Imagine putting in much effort to plan, manage, and organize an event. You spend hours and hours trying to decide and work out the ideal theme, location, and activities, and in the end, you’re not even able to draw in the right crowd. Pulling off an event marketing campaign is a hassle, so it’s justified that you want people to show up, engage, and interact.
Event organizers worry about event attendance because what if only a few people would attend the event they put so much effort into organizing? Luring in the right crowd to an event is the most significant yet challenging task, and an effective SMS Marketing campaign makes it convenient and hassle-free.
Here’s why SMS marketing is essential for an event:
People read SMS messages immediately.
According to industry research, an SMS message is often opened and viewed by the recipient within a few minutes of it getting delivered. Any other digital communication method, such as email, which is received in a personal inbox, requires some searching, whereas SMS push alerts are often enabled by default in every cell phone. Whilst an SMS gets noticed instantly, email, on the other hand, only has a 20 percent open rate, and the typical email response time is at least 90 minutes. Compared to 29 percent of tweets that are read, only 12 percent of Facebook posts appear on people’s timelines.
SMS messages make registration easy.
Offering your audience the option to pre-register using their smartphones is handy for them and beneficial for your event. This dramatically increases their likelihood to register, increasing their likelihood of attending your event. Also, it makes tracking who has signed up easier so you can get a more precise head count.
Stir-up engagement.
Keep registered attendees or ticket holders interested before the event date to improve the likelihood that they will show up on the event day. By sending out mass text reminders in the days leading up to your event, you can boost interest in people. Remind the potential attendees by sending out SMS of any special guests, giveaways, or surprises you may be planning. As the event day approaches, you can offer “tell-a-friend” rewards that encourage pre-registered attendees to invite their friends to attend the event. For instance, you may send out little teasers for the event with information about the speakers or performers and a link to further details on your website.
Remind registered attendees a day before the event.
This is an additional step in following up with potential registered attendees of your event. Often, people skip events because they forget or are unaware of the specifics of the event. You can remind them about the event by disseminating details about the event prior to the event day. Through SMS texts, you can invite them to check out the most recent posts on your social media channels and send them countdown messages or links to short teasers of your event.
Participants want to feel that your team is looking forward to their attendance as much as they do. Send text messages informing the masses of the venue’s location and event schedule. The goal is to make it convenient for the potential attendees to attend and have a good time at your event. Their experience will be better if they’re well-informed. Positive experiences encourage conversion and trust between the event organizers and their attendees, which bodes for future events’ success.
Keep people up-to-date about any event alterations.
It should be a high priority to keep people up-to-date on any last-minute changes in the event, such as schedule, venue, change in activity plans, special guest performances, etc. Disappointing people at the event could tarnish the image of the organizers and affect attendance at future events.
If, due to any circumstances, you’re unable to deliver what you promised, for instance, if a guest celebrity backs out at the last minute or any activity gets canceled due to any unfortunate situation, send out a mass SMS link to let your attendees know beforehand.
Gather feedback post-event for the betterment of future events.
Engaging with attendees post-event can assist you in gathering feedback. Send a follow-up message within a few days of the event so it’s fresh in the attendees’ minds. Increase your response rates by informally using MMS, GIFs, and incentives. Be polite, and make sure your audience knows you value their input. A genuine “thank you” does a great deal.
Furthermore, you can find out how the event was received by all its attendees through SMS, text them a brief survey, or a quick poll. For a more accurate assessment of how pre-registration will affect your next event, you can compare the number of registered attendees with the number of actual attendees.
Forming a connection with the attendees.
SMS messaging is the most direct, swift, and timely event marketing strategy compared to any other digital communication platform. Plus, it can be equally beneficial and helpful during and after your event as it was in its marketing stage. Getting people to register for your event is the foremost task; the next challenge is interacting with people at a level that would keep them invested in your event.
When the masses sign up, it’s an excellent opportunity for you to form a connection with them and build a relationship at a personal level. Doing it manually can be exhausting and time-consuming. But there’s nothing to worry about; you can always use PowerTextor to send out automated mass SMS messages to the attendees. Moreover, you can categorize your targeted audience according to their preferences and create a personalized conversation with them without having to text each individual one by one.
Conclusion
SMS messaging has click-through and open rates like no other digital communication alternative. Thanks to PowerTextor, it’s feasible to automate and personalize mass messaging to connect with your audiences in a timely manner. It’s the most suitable and reliable option to boost any event’s attendance. It’s time for you to let PowerTextor raise your event attendance rates with an efficient and effective SMS messaging approach to help you reach your ultimate business goals.