event actions & follow-up 40 Review statistics and data.
- 41. 41 4. Post-event actions & follow-up Collect pictures and videos.
- 42. 4. Post-event actions & follow-up 42 Get feedback with a survey. # of “very satisfied” + # of “somewhat satisfied” ÷ total responses = ? Satisfaction score
- 43. 4. Post-event actions & follow-up 43 Get feedback with a survey. • Event venue • Time / time of year • Food • Entertainment • Speaking program • Interests • Demographics • Newsletter sign-up
- 44. Agenda 44 1.Why run an event? 2.Event promotion 3.Online registration – why bother? 4.Post-event actions & follow-up (survey!) 5.Next steps 5. Next steps
- 45. 45 5. Next steps Checklists Invitations & Registration Reminder Email Follow-up Email ☐ Make sure the host organization is obvious (not just the logo). Place your logo left or center, use a text link. ☐ Reconfirm their registration ☐ Say “Thank you”!! ☐ Include date/time/location/topic ☐ Note if there is a waitlist or the event is full ☐ Include at least one photo from the event! ☐ Sign-up link should be obvious and above the scroll line ☐ Describe check-in process, where to park, what to bring, emergency contact information. ☐ Ask to participate in your survey ☐ Don’t give details that distract from signup ☐This can be a long email. Provide as much information as your attendees need to have an enjoyable experience. ☐ Ask attendees to post, tweet, comment about their experience • Provide links to your social media channels • Provide sample content – write some tweets for them ☐ Re-emphasize the call to action of the event: donate, visit your store, volunteer to help, etc.
- 46. 46 5. Next steps Online vs. Offline RegistrationTools The Registration Form Make processing RSVPs & collecting fees EASY Registration is available 24/7 Collect all of your information in one place Keep it simple, collect only what you need Good data in = good data out Promote “social proof” Use data to inform future business decisions Carry your brand through Payment options matter Timing matters! Send reminders!
- 47. © Constant Contact 2016 All the channels that matter. Email. Mobile. Social. Grow withConstantContact All the marketing campaigns you need together in one place.
- 48. BE A MARKETER All it takes is Constant Contact® #BeaMarketer
- 49. I could let you leave here and spend your next $20 on lunch… Or you could make the decide to allow me to help jump start your next email marketing campaign and potentially triple your ROI….$14/month allows you unlimited marketing to 500 active contacts!
- 50. Exclusive Offer for Today’s Participants 50 30% OFF for your first 3 Months of Email Promo Code: ALEFEBEMAIL Send the best email! All it takes is Constant Contact® Terms and Conditions: This February Promotion (the "Promotion") begins on February 22, 2016 at 12:00 a.m., Eastern Time ("ET"), and ends on February 29, 2016 at 11:59 p.m., ET (the "Promotion Period"). If eligible Constant Contact customers purchase Constant Contact’s Email package during the Promotion Period, they will receive 30% off of such purchased product for the first three months after they become a paying customer. Constant Contact customers will be eligible to participate in this Promotion if they (i) are a Constant Contact trial account holder or a new Constant Contact customer who has never been a paying Constant Contact customer, (ii) become a paying Constant Contact customer and enter the applicable promo code during check out by 11:59 p.m., ET, on Monday, February 29, 2016 or call their Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert and mention this offer during such Authorized Local Expert’s normal business hours during the Promotion Period, and (iii) remain a paying Constant Contact customer for at least a full 30 calendar days from the date they first became a paying Constant Contact customer. After the first three months have ended, eligible participants will automatically be charged the current retail price for the product(s) unless they cancel their accounts or the applicable product. This Promotion cannot be combined with any other Constant Contact promotion or special offer. Constant Contact offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on your purchase of certain Constant Contact products, as more fully described at www.constantcontact.com/pricing. Constant Contact reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or cancel this Promotion at any time. This Promotion and all Constant Contact products and services are subject to the Constant Contact terms and conditions.
