Virtual and hybrid events allow organizers to extend their reach to a maximum number of attendees. The key for boosting event registration starts with early engagement with your target audience. Having a clear understanding of your event objective will help you plan promotional messages that are personalized to your audiences.
Create effective strategies for promoting your virtual and hybrid events to boost attendance, participation and engagement at your events. With these important tips, you’ll attract more attendees globally – while making sure that the participants who attend in-person, also have engaging and unique experiences.
1. Personalize the Registration Experience
When planning a hybrid event, it’s important to keep in mind that you have two very different audiences. The more personalized the ticketing and registration experience, the more likely it is that your potential attendees will be able to see themselves at your event. Use one of the following tips to personalize your registration experience:
- Unique Landing Pages: Because each audience type will have a different experience, you can create dedicated landing pages for each group of attendees and customize messaging accordingly to guide them through and manage their expectations.
- Explain the Experience: On your “Why to Attend” page or section of your event site, be sure to highlight and explain what each audience can expect.
2. Segment Your Audiences
When reaching out via email, it’s important to segment your audience. If someone is planning to attend the event remotely, they may not want to read about all of the fabulous amenities and experiences folks who attend in person will be able to enjoy. Here are a few tips:
- Be sure your launch email entices your audience to sign up by including agenda items, speaker profiles, and more.
- Keep your event marketing emails short and sweet with a clear CTA that drives them to your event registration site.
- Include a link to your COVID-19 policies and procedures so people can decide whether they’re comfortable attending in-person or would prefer to attend virtually.
- Don’t forget to leverage past event content in your email marketing efforts as a selling point to boost registrations. Link to a section on your event website that features links to past keynotes, sessions, and other content to entice prospective attendees to register.
3. Capture Your Audience by Promoting Your Sponsors
Choosing the ideal mix of event sponsors and making sure you provide value to make their investment worthwhile are the first steps in guaranteeing the best outcomes from your next event. Remember that you can start upholding your end of the deal even before the event starts.
You can assist your sponsors build their brand awareness and reach new audiences by advertising them in advance and thanking them for their support on social media. This will also increase event registrations.
4. Invest in Event Management Software
Planning an event, building event pages, running email campaigns are tasks involved before an event comes live. An event management software takes this load off your shoulder and helps you boost your event ROI. When you have the correct tools in place, it is much simpler to maximize your event marketing budget in order to achieve your event goals. Investing in an event experience platform makes it simple to manage the whole event, from planning to execution. When deciding on a platform to use it is important to look for:
- Efficient attendee and content management
- Effective marketing tools
- Reports and Analytics
- Captivating content delivery
- Integrations
- Automations
Forward-thinking marketers are thinking differently about the role of events and evaluating how their overall marketing approach gives their attendees the best event experience. What might take weeks or months to uncover in the digital world can be learned in the hours spent at an event. Get started with planning your next in-person, hybrid, or virtual event by contacting us today to meet with one of our event specialists.