Don Cooper is an internationally-acclaimed sales expert who delivers customized seminars and keynote speeches for corporations, associations, chambers of commerce and other business organizations.
How to Increase Attendance at Your Next Meeting
Q. I want a capacity crowd at my next event. How can I make sure that happens?
A. Four Can’t Miss Strategies for Ensuring Your Next Event is SRO!
What’s the secret to increasing attendance at your next event without spending a fortune on marketing or a big-name celebrity speaker? Simply follow these guidelines:
• Select the Right Speakers
Most meeting planners select speakers based on referrals, demo videos or personal experience. However, if the speaker’s marketing materials aren’t effective sale’s tools, getting people to attend will be a struggle.When making your selection, consider the prospective speaker’s program titles and descriptions. These are the attention-grabbers that your potential attendees will review when deciding if they’d like to attend your event.
o Are the titles (and sub-titles) interesting?
o Are they provocative, timely or enticing? Do they promise a benefit?
o Are the program descriptions clear and compelling?
o Do they make you think, “I’ve GOT to see this!” or do they induce a yawn?If the descriptions don’t excite you, they won’t excite your prospective audience either.
• Create Marketing Pieces, Not Just Announcements
An announcement listing the date, time, location and speaker just isn’t enough! There are more people, tasks and events competing for your audiences’ time and money than ever before. That means you must make a compelling case for people to attend your event over any other.To do that, you have to create marketing pieces.
An effective event marketing piece requires all 12 of the following:
1. Strong headline and sub-head
2. Date, time, location
3. Program description
4. Benefits of attending
5. Presenter bios
6. Special features
7. Testimonials
8. Who should attend
9. Investment
10. Registration information
11. Registration incentives
12. Call to action• Employ Several Different Marketing Channels
The more marketing vehicles you utilize, the more effectively you’ll communicate your message. Additionally, using different media will put your message in front of more people within an organization (while your e-mails go to one person, another may see your postcard.)Consider using each of the following:
• Your web site
• Brochures
• Flyers
• Postcards
• Phone blasts
• Faxes
• Newsletters and magazines
• Events
• Social media• Market Early and Often
Many event marketing campaigns are doomed before they begin because they start too late. You must create awareness of your meeting before your audience has the chance to make other plans.For a monthly event, your first marketing push should go out 2½ to 3 weeks beforehand. For a one-time event, get the message out at least 3 to 4 months ahead of time. And for an annual event, your campaign should begin 9 to 12 months in advance.
How many times should you market to your prospective audience? For a monthly event, shoot for 3 to 4 communications. For a one-time event, 6 to 10. And for an annual event, 12 to 18. Seem like a lot? It needs to be. The more often you touch your potential attendees with your marketing, the more registrations you’ll get. And in the end, isn’t that your goal?
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