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ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: PROMOTING
WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES

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Agenda
Making the most of your event
 Ease the burden of event management
 Setting and using event objectives
Promote & Communicate
 Promote to the right people
 Let the people you know promote for you
 Leverage Social Media and Mobile
 Be found on the web
Engage with attendees
 Registration
 Acknowledge and communicate
 Before Event
 During Event
 Post Event
Measure your success
 Reports
 Feedback
Extras
 Worksheets
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Making the most of your event
Ease the burden of events by having registration and follow up in one
place online.
Offline Management Online Management
•Multiple methods with different lists means •One system to manage all data
time consuming manual list management online with access from anywhere
•Registration only during office hours •Attendees register using 24/7
•Fax, postal mail, and “reply if you’re coming” self-serve online registration
email registration is time consuming
•Manual spreadsheet attendee data entry •Efficient online tracking and
causes cumbersome tracking and reporting reporting that’s automated
•Very time consuming contacting those who •Easily email those who have not
have not responded responded
•Guessing what people want from the event? •Custom Data lets you know!
Keep registration open online, even when you’re not.
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Making the most of your event
For a successful event, identify your audience’s goals, as well as your own.
Considerations Audience Goal Your Goal
Size of Event •Participate, but not faceless attendee •Increase attendance
•Right audience for the event
Value of Event •Make connections and learn •Create loyal and repeat attendees
•Network with peers
Content Focus •Learn from experts •Correctly set level of intensity and
•Engage with speakers delivery of content
Return on Investment •“What’s in it for me?” •Create and stay on budget
Other event considerations:
Time of Day An event invitation and website provide all
• What is ideal?
the information needed for attendee to
Location
• Traffic?
understand the value of the event and
• Adequate parking? successfully attend.
• Driving directions?
• WIFI provided?
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Make the most of your event
My Sales Tactics Event
Companies goals
Get attendees to sign up for one or series of
paid classes for business/marketing coaching.
Seen as thought leader.
Increase revenue.
Market private coaching services.
Create referral network to gain new attendees
and validate value claims.
What do attendees want?
Learn the proven techniques to grow business
and improve sales from a proven expert.
Then take those leanings and apply directly to
their business.
They expect to see some direct return on their
investment of attending event.
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PROMOTE AND COMMUNICATE

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Are you promoting to the right people?
Who do you want to come?
Create an “ideal” attendee profile of both new and
familiar with your organization and know why.
 Demographic
 Past attendance, customer
 Age , Geography
 Industry, Educational background
 Influence in networks (local and social)
Where do they spend time?
 Online: Social media, industry blogs, websites, virtual trade-shows, etc.
 Offline: Social groups, cafes, Meet up, Chamber meetings, etc.
 Print: Newspapers, trade publications, magazines
Where do they look for information about events?
 Local calendar listings, local media outlets (wickedlocal.com, craigslist.org)


