Events can be a great way to educate people on your business and sell products or services. They can create a buzz around a launch and help demonstrate the value of your product. You can help your customers understand how your product or services directly benefit them. However, you can’t help anyone unless you can get butts in seats. This is the biggest challenge of event marketing. Here are 5 tips for filling your events.
1) Pick the Right Time
For certain events, you will get more people at lunch than you will at night and vice versa. Consider how long your event will be and who your ideal audience is. If your event will be short, then a lunchtime mixer may be a good choice. Conversely, if you are bringing in a high-end keynote speaker, then it may be wise to schedule the event in the evening when more people can attend. There is no right or wrong answer. Play around and figure out what the right time is for your event.
2) Make a Place for People to Register
I recommend www.eventbrite.com. You can host free or paid events on this easy-to-use platform. Set up a custom URL so people can easily search for your event. You can set up different ticket prices and discount codes for your attendees. If you’re hosting a joint venture, Eventbrite will track affiliate registrants and even take care of collecting payment. There is a small fee for the transaction which you can choose to absorb into the cost or add on to the price. It also allows you to send reminders to the registrants of your event.
Another great resource to promote your events is Facebook. Facebook allows you to create an event, invite your friends, and see who’s coming. Although not as robust as Eventbrite, Facebook allows you to share in groups, with friends, or even advertise your events through Facebook ads.
3) Use Ambassadors and Affiliates
An ambassador is a well-connected person in your area or industry who you can incentivize to help you fill seats. They can promote your event and expand your reach to a wider circle of influence in exchange for perks. For example, you can offer them a nice gift or even a cut of the ticket price for each person they bring to the event. Be sure to only offer incentives to people who attend, not just those who register. You want your ambassadors and affiliates to attend the event to help build credibility.
Another way to do this is through inviting co-sponsors. By having another company sponsor the event, you increase your marketing reach. The key is finding a business with your same avatar, or target client. For example, if you are a business coach, you may want to invite a merchant service to co-sponsor your event. You have non-competing businesses that serve the same avatar.
4) Invite Your List!
When promoting your events, never forget to invite your warm list. These can be other business associates you’ve done businesses with, those you network with, or even your past client list. Someone you have met before will be more likely to attend than a cold lead.
Don’t be afraid to advertise to your email list as well. You have taken the time to build your list as a means of generating future business, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that! Send out a series of emails leading up to the event to help generate buzz and encourage people to attend. Warning: If you do a lot of events, you can “burn through” your leads by promoting too many events to them. Remember the 80/20 rule. When it comes to promotion, 80% of what you put out needs to be adding value to your list. You want to keep offers down to 20% of the content you put out. This will prevent lead burn through.
5) Pony Up for Paid Ads
If your avatar can be found on Facebook, try investing in Facebook ads. They allow you to hyper target those your market and you only pay for those that click on your ad. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different target audiences. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to find the perfect ad set. You can also do A/B testing with 2 variations of the same ad to see which one converts better. Facebook allows you to set budgets per day and even for the overall campaign. Remember, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
Take Simple Steps to Get Butts in Seats
Hosting an event can be a fantastic way to build and promote your business. A well-run event will not only help you promote your products, but can also establish you as a leader within your industry. Ensure the success of your event by implementing these 5 simple steps to get people to attend. If you would like help streamlining your event processes, reach out to our expert team at Business Made Simple for a free consultation today.