- 51. Get started today… WWW.MakeBankWithUs.com 51 free 60-day trial No Contract & No Credit Card Needed
- 52. Calling My MotivatedWomen Saturday, March 5, 2016 Hotel Indigo at the Galleria www.ExpressDesignTransform.com A full day Women's Conference, intended for significant growth for you personally and professionally. The opportunity for freedom to soar to new heights in 2016 is within reach! All Other Events www.WeCoachSalesPros.com
- 53. 53 Questions?
Editor's Notes
- Presenter should introduce themselves. RDDs should mention Constant Contact ALEs would mention their own company and clarify their relationship to Constant Contact. (Ask people in the room if any of them have ever attended a previous seminar. If there are a lot, Clarify that this is new content but that some of the same strategies we have taught in the past still apply So they might see a few familiar strategies or tips along the way. (Then mention the workbook – explain what it is, briefly, and let them know that you will refer to it Throughout the session with short exercises for them to complete. Next ask …) How many people in the room are small businesses or work for a small business? How many are nonprofits ….on purpose (they will laugh) relate to the room that you know it’s been a tough year for some and that the information Covered in the session should help them start to move the needle.
- Let me take just a minute to explain what Constant Contact is for those who may not be familiar. Constant Contact is a do-it-yourself online marketing system. You can use it to be a marketer for your own small business or organization. The company is best known for its email marketing tools. It’s easy to create and send mass email, like newsletters or announcements and updates. You can run special promotions or offers; you can build online surveys and polls to gather feedback; and you can promote and manage your events using Constant Contact with registration tools, payment acceptance and invitations – all in one place. You can use all the tips and best practices we’ll discuss today in your own small business or nonprofit. You can be a marketer. All it takes is Constant Contact. [click to next slide]
- Today, we’re going to talk about events and online registration, but first I want to talk about what a campaign is. When it comes to marketing, what does the word “campaign” really mean? Basically, there are two parts. First, you [click to build only once] push out some sort of content (and we’ll talk more about “what content” in a bit) to your audience, whether that’s through email or social media, or anywhere you reach your followers. Second, you hope to “pull” some sort of response from them – you want them to read your email, forward it or share what you posted on social media, show up, call, or attend your event – you want them to take an action of some sort. Think about a campaign in terms of push/pull – and more importantly, do not think about it as just putting an offer out there and making a sale. This is a new marketing world – campaigns are more like conversations, which actually gives you an advantage over big business. As a small organization, you can engage in a conversation that feels and in fact IS much less like a sales gimmick and more like nurturing a relationship. If you’re doing it right, it will seem like that from both sides of that conversation. [click to next slide]
- And to be clear, events – their invitations, the speakers or entertainment featured, images and social media posts generated before and during the event, and follow-up messages and surveys – ARE content. Think back to the last slide, where we talked about pushing out content and pulling in a response. With events, you’re pushing out content like invitations, and pulling in a response, such as registrations. [click to next slide]
- Events can be more than you think. You can create a campaign around any type of event that fits your organization’s needs. [click to build] There are fundraisers and gala events in support of causes [click to build] Conferences or industry trade shows [click to build] Short- or long-term workshops and classes [click to build] Networking events and social gatherings [click to build] And seminars or lectures You can also hold an event if you’re opening a new business or a new location for your business, or if you’re having an open house. You can use email marketing for internal events, and businesses and nonprofits can hold volunteer days. [click to next slide]
- 7
- 8
- There are many reasons you may want to run an event, so you should start by identifying one goal. Maybe you want to… [click] Raise money or drive purchases [click] Create or increase face-to-face engagement [click] Celebrate milestones, such as the opening of a new location [click] Reward loyalty [click] Grow your list of contacts and supporters [click] Or educate a group of current or potential supporters about your area of expertise. [click to next slide]
- Events are definitely a part of what is known as the engagement marketing cycle, all starting with the [click] “WOW” experience that you provide by offering a great, relevant event that your audience wants to attend. [click] They give you a reason to ask people stay in touch – so followers and attendees can learn about other events The experience at the event creates a ready connection around which [click] engagement can be created – “Remember at our gala when this happened?” or “Here is a great video of our event!” – keep that connection with the people who attended to build their loyalty to your business or organization That engagement also drives social visibility during the event [click to build], or before and after, with the sharing of stories, live-Tweeting or photo-sharing and results. Everyone loves to hear about a great party or gathering, or a meaningful reason to get together, such as an effective fundraiser, so events supported by engagement and social visibility will draw [click] new prospects to your business or cause. [click to next slide]
