Online event marketing promoting workshops, seminars and more

ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: PROMOTING WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

Agenda

Making the most of your event Ease the burden of event management Setting and using event objectives

Promote & Communicate Promote to the right people Let the people you know promote for you Leverage Social Media and Mobile Be found on the web

Engage with attendees Registration Acknowledge and communicate Before Event During Event Post Event

Measure your success Reports Feedback

Extras Worksheets

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Making the most of your event

Ease the burden of events by having registration and follow up in one place online.

Offline Management Online Management

•Multiple methods with different lists means time consuming manual list management

•One system to manage all data online with access from anywhere

•Registration only during office hours•Fax, postal mail, and “reply if you’re coming” email registration is time consuming

•Attendees register using 24/7 self-serve online registration

•Manual spreadsheet attendee data entry causes cumbersome tracking and reporting•Very time consuming contacting those who have not responded

•Efficient online tracking and reporting that’s automated•Easily email those who have not responded

•Guessing what people want from the event?

•Custom Data lets you know!Keep registration open online, even when you’re not.

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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Making the most of your eventFor a successful event, identify your audience’s goals, as well as your own.

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Considerations Audience Goal Your GoalSize of Event •Participate, but not faceless attendee •Increase attendance

•Right audience for the eventValue of Event •Make connections and learn

•Network with peers•Create loyal and repeat attendees

Content Focus •Learn from experts•Engage with speakers

•Correctly set level of intensity and delivery of content

Return on Investment •“What’s in it for me?” •Create and stay on budget


Other event considerations: Time of Day• What is ideal?Location• Traffic?• Adequate parking?• Driving directions?• WIFI provided?

An event invitation and website provide all the information needed for attendee to understand the value of the event and successfully attend.

Make the most of your event

My Sales Tactics Event

Companies goalsGet attendees to sign up for one or series of paid classes for business/marketing coaching. Seen as thought leader. Increase revenue. Market private coaching services. Create referral network to gain new attendees and validate value claims.

What do attendees want? Learn the proven techniques to grow business and improve sales from a proven expert. Then take those leanings and apply directly to their business. They expect to see some direct return on their investment of attending event.

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PROMOTE AND COMMUNICATE

Are you promoting to the right people?

Who do you want to come? Create an “ideal” attendee profile of both new and familiar with your organization and know why.

Demographic Past attendance, customer Age , Geography Industry, Educational background Influence in networks (local and social)

Where do they spend time? Online: Social media, industry blogs, websites, virtual trade-shows, etc. Offline: Social groups, cafes, Meet up, Chamber meetings, etc. Print: Newspapers, trade publications, magazines

Where do they look for information about events? Local calendar listings, local media outlets (wickedlocal.com, craigslist.org) List in your own event calendar on your site Get included in radio or tv listings “Forward to a Friend” Invites Word of Mouth Search Engines and Social Media

7Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Use the Event Planning & Feedback section of the Survey tool to gather data.

Foundation from those who know youGet their attention with email invites for those who know your organization.

Brand is important.-79% of respondents said they hit the "report spam" button when they don't know who the sender is.-Email Sender and Provider Coalition (2007)

Use Subject Lines that get you opened.Write a headline that captures and keeps attention.

Why do I or should I care?Show your personality.Personalize message to recipient –the same invite does not need to go to everyone on your list.

How do they know you? Use this to make the invite relevant.56% of consumers consider marketing messages from known senders to be Spam if the message is “just not interesting to me.”-Q Interactive, 2007Segment the content of the message.


Good Invitations cause interest and action

Invitation must include: Simple step-by-step easy registration or RSVP

-How do I say yes or no When and where? How do I get there? Is there a cost? What is the cost? Who do they contact for more information or to

ask questions? Content is Share worthy

– Share button for posting social media– “Forward to a Friend”-email– Add list of upcoming events

Do your invites do more than ask people to come?Goals: Engage with video Increase interest Improve attendance Provide event information:

Topics Lessons Speakers


Today, 71% of the U.S. online audience watches video on the internet, and the number of streams consumed should more than double by 2013 – Forrester Research 2009

Video in email can increase click-through rates by as much as three-hundred percent– Forrester Research 2009


Success with Event Invitations

Business Victories

Their challenge: Promoting weekly teleseminars which educate

customers and prospects. Boosting teleseminar attendance.

With Event Marketing their results:

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"We've seen registration go up 30% to 40%, and it's consistently growing each week, undoubtedly because we've started using Event Marketing.“-Cheri Ruskus, Business Victories

How do you know if your invites did their job? Is the message being shared?

Does this invite work?

What works:Headline captures attention and sense of urgency.Visuals match event theme.

Why it does not work:No way to RSVP on line!

Created sense of urgency but no way to take immediate action.

Unclear how to sign up for event.No personalization.No map for directions on how to get there.No way to share.

–Missing out the power of word of mouth and social media marketing.

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Beyond the one event

Share upcoming events in your email invitations to increase awareness.

“Attend My Events” button appears in the Insert menu.

Clicking this option will feature:– Event Name– Start/End date and time– Event Description (if given)– Location

Event names link to Event Homepage/Registration page.