List in your own event calendar on your site
Get included in radio or tv listings
Use the Event Planning &
 “Forward to a Friend” Invites Feedback section of the Survey
 Word of Mouth tool to gather data.
 Search Engines and Social Media
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Foundation from those who know you
Get their attention with email invites for those
who know your organization.
Brand is important.
-79% of respondents said they hit the "report spam"
button when they don't know who the sender is.
-Email Sender and Provider Coalition (2007)
Use Subject Lines that get you opened.
Write a headline that captures and keeps attention.
Why do I or should I care?
Show your personality.
Personalize message to recipient –the same invite
does not need to go to everyone on your list.
How do they know you? Use this to make the invite
relevant.
56% of consumers consider marketing messages from
known senders to be Spam if the message is “just not
interesting to me.”
-Q Interactive, 2007
Segment the content of the message.
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Good Invitations cause interest and action
Invitation must include:
 Simple step-by-step easy registration or RSVP
-How do I say yes or no
 When and where? How do I get there?
 Is there a cost? What is the cost?
 Who do they contact for more information or to
ask questions?
 Content is Share worthy
– Share button for posting social media
– “Forward to a Friend”-email
– Add list of upcoming events
Do your invites do more than ask people to come?
Goals: Today, 71% of the U.S. online
 Engage with video audience watches video
on the internet, and the
 Increase interest number of streams
 Improve attendance consumed should more
than double by 2013
 Provide event information: – Forrester Research 2009
 Topics
Video in email can increase
 Lessons click-through rates by as
 Speakers much as three-hundred
percent– Forrester Research 2009
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Success with Event Invitations
Business Victories
Their challenge:
Promoting weekly teleseminars which educate
customers and prospects.
Boosting teleseminar attendance.
With Event Marketing their results:
"We've seen registration go up 30% to
40%, and it's consistently growing
each week, undoubtedly because
we've started using Event Marketing.“-
Cheri Ruskus, Business Victories
How do you know if your invites did
their job? Is the message being
shared?
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Does this invite work?
What works:
Headline captures attention and
sense of urgency.
Visuals match event theme.
Why it does not work:
No way to RSVP on line!
Created sense of urgency but no way
to take immediate action.
Unclear how to sign up for event.
No personalization.
No map for directions on how to
get there.
No way to share.
–Missingout the power of word of
mouth and social media marketing.
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Beyond the one event
Share upcoming events in your email
invitations to increase awareness.
“Attend My Events” button
appears in the Insert menu.
Clicking this option will feature:
–Event Name
–Start/End date and time
–Event Description (if given)
–Location
Event names link to Event
Homepage/Registration page.
Track which readers are
interested in what events.
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Leverage Social Media for your invite
Expand the reach of your invitation
through Social Media.
Use Simple Share to promote
the event on Facebook and
Twitter at the same time
■ Customize the message for
each site.
■ Include an image (optional).
■ Easily share to all your
Facebook and Twitter
profiles.
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Create buzz in Social Media about the event
Get more attendees by sharing the event on Facebook & Twitter.
Whether you send an
invite or not, promote
the event on Social
Media! Here’s how:  Establish a hashtag (e.g. #B2Bevent) to
track buzz around the event.
 Tweet your event and watch how your
followers retweet the details.
 Do not forget to ask them to retweet, asking
and saying “Please” really does work.
Promote the event on a
The Facebook post can contain a
schedule: custom message to
•Weekly encourage attendance and
will include a link to register.
•The day before
•An hour before
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Create buzz in Social Media about the event
Increase attendance through
professional connections.
 Promote the event on your
LinkedIn profile.
 Share the event details with those
you know on LinkedIn.
 Groups:
 Members
 Industry
 Topic
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Leverage Mobile Marketing
How can you use it?
Foursquare
Pre-event During Event
•Create a location •Share with friends
to check in
•Co-market with •Develop scavenger
content partner? hunt about event
Drive traffic to •Hints in
each other’s sites “tips” area
•Leave a “tip” •Understand
about your event interests of people
•Leave a To Do checking in –
about your event profile info
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Leverage Social Media Promotion
Tools Before During After
• Promote the event by • Share updates on your wall • On your wall, thank those
sharing the event details and upload pictures from who came to the event
on your wall the event • Answer remaining
questions from event and
send email with link to your
wall.
• Create an unique event • Maximize the opportunity • Encourage people to
hashtag for a re-tweet by limiting continue discussion
• Using bit.ly create short your tweet to 120 • Use tweets to promote next
event URL for tweets characters event
• Customize your Twitter • Encourage tweeting during
background with the the event
event brand • Create a Twitter List of
• Schedule tweets in your conference speakers
advance to promote for others to follow
• List people’s Twitter
username’s on their badges
• Have link to event • Encourage those that meet • Continue networking after
homepage in your profile at the event to connect the event
• Invite connections to
attend
• Create a location to • Develop scavenger hunt • Review Check-ins and Tips
check-in about event left by attendees
• Co-market with content
provider
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• Leave a “Tip” or “To Do”
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Leverage Social Media & Online Marketing
Built-in Promotions with
Social Media and Search
Engine Optimization.
■ Help your event be found in
online searches by using
keywords.
 Topics, speakers, theme,
location
■ Create an event hashtag to
encourage conversation about
the event.
■ The hashtag is automatically
featured in event
communications.
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Can your event be found on the Web?
Do you have an event
homepage?
Use homepage for more
promotional details and drive desire
to attend.
Match the branding and colors of
your website to your event
homepage.
“The homepage flexibility provides
a fantastic outlet for other
complementary marketing
strategies such as posting for social
networking and affiliates websites.”
-Shannon Beth Harrington, SB Cre8tive
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Can your event be found on the Web?
Talk About Content
 List the sessions offered/Agenda
 Link to guest speaker bios, websites, book
reviews
 Showcase new products or services
Enable Interaction
 Provide event contact’s information for
questions
 Feature testimonials of former attendees
 Create and update a “What’s New” section
 Display pictures from past events or featured
speakers
 Join My Mailing List for future events
 Add event #hashtag
Include Fine Print
 State cancellation and refund policy (if
applicable) and make it fair and friendly
It „s more seamless for people and easier for everyone. For
people signing up for the events they don‟t have to bounce from a
Tips: newsletter, to our website, to PayPal and back-it‟s so flawless and
-Keep your branding consistent easy. What we were hoping for is what we got and so much
-Make the page easy to share and be more.-Leslie Sturgeon, Women Inspiring Woman
found in Social Media
-Use the words that attendees use, not
internal jargon
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Can your event be found on the web?
Feature all upcoming events online or on your website.
 Share the link to the event calendar in
emails and Social Media.
Provide a list of upcoming events on
your website:
■ Increases awareness of your
upcoming events.
■ Helps improve attendance or
increase the number of volunteers.
■ Increase SEO value.
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Boost attendance with promotional variety
Let them know and they’ll show!
Invitations Homepage Social Media
Send personalized Create a unique event Engage those following
invitations with a homepage you to boost attendance
personal appeal and awareness
Make sure to include: Make sure to include: Make sure to include:
Important event information Information about the event, Updates about the event
To ask recipients to forward the topics and guest speakers (Examples: new speakers,
email to friends and family Regular updates on the discount offers, etc.)
A list of upcoming events homepage, with our easy to Link to registration for the event
Encourage to talk about event update homepage from all posts and tweets
in Facebook and Twitter A “Join my Mailing List” box, to Encourage those who have
Links to register-automatically keep the connected registered to post or tweet they
done for you with Event Use the “Attend my Event are attending-automatically done
Marketing Widget” to promote upcoming for you with Event Marketing
events on your website
Remember: communicate where your audience is listening!
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