- And you may be hesitant to charge for your event, but if you’re offering a great event that’s relevant and looks interesting and appealing to your audience, they’re not going to say no because of a registration fee! Constant Contact reviewed over 200,000 RSVPs in which people declined an invitation, and looked at the reasons why people said “no, thanks.” We found… [click] Over 50% cited conflicts with dates and times. [click] Another 30% cited “other reasons,” and when we looked closer, most were related to the date, time, or location of the event. [click] An additional 10% cited “location” directly. Essentially, almost 90% of the reasons people say “No” come down to timing and location. As for cost, out of all those responses, the percentage of people who cited cost as the reason for declining the invitation was [click] .01%! Think about that! [click] Out of 200,000 people, only 20 said the cost of an event kept them from attending. So the takeaway here is: Don’t be afraid to charge for your event! What’s important to consider, is the value your offering your attendees. Is there a perceived value built into the event and your marketing of the event, and will people be willing to pay to attend? [click to next slide]
- 12
- Studies show it is best to promote your event over a 6 week period. Now, an important thing to note here is that I’m talking about the PROMOTION of your event, not its planning – if you’re at the promotion stage, you should have already planned it out, which means you’ve ALREADY secured all the details your attendees will need, such as location, date and time, program, and accommodates if necessary. Promoting your event doesn’t mean just blasting out your registration URL 6 weeks in a row. Today, we’ve broken your event success formula into 3 stages: [click to build] Creating buzz [click to build] Increasing registration, and [click to build] Maximizing attendance. Each stage is broken down into different best practices designed to help you achieve the goal of that stage. We’ll talk about how all of them come together to make your event a success! [click to next slide]
- Creating buzz is all the ground work you can do to get people excited about your event and on their radar even before you begin to share your event’s URL through email and social media. Begin by featuring your event on your website, on your home page and in an events section if you have one. [click] And make sure your registration page is there as well. If you’re using Constant Contact’s events tool, you’ll be able to customize your registration page to get all the information you need, and we’ll talk about that in the next section. If your event is open to the public, and there’s a chance someone could stumble upon it by just visiting your website, you want to make sure that people can register right away, even if you haven’t begun to publicize it yet! [click to next slide]
- After you’ve set up your website and online registration form, it’s time to publicize your event by sharing it on social media and listing it anywhere potential attendees may find it. Share it on all the social media platforms you use, and encourage your fans and followers to share it with their connections. Use online event management systems, like SocialVents that will push your event out automatically, to public listings. There may be event sites specific to your own industry as well. And make sure your event is covered by your local press. Many newspapers have a community calendar that will list local events, so contact the editor to ask if they can include it with enough time in advance for people to plan. You can also ask if the newspaper would consider covering the event itself and send a news reporter or photographer. If there are any industry-specific publications that apply to your business or nonprofit, ask for your event to be included in their calendars. Also, consider co-marketing your event with other organizations. If you’re partnering with another group, ask them to promote it in their email marketing and on their social media platforms. Ask the venue to promote your event on its own calendar. If there is a Chamber of Commerce or other business-support group in your area, you can ask for some additional promotion. The bottom line is this: The more places you can list and promote your event, the more exposure you will get, giving you a better chance to draw in an audience that’s interested in what you’ve got planned. [click to next slide]
- Then, you want to leverage your regular email newsletter to get the word out about your event. Your email newsletter is a great place to promote your events because it reaches a wide audience. It takes advantage of the places they are already paying attention to. The Peabody Essex Museum regularly sends out a newsletter about current and upcoming exhibits and events at the museum, to allow readers to register or learn more when they see an interesting event, even if the email isn’t specifically about the event. Talking about the event is not enough. Make sure that registration is only one click away! [click to next slide]
- Three to four weeks before your event, it’s time to directly reach out with invitations! An event management system like the one in Constant Contact makes it easy to create great-looking email invitations – and if you’re sending out paper invitations as well, you should use the same images and branding to make them look consistent and help your audience to recognize right away that the invitation is coming from you. Then, take full advantage of all of your social networks, because they will help word of your event spread beyond just your loyal supporters and may encourage people new to your organization to come along. [click to next slide]
