Event marketing is a challenge. Not only do you have to plan the event itself, and organize food, guest speakers, music, and venue but you also have to invite, organize and remind guests in order to have a successful event. How do you organize all these parts and pieces without going crazy? Well, we're going to make the guest aspect much easier with a few simple tips for ways to increase attendance at events.
1. Keep guests organized and on time with an automated solution.
Don't drive yourself crazy trying to manually invite and keep track of guests. Save hours of time and effort by automating your invitations and reminders. An automated solution will organize each guest's individual data and will send out messages at exactly the time you want so you don't have to worry about it.
Using automation to help you stay on track can boost guest attendance with reminders. Sometimes guests receive the initial invitation but the details slip their mind and they don't end up attending the event. The automated solution will send out event reminders to each guest so they don't forget the time, date or venue. Automation just makes event management simpler.
2. Advertise your event everywhere.
One of the best ways to increase attendance at events is advertising. Promote your event on your website and direct website visitors to the event landing page so they can find more information. Build excitement around your event with consistent messages on your social media pages. You can even do a fun countdown: "Only 10 days left until our Benefit Dinner. Did you get your tickets yet?"
If you have a physical location for your business, advertise your event to each customer who comes in and promotes it at each of the checkouts. If you send out email newsletters or text message campaigns, promote your event in these messages and offer your subscribers a special discount on tickets or another incentive to attend the event.
3. Create a bit of mystery and a buzz around your event.
An unrevealed (but advertised) special surprise, a celebrity guest speaker, door prizes, contests and ticket giveaways, a live band... whatever is special and engaging about your event, play it up! Advertise it on your website and social media pages. What is it about your event that would make you want to attend if you were a potential guest? Use the unique aspects of your event to create excitement and interest.
4. Think carefully about your event time, date and venue.
You want to pick a time and venue that will be convenient for most guests to attend. Don't pick a venue that is out of the way unless it offers a benefit over other more convenient location. Ensure that there will be enough parking for guests with vehicles and that public transportation will be available for other guests. Check out potential venues far in advance to ensure that they have the right type of equipment and space.
Do your research to find out if there are already any other big events on the same day of your event. If you are holding an event at the same time as another event, some of your guests may be conflicted if they want to attend both events. The other thing about hosting an event when there is another one going on is that you will not get as much press coverage. Make your event the main event of the day and think very carefully before competing with another event for guests.
5. Use social media to your advantage.
Allow your guests to help spread your message to a wider audience. On Twitter, you can create a catchy hashtag for your event (#OurCompanysEvent) and encourage followers to tweet about your event and retweet your event messages. On Facebook, encourage guests to like your event page and your posts. One way to create a buzz and get more people talking about your event on social media is by holding fun contests and giveaways. "Like our event page for a chance to win tickets!" "Retweet this message to be entered into a draw for our event door prize." Everyone loves a good contest and they will help you gain more attention for your event.
Join in on current social media trends. Is your event related to a hot topic that is currently being discussed on Facebook and Twitter? Use that to your advantage and join the ongoing conversation.
Want even more ways to increase attendance at events?
Contact us if you would like to learn even more about event marketing and the ways to increase attendance at events. Sign up for a free SimplyCast account to try out marketing automation for your next event.