Track which readers are interested in what events.

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Leverage Social Media for your invite

Use Simple Share to promote the event on Facebook and Twitter at the same time

■ Customize the message for each site.

■ Include an image (optional).■ Easily share to all your

Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Expand the reach of your invitation through Social Media.


Create buzz in Social Media about the event

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Get more attendees by sharing the event on Facebook & Twitter.


The Facebook post can contain a custom message to encourage attendance and will include a link to register.

Establish a hashtag (e.g. #B2Bevent) to track buzz around the event.

Tweet your event and watch how your followers retweet the details.

Do not forget to ask them to retweet, asking and saying “Please” really does work.

Whether you send an invite or not, promote the event on Social Media! Here’s how:

Promote the event on a schedule:•Weekly •The day before•An hour before

Create buzz in Social Media about the event

Increase attendance through professional connections.

Promote the event on your LinkedIn profile.

Share the event details with those you know on LinkedIn.

Groups: Members Industry Topic

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Leverage Mobile Marketing

FoursquareHow can you use it?

Pre-event During Event

•Create a location to check in

•Share with friends

•Co-market with content partner? Drive traffic to each other’s sites•Leave a “tip” about your event•Leave a To Do about your event

•Develop scavenger hunt about event

•Hints in “tips” area

•Understand interests of people checking in – profile info

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Leverage Social Media PromotionTools Before During After

• Promote the event by sharing the event details on your wall

• Share updates on your wall and upload pictures from the event

• On your wall, thank those who came to the event

• Answer remaining questions from event and send email with link to your wall.

• Create an unique event hashtag

• Using bit.ly create short event URL for tweets

• Customize your Twitter background with the event brand

• Schedule tweets in advance to promote

• Maximize the opportunity for a re-tweet by limiting your tweet to 120 characters

• Encourage tweeting during the event

• Create a Twitter List of your conference speakers for others to follow

• List people’s Twitter username’s on their badges

• Encourage people to continue discussion

• Use tweets to promote next event

• Have link to event homepage in your profile

• Invite connections to attend

• Encourage those that meet at the event to connect

• Continue networking after the event

• Create a location to check-in

• Co-market with content provider

• Leave a “Tip” or “To Do”

• Develop scavenger hunt about event

• Review Check-ins and Tips left by attendees

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Built-in Promotions with Social Media and Search Engine Optimization.

■ Help your event be found in online searches by using keywords.

Topics, speakers, theme, location

■ Create an event hashtag to encourage conversation about the event.

■ The hashtag is automatically featured in event communications.

Leverage Social Media & Online Marketing

Can your event be found on the Web?

Do you have an event homepage?

Use homepage for more promotional details and drive desire to attend.

Match the branding and colors of your website to your event homepage.

“The homepage flexibility provides a fantastic outlet for other complementary marketing strategies such as posting for social networking and affiliates websites.”

-Shannon Beth Harrington, SB Cre8tive


Can your event be found on the Web?Talk About Content

List the sessions offered/Agenda Link to guest speaker bios, websites, book

reviews Showcase new products or services

Enable Interaction Provide event contact’s information for

questions Feature testimonials of former attendees Create and update a “What’s New” section Display pictures from past events or featured

speakers Join My Mailing List for future events Add event #hashtag

Include Fine Print State cancellation and refund policy (if

applicable) and make it fair and friendly

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It ‘s more seamless for people and easier for everyone. For people signing up for the events they don’t have to bounce from a newsletter, to our website, to PayPal and back-it’s so flawless and easy. What we were hoping for is what we got and so much more.-Leslie Sturgeon, Women Inspiring Woman


Tips:-Keep your branding consistent-Make the page easy to share and be found in Social Media-Use the words that attendees use, not internal jargon

Can your event be found on the web?

Share the link to the event calendar in emails and Social Media.

Feature all upcoming events online or on your website.

Provide a list of upcoming events on your website:

■ Increases awareness of your upcoming events.

■ Helps improve attendance or increase the number of volunteers.

■ Increase SEO value.21


Boost attendance with promotional variety


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Remember: communicate where your audience is listening!

Invitations Homepage Social MediaSend personalized invitations with a personal appeal

Create a unique event homepage

Engage those following you to boost attendance and awareness

Make sure to include:

Important event information To ask recipients to forward the email to friends and familyA list of upcoming eventsEncourage to talk about event in Facebook and TwitterLinks to register-automatically done for you with Event Marketing


Information about the event, topics and guest speakersRegular updates on the homepage, with our easy to update homepageA “Join my Mailing List” box, to keep the connectedUse the “Attend my Event Widget” to promote upcoming events on your website


Updates about the event (Examples: new speakers, discount offers, etc.)Link to registration for the event from all posts and tweetsEncourage those who have registered to post or tweet they are attending-automatically done for you with Event Marketing

Let them know and they’ll show!

ENGAGEMENT WITH ATTENDEES

Step 1: RegistrationEasy to use self registration

Decreases errors Attendees register when and how they want

Centralized Information and Professional Looking One place for all event information Same branding for all event communications Track and see the details registrant provide Have a better event when you know who is coming

Time Saving Manual registration = Hours of time vs. Online = time saving One person can run the show Easy for anyone to manage


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How registration engages

Cape May County Chamber of Commerce

Their challenge: Difficult to get a proper headcount. Provide adequate event information. Over-ordering or booking a location that is

too small/large. Collecting payment from registrants.