- In the two weeks before your event, you’re in the home stretch! A lot of times, event promotion focuses on driving registration, and that’s great, but event ATTENDANCE, is an even more important part of your promotional strategy, so let’s take a look at the best practices you can apply to maximize registration. Sending an email reminder sounds like a no-brainer. However, you don’t want to settle for just resending the event invitation! Don’t pass up this great opportunity to get them excited about attending, especially because it will be seen by a large portion of your registrants. When we studied event emails, our customers had more than a 60% open rate for their reminder emails. You can do things to further engage them, like sending a pre-event survey or poll, show an event countdown, provide speaker info, and make it easy to share by forwarding the email or posting it to social media. And, although your event homepage link remains static, you can still update it. Make sure it has the most updated information, and keep rotating the content, so people want to come back, and you’ll get registrants excited about attending. If your event requires a ticket for entry, make sure to include a reminder for registrants to print it out ahead of time. It’s a great reminder for them to attend and will make your check in process much easier. And don’t forget to use your social networks! We’ll talk about the concept of “social proof” in a few minutes, and you’ll see why leveraging the social visibility of your organization and your followers is so important. [click to next slide]
- 19
- 20
- We talked earlier about WHEN you should put out your registration form, but now let’s talk about WHAT you should put on it – and what you shouldn’t. First, let’s take a look at one that really misses the mark. You don’t want to make your registration form difficult, complicated, or overly time-consuming to complete. This is an example of a form that, on appearances only, might make a person consider not moving ahead. It looks complicated, like you’re about to renew your driver’s license! It actually asks for 14 different pieces of information. However, if your event requires you to ask for 14 pieces of information, do so, but do everything you can to ensure that you’re asking for ONLY the information that is necessary and relevant to your event. This is not a survey, and it’s not a platform from which you should get into a lot of detail about the event or your organization. Ask only for what you need, and no more. What should a well-designed form look like? Let’s take a quick look… [click to next slide]
- 22
- You've worked really hard to develop your brand and to show your brand personality in whatever you do. Why wouldn't you take the opportunity to do that with your event registration as well? You should customize your registration so it reflects your brand– use your logo and colors, and if you’re using online registration, send from an email address that your audience will recognize as your organization. Also, make sure you use language that you already use in your communications. If you call people “members,” “friends,” “business executives,” “cozy knitters,” etc., use that same language in the registration form so that it’s customized to reflect your brand. Also, be sure to use language that you use for your organization: if you call people members, cozy knitters, business executives, etc. use this language so the registration form is customized to reflect your brand. [click to next slide]
- How much and what information you collect with your registration form is a tricky question to answer. As I said, the short answer is that you want to collect only as much information as you need to in order to effectively manage the event. People are starved for time, and want things to be as efficient as possible. There’s plenty of research out there to support the fact that as forms get longer, there’s a higher chance that people won’t complete them, so it’s in your best interest to keep your forms concise – If there are questions you want to ask that are related to your business or organization, but they’re NOT related to your event, you should find a different approach to asking them, such as a separate survey or poll, at another time. Here are some common pieces of information collected with registration forms – Notice that it’s not a big list! Don’t ask for anything you’re not going to use: [click] Demographics can help you to plan or adjust your logistics, entertainment or auction items. An audience that has more women than men, for example, could lead you to make different choices than if it were the other way around. [click] If you’re allowing invitees to bring guests, collect that information, especially so that you can manage your seating and event capacity. [click] If your event will have different sessions, like a conference, ask ahead of time which sessions your attendees plan to go to. This can help you adjust staffing, communicate about openings, and even add or remove sessions or promote alternate options. [click] Collect all of the event-specific information that you may need. If you’re offering a meal and need people to select menu options, put that on the form. If you’re giving away commemorative T-shirts, you’ll need to get information about sizes and quantities. This is also where you can include the “How did you hear about our event?” question, which can tell you whether you have a high number of returning customers, VIPs, or new supporters coming to your event – allowing you to adjust your remarks, etc. [click] Payment is clearly important! If you’re collecting payments and payment information ahead of time, you’ll be better able to manage your event budget and finances. If you know that a large number of your registrants plan to pay at the door, it could impact how you pay for certain aspects of the event in advance. [click to next slide]
