Although the affair is technically over once the crowd leaves and the doors close, your job as an event marketer isn’t done quite yet. In fact, as soon as one event is in the books, you should be focused on putting the next one together. Here are some things you can start doing immediately:
Follow Up – After months of planning and preparation, your event has come and gone. Now what? Follow up and get in touch with your guests. If you took the initiative to collect names and email addresses, make sure your followup procedure consists of getting those guests to subscribe to a
double opt-in list. This is the best way to keep the complaints down and ensure that you are focusing your marketing efforts in the right direction.
Gather Feedback – What did attendees think of your event? Did they feel as if it was time well spent or leave feeling like something was missing? This is knowledge that only your audience has and the best way to get them to share it is to simply come out and ask. A simple
online survey or poll could be all you need to find out what guests thought about the event and what they would like to see moving forward.
Share Your Success - Was your event a big hit? If so, why not highlight its success in your post marketing efforts? Your monthly newsletter, website, or blog would make perfect tools for the job as they provide a way to share the photos, videos, and stories that illustrate your success. The more exciting and engaging you make this content, the better chance you will have at getting the conversation going and building momentum that carries you to the next event.
Start Early
When promoting any event, the key to maximizing your potential for success is getting an early start. This is important for both giving potential guests enough time to prepare, and giving yourself enough time to take the efforts necessary to build awareness and increase attendance.
One of the biggest mistakes made by event marketers is failing to ramp up their promotional efforts in a timely manner. Keep yourself, your team, and your subscribers on track with regular
email marketing newsletters and updates. Don't tire your audience out before the big event but find a frequency and design method that your readers will react to. Make every update count and never send to a contact unless the content will enhance their enjoyment of the event to come.