With Event Marketing their results:

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It took two or three people two or three steps to register one person for a $20 lunch. Now, it’s all automated. – Vicki Clark, Cape May County Chamber of Commerce

Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate


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Ask registrants to share the event information. Jump start the word of mouth buzz around your event.

Once registered, attendees can spread the word about the event by sharing on Facebook or Twitter.

Note: Facebook users have on average 130 friends**Facebook FAQ’s

Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate

Reminder communications increase attendanceInclude: Show countdown until event. Include a link to a pre-event survey or poll, then near event

start date or at start of event review results. Provide hints to guess secret guest speaker/feature:

Tweet event information and include event #hashtag in the tweet

Share event details on your Facebook wall Make it easy to share with “Forward to friend” link and Social

Share button.


Confirmation Messages = confirm & commit Keep it short and concise. Provide contact information for the individual who can answer

questions. Feature quotes from attendees in the past to similar events. Reference the “Add to my Calendar” feature.

Reminder email

During the Event

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Event Check-in

Display a list of registrants for any event.

"Check-in" your registrants to mark them as attended.

Email an individual event registrant by tapping their email address.

Easy attendance Tracking on your mobile phone!

Android iPhone

During the Event

Encourage attendees to tweet about what they are experiencing during the event under the event #hashtag.

People who are interested and could not make it can be part of event following a twitter feed.

Encourage attendees to post photos and videos from mobile devices to Twitter with tools like Twitpic.

As of Dec 2010, 27% of all mobile phones are smartphones, by end of 2011 over 50% will be smartphones. -ComScore’s “2010 Mobile Year in Review”

Twitter has 165 Million Users – 50% of them use Twitter Mobile. –Mashable.com, “Mobile by the Numbers”

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During the Event

Consider using QR Codes to keep the interaction going

Direct to website information via mobile device.

Get feedback via a poll or short survey that people can access via mobile device.

Post video content that is complementary to the event objectives to view via a mobile device.

How do I build? -http://bit.ly/Add- .qr at end of shorten url

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During the Event

FoursquareHow can you use it? Watch how many and who has

checked in.– Know when the people you want

to connect with have arrived. Watch the comments, tips and to

do’s left by attendees.– Gain a clear understanding of

what popular/trending in your event.

Watch for instant feedback.– Negative comments about the

food– Problems with the facility

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POST EVENT COMMUNICATIONS

Post event email and homepage

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■ Thank attendees.– Send a thank you tweet (@) –

to everyone who engaged with the event on Twitter

■ Post quotes and photos from attendees.

■ Provide links to materials distributed at the event.

– Consider hosting them via Slide Share

■ Provide contact information for the individual who can answer questions.

■ Give participants a way to stay connected through the “Join Our Mailing List” link or social media sites.

■ Include link to post-event survey.


Update sameHomepage for PostEvent Information

Collect Post Event Feedback

Use a Survey Ask about satisfaction with content,

facilities, etc.

How likely are they to come again?

How likely are they to tell others about your events?

Ask questions that get answers you can act upon. Example: “What didn’t you like

about our last event?”

Over 60 templates to start with to meet your objective

Includes good questions

You can edit, remove, add, and re-order questions

You can add your logo, colors and images

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Collect Post Event Feedback

Track conversations with NutshellMail

Monitor your Social Media while at your event.

Review your Social Media activity at your own pace.

Track engagement and review conversations.

Promote the next event by making a list of all your followers on Social Media.

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Feedback and Data for next event

Analyze participation to identify high value prospects, then perform the appropriate follow up.

Leverage details from your registration data to help identify the right segments of people to invite to your next event.

Use the information they have shared to personalize your future communications.

Segment:– Details such as who paid,

how they paid, demographic, geographic, etc.

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Did you meet the objectives?

Measure your objectives by:

The number of people who attended.

Revenue from the event. Analyze data collected via

reports and survey.

Measure attendee objectives by:

Show rate of individuals registered.

Conversations about event in Social Media networks.

Feedback in surveys.

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Let’s see it in action!

Constant Contact’s Event Marketing:RegistrationPromotionReporting

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Best Next Steps

Try Online Event Marketing For Free

http://www.constantcontact-event.com/

Check out a Live Product Tour

Register for the live “Event Marketing Product Demo”

http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/webinars/live/index.jsp

Questions? You have a consultant here to help at 1-855-816-6508

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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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On Twitter:@ctctevent

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ctcteventmarketing

Plan- Using Objectives

Share your story: Recent or Upcoming Event Attendee Objective Your Objective Value and Content Focus of event

Audience Goal Your GoalSize of Event

Value of Event

Content Focus

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Are you promoting to the right people?

Attendees-Who is perfect for your event?

Where do they spend time? Where do they seek event information?

In common What is different

Real Life Online Real Life Online

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Attendee Worksheet:

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Technology

Online event marketing promoting workshops, seminars and more