- With that idea in mind, here are just a few other things you might ask for… [click] Ask your attendees whether they have any accessibility needs that you should know in advance, and make sure you’re prepared to answer questions about whether your venue is accessible. This information will let you know whether you need to make accommodations, such as hiring a sign language interpreter for attendees who are hearing impaired. [click] On the last slide, I mentioned asking for meal and giveaway information. You may also want to ask about whether people need vegetarian, Kosher, or gluten-free options. For giveaways, if you’re giving out clothing, consider asking about special sizes. [click] Asking about food allergies in advance is also wise if you’re serving a meal. Some serious food allergies can be triggered just by the way food is prepared, so this is important information for you, and the event caterer, to have in advance. [click] On that note, if you think you might need it, collect emergency contact information from registrants. This is a good piece of information to have if you’re hosting a longer event, like a conference, or an athletic event, such as a 5K race. [click] Asking about things that might seem unrelated could actually help a lot. If you run a summer camp and want to know what school the child attended, it could help you place kids into groups with others that they might already know. Again, the key takeaway here is to make sure you’re asking for information that is relevant to your event. Once you have the set of questions you want to ask, with online tools there’s another important consideration that you want to make, one that will help you make better use of that information. [click to next slide]
- You’ve got the questions you want to ask, so then you just build out the form, provide space for the answers and you’re off to the races, right? Wrong. [click] Here’s an example of a form that might have been created that way. Clearly there’s a lot of information they want to collect, and they’ve provide ample space for those answers. What’s wrong with this picture? [click to build] These are all open-ended questions. Why is that a problem? Because as registrants complete and submit their answers, you’ll get a spreadsheet that looks a lot like this… [click to next slide]
- This is a set of data that will be hard for you to process or analyze easily…because of the variety of answers, types of answers, etc. You’d have to do a lot of “clean-up” work in this spreadsheet before you could make the most effective use of it. What should you do? [click to next slide]
- The best approach is to provide options in response to each question. Look at this form, and how the event manager has made it easy for the registrant by asking for Yes/No answers or providing a selection of responses in a drop-down menu. Then, when the event manager looks at the data, they’ll find… [click to next slide]
- a very “clean” data set that can be easily sorted, filtered, analyzed, etc., making it much easier to make decisions and changes in the event strategy, or whatever else your data tells you. So remember, “good data in = good data out!” [click to next slide]
- Here’s another time-tested piece of advice. Make yourself the first test subject for your registration form. Even before you send out your invitations, be sure that you fill out the form yourself, or have members of your staff fill it out. This will allow you to: [click] make sure the form is simple and easy to understand [click] check for any typos or other errors that could confuse people or give out incorrect information, and [click] get a sense of how long it will take for your invitees to complete. Once you have a good sense of how long it takes, you can even let people know in the invitation that “Registration takes only 5 minutes,” or “Take 3 minutes to sign up for this event!” [click to next slide]
- You came up with questions, you built a good form to collect the information, you tested it and now it’s “live.” Now what? [click] One thing you can do while setting up your registration form is to allow registrants to see who else has registered for your event. That way, [click] Once they’re registered, [click] They can see who’s already planning to go. This leads to something known as… [click to next slide]
- …social proof. What is social proof? It’s a phenomenon by which someone looks to see how others are responding to a particular situation or decision before they act. Imagine driving to a restaurant, only to find that the parking lot was empty. Would that make you wonder if the food wasn’t good, or it was unpopular for some other reason? Would you continue driving to find another restaurant with a full parking lot? A lot of people would. What happens on your registration form is that one of your invitees will get to the registration form, and see that list of names. She’ll look at that list and try to find people that she knows, that have similar interests or industries – all as part of the process of deciding whether or not she wants to attend. If she sees enough of that “social proof,” she’ll be more inclined to think that this is an event worth attending and she’ll complete the registration. She’ll also be more likely to show up…. [click to next slide]
