How to get more attendees to your virtual event with event follow up
Thank you for attending and hope to see you again soon are some of the most common phases that might greet event attendees following a virtual event.
Many think the end of an event marks the end of an opportunity.
However, a strong follow up process could lead to a better ROI (return on investment). Here I outline just a few ideas on how you can really make the most of this stage.
First things first
Call to action. Having a clearly defined call to action, such as sign up for my bespoke coaching package, upgrade to my course or gain access to an ongoing business support for a set monthly fee will ensure that event attendees know exactly what the next step is.
This call to action should not come as a surprise, it should be a re-iteration of your message already mentioned during the event. While the start of the event will not always be appropriate, covering the call to action in your closing remarks works very well.
It’s important to give a deadline for the offer expiry as it adds extra pressure to make a decision. And you want to wrap up the event eventually, so giving a deadline by which they need to claim on your offer or they will lose out is good practice.
Event feedback
The power of event feedback (written by Teresa Gandy of ClarityCX) shows how important it is to capture delegate views quickly after an event.
Having an efficient method to process the feedback quickly, will ensure you can use some of it towards summing up your event. For example, including a few testimonials in event highlight communications or using some of the statistics on social media, to showcase what your connections missed if they didn’t attend.
Event feedback also enables you to create marketing content and offers that would specifically meet the needs of the attendees.
The role of FOMO or IWIWT post event
FOMO (fear of missing out) or IWIWT (I wish I were there) plays a large part post event. Creating feelings such as regret and jealousy to those that did not attend.
The role of these feelings is that they will embed in the ideal client’s mind the need to watch out for the next lot of communication about this event.
At this point you need to make it easy for them to follow up on this need. So it’s a good time to offer them to sign up to your email list, so that they don’t miss the next event. Or better still, if you are ready to announce the next event, tell them to save the date and sign up so they are the first to know when the bookings are open.
The power of email
Even if the event attendees are not ready straight after the event to bite to your upsold offer – all is not lost.
Adding your event delegates to a sequence of emails, which is specifically designed to keep them reminded of you and nurture them until they are ready for the next step is generally a good practice to get into.
A post event email sequence can be as long as you deem necessary. I typically suggest three as a minimum to my clients. First email gives the chance to say thank you and remind them of your call to action, the second email asks for feedback and reminds them of the deadline for your special offer and the final one is their last chance to sign up, whether it be to your special offer or an email list. Other ways you can extend the email sequence with is:
- Share event highlights, to remind the attendees what a good event it was, sending them an image or video,
- Remind offer any resources that were offered during the event, in case the attendees missed them
- Give added value, to reiterate your expertise
Last chance
Never underestimate the power of giving your audience last chance to act. There are so many communications going on all around us and where ever we look it’s noisy and things get genuinely missed.
Therefore using a headline such as ‘this is your last chance to…’, which lands in their inbox will give them the opportunity to act. The same headline can be effective on social media too, but as it’s less personal, it’s easier to miss it.
About Rai Richardson and FORCE 4 EVENTS
Rai founded FORCE 4 EVENTS in October 2019, specialising in event strategy and communications that reach and engage the ideal clients as well as deliver unforgettable event experiences. Using her expertise in corporate events, Rai helps ambitious businesses grow through events by maximising event potential every step of the way.
Virtual or physical events create huge opportunities for communications, but only when you have clearly defined your objectives and you know what it is you want to achieve. By starting with a strategy and then planning carefully the correct approach to tell people about your event you can achieve the great results that you strive for.
If you’ve been running events for some time and need a fresh pair of eyes or a new angle to get better results, then you need to talk to FORCE 4 EVENTS.