“Email is dead,” said no event marketing pro, ever.
Event organizers, am I right? If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to get the word out about your upcoming event, increase event registration, relay important information and get people excited, you look no further than email marketing.
Email marketing is still the king of marketing, especially because it has higher conversion rates than social media – the new and cool kid on the block. Moreover, it’s the preferred medium for permission-based marketing. In other words, people want to receive and read your offers via email.
So how you can make the most of this channel for your company events? Here are seven insider tips.
1. Don’t Make the Subject Line an Afterthought
An email subject line can make or break your campaign, so it’s vital not to leave until last. It’s not just a small detail, it’s your campaign’s first impression. You want to create something catchy that makes people curious enough to open the email. Instill a sense of urgency by letting your audience know you’re presenting something they can’t afford to miss.
Related: How to Elevate Your Next Event with Social Media
2. Follow-up with Reminder Emails
There’s no problem with trying to contact the people who didn’t respond the first time. This is especially true if you’re encouraging the recipient to do something, like register for your event. Let them know how much time they have left to complete this action and make sure they understand the value of the proposition. In other words, tell them why they won’t want to miss it. Be sure to switch up the text, as well — no one wants to get the same email twice.
3. Don’t Just Rely on Text
Mobile users aren’t too keen to reading long blocks of text on their phones. Keep your content short, sweet and to the point. You should also include images, gifs, videos or other colorful graphics to make your email more visually interesting.
And don’t forget to make your call to action clear! Make it stand out and draw the reader’s attention. If you need your audience to learn more about your event, make sure to include links to relevant landing pages with that information.
4. BE MOBILE
If your email doesn’t properly load on mobile devices, your campaign will take a hit. Nowadays 54% of emails are opened via mobile, so more than half of your audience might be lost if you’re forgetting this important detail. Many email marketing software platforms automatically account for this, but you should always send a test version to check how the final product displays.
The bottom line? If you want to successfully market your event via email, then make sure your audience can read your email on their phone while sipping their coffee in the morning.
5. Tease Them
If you really want to get people excited about your event, offer a quick glance at what they can expect. Don’t give away too much, but just enough to stir their curiosity. For instance: if you have a high-profile guest or speaker, feature them in your email marketing campaign. The same goes for contests or other freebies they can only get as attendees.
6. Personalize Where Possible
Take advantage of your email software’s array of tools, and send your audience a personalized message. If you’re just getting started with email personalization, make sure that each email subject or text contains the recipient’s name.
More advanced users should try adding a few personal details to help connect with different segments of the audience. For example: mention your event is local to the contacts whose addresses are nearby. Or, ask recipients what they thought of the event information they downloaded. Your contact database is tracking all of this information, so definitely use it.
Be careful, though — you want to come across as friendly, not creepy. Use enough personal information to make them feel appreciated, but not too much that you’ll scare them away.
7. Give Them Something
Give your potential attendees an incentive to register! Offer early bird discounts, bring-a-friend bonuses, company service vouchers, or any other extra incentive to encourage people to participate. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s enough to pique the interest of your audience. Your offers should always be valuable to your intended attendees. Make sure you feature these benefits prominently in your event marketing emails.
In the End, Strategy is Key
Whatever your event, your strategy is the foundation of your email marketing campaign. The data shows that email marketing for events can be a champion, but it’s success relies on a smart strategy. Organize your email send around important deadlines and incorporate enough time for your recipients to respond. Gather data as you go and look at everything you do as a learning experience. Track your campaign, and after the event analyze the results with your team. Take note of what went well and where there’s room for improvement so you can rock your next email marketing campaign!