- One thing to note is that your registrants have the choice about whether others can see that they’re attending. When they get to the end of the form, they will be asked if they want to share their registration with others (with limited information). If and when they allow that, their name will be added to that list of people who have registered, contributing to that social proof concept. [click to next slide]
- Social proof works. When a person recognizes their peers are doing something [click], like attend an event, they will be more likely to want to do the same. So make sure you’re giving them every opportunity to see the interest in your event, both in your registration form and on social media… [click to next slide]
- 35
- In addition to facilitating the collection of information that is relevant to your event, as well as helping provide the social proof that might help increase your registrations, online tools and their collection of data can help inform future business decisions. [click] When you collect demographic information, you’ll get email addresses, which will increase your list size and broaden your marketing reach. [click] Knowing your audience size will help you decide how to approach that audience at your event as you start to build your relationship to them. [click] Understanding which parts of your event, such as which breakout sessions filled up the fastest, can help you redirect staffing if you have the time and resources, or help you in planning your next event. [click] Other information specific to the event, such as how they heard about it, will help you in promoting future events. If you know that a lot of people found out about your event through your email newsletter, then you can make sure you mention future events early and frequently in your mailings leading up to them. [click] And of course, knowing which payment method worked best for your event is important. As I mentioned earlier, if you anticipate collecting a lot of registration fees at the door, you may not be able to pay for event costs in advance, which could affect your planning. [click to next slide]
- The way you allow people to pay or make donations can have an impact on registration and attendance. While the “cost or free” issue doesn’t matter as much, making it convenient for your audience to pay IS important. Offer different ways for invitees to pay for registration if you’re charging for your event, or make donations. Once you’ve held a few events, you may get a better sense of what works best for your particular audience. Here are some options: [click] Paying by check or credit card are common options, with a lot of small businesses using credit card processers like [click] WePay to make payments a seamless part of the process. [click] You might also find that an online payment solution like PayPal would work better for you. Just keep in mind that in most cases, options like these will take your registrant out of your form and onto a separate website to pay. [click] Also, depending on the type of event and the audience, you may want to offer the option to pay at the door. In addition to taking cash and checks at the door, you may be interested in a mobile payment app like Square, which allows users to swipe credit cards and email receipts through a smartphone or tablet. [click to next slide]
- 38
- After every event there’s one thing you must do, and that’s say “THANK YOU!” Send an email to everyone who attended to let them know you appreciated their appearance at your event, and include a photo or video from the event. It is a personal touch to let them know that you value their business, and it’s a way to stay engaged with your audience. [click to next slide]
- Some of the tools you can use to plan and promote events return your results instantaneously, and others take longer – for example, some tools used to run webinars will take 24 hours for the recording and list of attendees and non-attendees. Make sure you know which option your tool has so you can plan accordingly. The example on the screen shows registration results from just a few hours after Jack’s BBQ launched its event – they can already see that three registrants are planning to bring four guests, and if they dive deeper, they can get more detailed information from those registrants. Once the event is concluded, you can go ahead and check your results and reporting and get a few different things. You can pull a list of attendees, guests and no-shows. Once you have your list, send an email to attendees and to registrants that didn’t attend. To attendees, send all the resources. If you had a live event, photos videos, results like who won raffle prizes or silent auction prizes, additional info you’ll be sharing on your webpage – send a link. Make sure to give them a next step – whatever you decide that is – with a call to action. Some calls to action are to interact with your organization on social media, make a donation, purchase a product, start a trial, or attend your next event. For people who didn’t attend, send a “Sorry you couldn’t make it, here’s what you missed” email, and provide a recording, photos or videos, and let them know when your next event is. Use your follow-up email to drive future registrations. You can use the reporting features to check on revenue from ticket sales or donations (if the tool you’re using allowed you to collect them) And if you asked questions during the registration process and that information can be synced with your attendee lists, you can go ahead and start segmenting your lists of names based on responses. This will help you with your follow-up over time. [click to next slide]