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ENGAGEMENT WITH ATTENDEES

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Step 1: Registration
Easy to use self registration
 Decreases errors
 Attendees register when and how they want
Centralized Information and Professional Looking
 One place for all event information
 Same branding for all event communications
 Track and see the details registrant provide
 Have a better event when you know who is coming
Time Saving
 Manual registration = Hours of time vs. Online = time saving
 One person can run the show
 Easy for anyone to manage
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How registration engages
Cape May County Chamber
of Commerce
Their challenge:
Difficult to get a proper headcount.
Provide adequate event information.
Over-ordering or booking a location that is
too small/large.
Collecting payment from registrants.
With Event Marketing their results:
It took two or three people two or
three steps to register one person
for a $20 lunch. Now, it‟s all
automated. – Vicki Clark, Cape
May County Chamber of
Commerce
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Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate
Ask registrants to share the event information. Jump start the word of
mouth buzz around your event.
Once
registered, attendees
can spread the word
about the event by
sharing on Facebook or
Twitter.
Note: Facebook users
have on average 130
friends*
*Facebook FAQ’s
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Step 2: Acknowledge and Communicate
Reminder email Reminder communications increase attendance
Include:
 Show countdown until event.
 Include a link to a pre-event survey or poll, then near event
start date or at start of event review results.
 Provide hints to guess secret guest speaker/feature:
 Tweet event information and include event #hashtag in the
tweet
 Share event details on your Facebook wall
 Make it easy to share with “Forward to friend” link and Social
Share button.
Confirmation Messages = confirm & commit
 Keep it short and concise.
 Provide contact information for the individual who can answer
questions.
 Feature quotes from attendees in the past to similar events.
 Reference the “Add to my Calendar” feature.
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During the Event
Event Check-in
 Display a list Android iPhone
of registrants
for any event.
 "Check-in"
your
registrants to
mark them as
attended.
 Email an
individual
event
registrant by
tapping their
email
address.
Easy attendance Tracking on your mobile phone!
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During the Event
 Encourage attendees to tweet
about what they are experiencing
during the event under the event
#hashtag.
 People who are interested and
could not make it can be part of
event following a twitter feed.
 Encourage attendees to post
photos and videos from mobile
devices to Twitter with tools like
Twitpic.
As of Dec 2010, 27% of all mobile phones are
smartphones, by end of 2011 over 50% will be
smartphones. -ComScore’s “2010 Mobile Year in Review”
Twitter has 165 Million Users – 50% of them use
Twitter Mobile. –Mashable.com, “Mobile by the Numbers”
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During the Event
Consider using QR Codes to keep
the interaction going
 Direct to website information via mobile
device.
 Get feedback via a poll or short survey
that people can access via mobile
device.
 Post video content that is
complementary to the event objectives
to view via a mobile device.
How do I build? -http://bit.ly/
Add- .qr at end of shorten url
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During the Event
How can you use it?
Foursquare  Watch how many and who has
checked in.
– Know when the people you
want to connect with have
arrived.
 Watch the comments, tips and to
do’s left by attendees.
– Gain a clear understanding of
what popular/trending in your
event.
 Watch for instant feedback.
– Negative comments about the
food
– Problems with the facility
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POST EVENT COMMUNICATIONS

