Data released by Eventbrite shows that event registrations typically have 2 spikes – when the tickets first goes on sale and the week that the event takes place. More often than not, the period in between these two spikes is always the most challenging in getting event registrations.
As many event organizers have come to realize, people love to procrastinate and wait until the last minute to register for events! Here are 10 tips you can use to promote your event and beat this natural dip in the event registration lifecycle.
1. Reach out to community and industry partners
By reaching out, you have a better chance to leverage the relationships you have with various organizations which could result in your events being promoted to their customers by email, social media and their sales staff. In exchange for community and industry partners promoting your event, you could also offer discounts for the event or any other services to their members. And don’t forget to set up tracking links to see where referrals are coming from!
2. Set up tiered ticketing prices
We all know about offering Early Bird tickets to incentivise those who purchase event tickets in the first 1-2 weeks that they are released and the success this has on getting early sales. Taking this further, and avoiding the ticket sales lull in the middle, offer tiered ticketing prices in order to convince attendees to commit earlier.
For example, by pricing Early Bird tickets at $70, General Admission at $90 and tickets purchased the day of the event at $110, people who might be on the fence about attending can be motivated to purchase if they know they’ll be saving money. Trust me, it’s a great feeling when you’ve sold enough tickets in advance and aren’t in a state of panic the week of the event continuously monitoring how many tickets are being sold!
3. Spread the word
The classic word of mouth marketing still works – just through different mediums! Hop onto blogs and forums that you are active in, such as your LinkedIn groups, and let people know about your event. With that in mind, make sure the event is relevant to their users so you don’t cross the line and become a spammer. And don’t forget to encourage your team members to do the same!
4. Focus on the benefits of your event
With everyone time poor these days, we’re all conscious about what we’re going to get out of events before registering for them. What that means is that you must focus on selling the benefits of attending your event. On your registration page and your promotions, include information on what attendees will take home, such as new knowledge or networking opportunities, workbooks, white papers, checklists or certificates of completion.
5. Make registrations easy
There’s nothing that potential attendees hate more than complex event registration forms that require them to fill out so much information that they feel like they are being interrogated. The less information asked, the better! Create a short, simple registration page on your website. Allow users to pay online if at all possible, and include a link to your privacy policy.
6. Increase social media activity during slow periods
Event organizers often send out tweets and posts when tickets to their event first become available, and again the week before the event takes place. Now that you know the weeks in between are where ticket sales are the slowest, make this period your heaviest social media pushes. Let your social media audience know about any discounted ticketing, what they’ll take home from the event or perhaps any competitions at the event.
7. Advertise on your homepage
The most hits on your website will most likely be your homepage, so it’s a good idea to showcase your event here prominently. Ensure that it is eye-catching and contains all the key information, such as a link to the online registration page.
8. Write a press release
Have a think about who the types of people are that would find your event interesting and put together a list of the websites, magazines, newspapers and TV shows that they might browse, read or watch. Then put together a press release and distribute your press release to those media outlets that you have shortlisted. If there is someone affiliated with your event who is senior or well known, ask them for a quote about your event and include it in the text.
9. Use social media ads
Utilize Facebook and LinkedIn ads. What works so well with these two platforms is that they allow you to tailor who you want the ad to be shown to. For example, with LinkedIn ads, you can tailor the audience’s seniority, age, gender, geographical location, industry and even what company they work at.
So which one should you use? If your event is for business folk, use LinkedIn advertising. If the event is for consumers, then use Facebook advertising.
10. Set up a promotional calendar
Create a Google calendar that lists all your promotional activities for the event in one place. Categorise the activities by the type of channel, such as “Email”, “Social Media”, “Partner.” Share the calendar amongst your team and assign activities to them. The most valuable part of creating this is that you’ll now be able to pick out the holes in your calendar and see which marketing channels you aren’t using to your full capacity for your event.
This article was originally published by Sanjay Sundarjee, CEO and Co-Founder of EventMojo, an online online marketplace and community where people hosting events can find and book the services that they need. You can connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Image by Just Simply Enlocal.
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