- Soon after your event, connect with your attendees, staff and volunteers – [click to build] ask them to share any multimedia they captured. Make it easy for them to share, by inviting them to post photos to Facebook, Instagram, or any social channel you use. Create albums where you can, and then send a link to your online albums in your follow up email and your next email newsletter, and link to it from your social media posts. [click to next slide]
- You can use surveys to gain insights into how much people enjoyed the event, what they’d like to see done differently, etc. You can develop a “satisfaction score,” [click to build through the equation] Over time, this score can help you calibrate your efforts and planning as you make changes to elements of your events and as you strive to provide the best experience. [click to next slide]
- You can ask a whole range of questions, and gain valuable insight. [click] Ask about whether the event venue, and the timing of the event, worked well for your attendees. [click] Get feedback on the entertainment or any speakers you might have had. [click] Ask questions to help you understand your audience better – learn about their interests and demographics. [click] This is an opportunity for you to ask recipients to sign up to receive your regular email newsletter, which is a great way to stay in touch and continue your relationship with your audience. Just like with your registration form, your survey should only ask for information you will act upon. It should not be too long (limit yourself to about 10-15 questions, max) and should be mostly closed-ended or multiple-choice questions, so you get good data to analyze. [click to next slide]
- 44
- 45
- Here’s a review of online vs. offline registration tools, and why you should definitely use online tools to make planning and managing your event registration much easier: Collecting RSVPs, fees and other information related to your event will be much easier Online tools are available 24/7 And you can collect all of the information you need, throughout the entire process, in one place. When it comes to your registration form, here are a few things to keep in mind: Keep it simple, and collect only the information you need for your event. Construct your questions carefully, so you get good data – ask closed-ended and multiple-choice questions so you get clean results. Allow your registrants to benefit from and promote “social proof,” leading to higher registration and, ultimately, higher attendance. Find ways to let the information you collect inform business decisions for your future. Make sure your form reflects your brand, or the event’s brand. Make sure they know it’s from you! Remember that payment options matter. When you think about pricing and other options, consider what is best not just for you, but for your intended audience. Provide as many options as are reasonable. And timing matters! Make sure you send your invitation with enough time for your invitees to plan accordingly, make time and financial plans so that it’s easy for them to say “yes” to your invitation. Don’t forget to send reminders – they’re busy, just like you! [click to next slide]
- OPTIONAL “COMMERCIAL” SLIDE [SPEAKER INSTRUCTIONS: this is your short introductory “commercial” to explain what Constant Contact is to your audience.] SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS: …. Everything we talk about in today’s session is intended to help you grow your business. Strategies, tips and ideas that you can leave here and try. You can apply these ideas to any system or marketing tool you want to use, you do not have to be a customer of constant contact to come to this session and even if you use a competitor, all of the information provided here today will still help you. That said, I want to make sure everyone here knows what Constant Contact is. How many in the room use Constant Contact or know what it is already? Great, I encourage those of you that did not have your hands raised to speak to someone that DID have their hands raised about our service. I’m confident that you will hear good things or I wouldn’t have said that. Constant Contact is an online marketing system with tools to help you manage mass communication and marketing campaigns easily and without spending a lot of time or money. You can send email newsletters or announcements of any kind, run your own special offers or deals, get feedback or run an online survey and you can promote and manage your own events. It’s all together in one place and everything also works closely with social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and it’s also designed to help you look good on a mobile device. Constant Contact is the leader, and the support is outstanding. I will of course encourage you to use Constant Contact – it only costs about 20 a month – but let’s get to the class and then I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about Constant Contact at the end of the session.
- Let me take just a minute to explain what Constant Contact is for those who may not be familiar. Constant Contact is a do-it-yourself online marketing system. You can use it to be a marketer for your own small business or organization. The company is best known for its email marketing tools. It’s easy to create and send mass email, like newsletters or announcements and updates. You can run special promotions or offers; you can build online surveys and polls to gather feedback; and you can promote and manage your events using Constant Contact with registration tools, payment acceptance and invitations – all in one place. You can use all the tips and best practices we’ll discuss today in your own small business or nonprofit. You can be a marketer. All it takes is Constant Contact. [click to next slide]
- You can use