Making A Posi,ve First Marke,ng Impression:
Conver,ng Website Viewers to Event A<endees
Agenda
• Overview of Event Websites • New Expecta,ons – A<endees – Sponsors – Speakers – Exhibitors
• Timelines and Technology • Top 60 Tips for Event Website • Summary and Ques,ons
Overall Industry Trends
• Satura,on and Shiny Objects – A<endees are overwhelmed, informa,on is free, events are not.
– Adver,sing is a diluted medium and more people opt-‐out.
– A<endees expect exclusivity, insight, in,macy, and follow-‐through.
– A<endees expect to be marketed to and discard most materials.
• Social Media and Reputa,on Management – Complaints are easy, compliments are rare.
Overall Trends Con,nued
• Localiza,on – Regional priori,es and approaches. – Emerging markets will require more marke,ng spend.
• ShiTing Priori,es and Analy,cs – Highly measurable media
– Integrated marke,ng metrics – Awareness and educa,on vs. promo,on
Expecta,ons for A<endees
• Current informa,on (weekly/monthly) • Benefits for registering early • Free informa,on and industry news
• A reason to return and contribute • Pulse communica,ons
• Cost jus,fica,on and convienence
Expecta,ons for Speakers
• Speakers expect organizers to promote them. • Call for speakers process must be transparent.
• Nego,ate. • Recording and rebroadcas,ng – a must.
• Affiliate registra,ons and merchandizing for speakers.
Expecta,ons for Sponsors
• Fact sheet and detailed a<endee demographic metrics.
• Nego,ate early and decrease flexibility with par,cipa,on.
• Document everything. Or the sponsor will.
Points to Remember
• Your speakers and sponsors are your most effec,ve marke,ng channel. – They cost the least and have the farthest reach. – Compensate them well.
• One free a<endee is worth five paid a<endees.
Event Website Tips
Top Tips for Building A<endance
Tip #1: Build for Mobile First
A"endees Demand It • Schedules • Changes and Urgents • Venue logis,cs • Upsell opportuni,es • Direc,onal informa,on • Include link to full experience • Do NOT use Adobe Flash • Unidirec,onal scrolling • No pop-‐ups • HTML 5 no WAP
Tip #2: Simplified Mul,-‐Part Registra,on
• Condense ,cke,ng process and remove registra,on steps. – Collect payment –
• Addi,onal booking steps aTer ini,al ,cke,ng. – Customizable experience. – Reduces abandonment. – Lower cost of development and integra,on.
– Adapts to collect more detailed a<endee profile data.
Tip #3: Event Archives
• Snapshot of all Event Content – Speakers, sponsors, presenta,ons, pricing. – Include all data from past events and a “slice in ,me”.
• Search Engine Rankings – Maintain old vanity URLs for 3-‐5 years. – Cross linking, speaker promo,on, planning content, contacts, etc.
Tip #4: Integrate Staff Services
• Provide log in for volunteers and staff – Keeps them looking at your site
– Include private chat, directories, email, file upload
• Distribute support to groups – Include individuals including volunteers on group lists. More informa,on is be<er.
Tip #5: Affiliate Registra,on Marke,ng
• For high a<endance events, provide methods to compensate a<endees with merchandise, future discounted rates, giT passes.
• Applies to a<endees, speakers, sponsors and adver,sers.
• Easy to implement – Online form, refer a friend, link tracking.
Tip #6: Contests and Awards
• Provide a method for community par,cipa,on and nomina,on. – Simple email forms – Any relevant topic
• Innova,on, design, growth
Tip #6: Inbound Linking
• Inbound links increase search visibility and increase ranking.
• Inbound link sources: – Conference directories – White papers
– Blog posts – Speakers, sponsors and adver,sers
Tip #7: Video Opener
• Single most reusable marke,ng element. – Easily syndicated, viral and inexpensive.
• Record a minimum of 20 hours of sta,onary camera video.
• Create mul,ple videos.
• Invest in targeted communica,ons: – A<endees – Sponsors
Tip #8: Syndica,on
• Ensure all news and blog posts have XML and RSS feeds AND they are published. – Feedburner
• Ensure all resource libraries, white papers, data sheets and materials are in the feeds.
• Ensure all materials are op,mized Adobe PDF files.
• Social linking and social media are expected so provide short URLs.
Tip #9: Educa,onal Workshops
• Cri,cal for extending the value and crea,ng • Sessions should include technical and non-‐technical topics.
• Provides cost jus,fica,on for a<endees and valida,on of importance.
Tip #10: Technology is Easy, Content Isn’t
• 100-‐100,000 a<endee events can be easily served through any hos,ng account and content management system.
• Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, Expression Engine and many others are easy and free.
• Registra,on does not need to be complex and a<endees expect to self-‐serve.
• Cri,cal Event Content (CEC) should be complete. Do not orphan the site.
One more thing…..
Tip #11: Include a Job Board
• Let’s face it, please go to events to learn, mingle but they are always looking for opportuni,es. Give it to them.
• Distribute resumes to sponsors and adver,sers if requested.
• Events are conduits not faucets.
Conclusion
• Event a<endees are demanding more for less. – Feed them informa,on.
• Exhibitors are demanding more for more. – Be generous, be transparent and be flexible.
• Speakers are demanding…… – Quality is key, ask for proof and reach.
• The event industry is growing in value and shrinking in volume. That’s good news.
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