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Post event email and homepage
■ Thank attendees.
– Send a thank you tweet (@) – to
everyone who engaged with the
event on Twitter
■ Post quotes and photos from attendees.
■ Provide links to materials distributed at
the event.
– Consider hosting them via Slide Update same
Share
Homepage for Post
■ Provide contact information for the
individual who can answer questions.
Event Information
■ Give participants a way to stay
connected through the “Join Our Mailing
List” link or social media sites.
■ Include link to post-event survey.
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Collect Post Event Feedback
Use a Survey
 Ask about satisfaction with
content, facilities, etc.
 How likely are they to come again?
 Over 60 templates to start with to meet your objective
 How likely are they to tell others
 Includes good questions
about your events?
 You can edit, remove, add, and re-order questions
 You can add your logo, colors and images
 Ask questions that get answers
you can act upon.
 Example: “What didn’t you like
about our last event?”
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Collect Post Event Feedback
Track conversations with NutshellMail
 Monitor your Social Media while at
your event.
 Review your Social Media activity
at your own pace.
 Track engagement and review
conversations.
 Promote the next event by making
a list of all your followers on Social
Media.
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

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Feedback and Data for next event
 Analyze participation to identify high
value prospects, then perform the
appropriate follow up.
 Leverage details from your registration
data to help identify the right segments
of people to invite to your next event.
 Use the information they have shared
to personalize your future
communications.
 Segment:
– Details such as who
paid, how they
paid, demographic, geograph
ic, etc.
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Did you meet the objectives?
Measure your objectives by: Measure attendee objectives by:
 The number of people who  Show rate of individuals
attended. registered.
 Revenue from the event.  Conversations about event in
 Analyze data collected via Social Media networks.
reports and survey.  Feedback in surveys.
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38.
Let’s see it in action!
Constant Contact’s Event Marketing:
Registration
Promotion
Reporting
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Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

39.
Best Next Steps
Try Online Event Marketing For Free
http://www.constantcontact-event.com/
Check out a Live Product Tour
Register for the live “Event Marketing Product Demo”
http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/webinars/live/index.jsp
Questions? You have a consultant here to help at 1-855-816-6508
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On Twitter:
@ctctevent
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ctcteventmarketing
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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Plan- Using Objectives
Share your story:
 Recent or Upcoming Event
 Attendee Objective
 Your Objective
 Value and Content Focus of event
Audience Goal Your Goal
Size of Event
Value of Event
Content Focus
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42.
Are you promoting to the right people?
Attendee Worksheet:
Attendees-Who is perfect for Where do they spend time? Where do they seek event
your event? information?
In common What is Real Life Online Real Life Online
different
• • • • • •
• • • • • •
• • • • • •
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