Automation - Your Business Time Saver
by Dan Ogdon
You are hosting an event in 30 days. You've targeted who you would like to attend and have made all of the necessary administrative arrangements - schedule, venue, food, beverages, etc. Seems pretty simple - let them know you are having an event and they'll show up. There happen to be a number of moving pieces in that simple statement that sucks time and resources from now until the day of your big event.
We've just released a marketing automation solution. We're excited about it and this article will show you how to use Drip Marketing to get people to your event. Follow up effectively without you ever having to take an action in those 30+ days leading up to and after your big day - giving you the time to focus on current sales and marketing initiatives.
Step 1 - Target
Target: Who are the major players, the must haves, that you feel need to be there? Understand your database and pick your target list based on those that will drive the most revenue to you through your event.
If your budget allows, throw a VIP reception before the event for the most important contacts. Remove them from the normal list and treat them as a separate campaign - you should shoot for 90% attendance with the VIP group.
Step 2 - Plan
Plan: You have 30 days - how frequently and through what mediums (Email, voice, print, fax.) will you invite your target list? Once they sign up, what kind of reminder messages do you want to send them? Your plan is the frame that will prove the greatest attendance - The great thing about automated marketing is every stage of the plan is executed automatically, spend the time thinking through this frame.
You have two groups, the regular attendees and the VIPs. The campaigns should be different and the confirmations should be different. As your contacts status changes (Unregistered, to registered, to unattended, to attended) the message should change. Don't cut corners and send the same message to different contact groups. Think of what it may mean to lose one or two leads or sales because you delivered a vanilla message.
Step 3 - Build
Build: Create the content that will be applied to your frame. From email templates and postcards to call scripts and post-show surveys - build the compelling content that your target cannot refuse. Hit them with more than just email - an integrated marketing campaign has proven to show stronger results than single faceted.
Content and Frame example for the regular attendees:
Send an invitation email blast to all attendees with a registration link as the main call to action.
After a few days send a postcard to all of those that did not open the email (Direct Mail can get pricey, don't waste pieces on those that don't need any more convincing).
Call all those that opened the email, but didn't click on the registration link.
Keep your database current and transfer all invites that have registered to the reminder campaign
Send a last chance invitation email to all those that have not registered.
Once the event has taken place, make sure to update your database with who attended and who didn't
Send an email to those that didn't saying sorry you missed them and invite them to the next event.
Send a post-show email with a survey to those that did event gathering valuable feedback for prospecting and future event success.
Set a campaign like this before hand, drop in your targets, keep your database up to date and watch the attendance to your event soar!
Swiftpage emarketing Drip Marketing gives you the tools to build simple and intelligent campaigns just like this. Learn more about how Drip Marketing can change your business >>
