TipsHow to Increase Event Attendance: 6 Expert Tips
You are struggling to get more attendees for your next event? Well, you are not alone. The truth is that increasing event attendance continues to be an issue for many event organizers.
Knowing the struggles that event organizers face in terms of how to increase event attendance, we've decided to list a few great strategies that can help you to boost your event attendance.
Let's give it a read!
Create a great event site
Creating a great event site is vital to increasing event registrations. It should not only contain all the information that attendees need to attend the event, but it should also be exciting to visitors.
One-page websites are ideal for this because they are simple to manage and contain key event information. Additionally, one-page websites are optimized for mobile devices. You should also create a simple information architecture and layout, including a navigation menu, search features, CTAs, images, and videos. Your audience will be more engaged when they're able to share and discuss the event's content with others.
Another thing you should do to increase the event attendance is to link your social media accounts to your event website and post details on upcoming events and registration forms. This will encourage more people to register and get more information about your organization.
Use social media to increase event attendance
One of the most inexpensive forms of advertising is social media. You can use social media channels to create a buzz around your events even on an international level. To do this you should first create a social media marketing strategy to announce your event and strategically publish updates that include promotional messaging.
You'll want to plan each month's content in advance to capitalize on the buzz-worthy moments. Early-bird discounts should be promoted months before the event starts, to create a urgency to purchase tickets before they will increase.
After the event, engage with your attendees through social media. You can capture their interest in your content and even make them your fans. These fans may be the ones to become future sponsors or community leaders.
Don't forget to create social media posts for each speaker that will present at your event. Sometimes people would attend your event just because they are curious to see in-person their favorite speaker! Oh, and make sure to tag the speakers! It should add extra organic reach.
If you decide to run paid ads - then Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter ads are the way to go. However, this doesn't mean that you should run ads on all three platforms. The important thing here is to know your target audience and which platform they are using the most.
To do this, you should first analyze the attendees' data of your previous events, create an attendee persona, choose the right social media platform and optimize your ads accordingly.
You can find more event marketing tips here.
Offer early registration discounts
As already mentioned, using early bird registration to increase event attendance is a smart way to build a buzz around an event and create a sense of urgency to buy. By offering a discounted price to those who buy early, you encourage attendees to register early. You can promote early registration discounts both via social media, PPC (pay-per-click marketing), and email marketing.
Offer early-bird discounts to members, subscribers, and repeat attendees. Limit the early bird registration period to one week or the first fifty registrants. If the early bird registration period is over, revamp your promotional copy and add more incentives for registrants to sign up early. If the discounts are only available for a limited time, this can make a big difference in event attendance.
Offer a discount code
A discount code can help attendees save money on tickets which might inspire many of them to buy the event ticket. Make sure that the discount code has a clear call to action. Don't forget to include sharing functionality on social media channels.
One more thing - offer a VIP package. Having a VIP package will make an event seem more valuable to attendees who are keener to receive VIP access to your event. At the same time, cheaper registrations will look like better deals for other attendees.
Use contests to boost your event attendance
Before your event, consider launching a pre-event contest that enables attendees to connect with each other. A contest with an exclusive prize will not only help you generate buzz and get more attendees, but it will also boost engagement and word-of-mouth promotions for your event. To maximize the potential of your contest, promote it on multiple social media channels, and use the hashtag of the event to increase your competition's exposure.
You can also use a contest to identify which audience members are most interested in your event. When choosing a contest prize, make sure to include an opt-in for lead generation. Email is one of the most powerful drivers of digital marketing conversions, so it makes sense to use email to leverage your list of hot leads.
Creating a giveaway or promotion with an exclusive discount code for potential attendees is an excellent way to attract traffic and spark interest in an event. You can also partner with a vendor to offer promo codes for attendees. Make sure to keep the contest simple and easy to remember!
Create a great event experience
Last, but not least! Remember, you need to make sure that the people who attend your event are captivated by its content and experience. By creating a memorable event, attendees will remember it and return to it again.
If you have a large number of past attendees, you can analyze their data to determine what components and sessions are most popular. By using reporting features, track registration numbers, and other metrics, you can identify where you are falling short.
Finally, keep in mind that the purpose of events is to promote education and networking. In order to maximize these benefits, your event must be executed properly. If you achieve this, your audience will be satisfied with the event and return again next time.
In addition, you can use a True Hybrid event platform and mobile event app such as Agorify to enhance your event networking features, extend its lifecycle and deliver more value to your attendees.
To Wrap Up
Increasing the event attendance has always been a struggle for event organizers. However, it is still not mission impossible. The idea is to improve your marketing strategy, offer them value and deliver them more than they expected. This will ultimately will make them come back to your events again and even recommend them to other people.
It is also important to analyze your data from your previous events and to see where you lack improvement the most. Remember, there is always space for improvement!
Oh, and of course, having a True Hybrid Event management platform and mobile event app such as ours can definitely take your events to a whole new level. To learn more about how it works, talk to our event experts.