Event Marketing Ideas and Event Promotions

Promoting Your Event with Too Much Email

A few weeks ago I sat down with a client to discuss their email marketing efforts. One question that constantly gets brought up when discussing email marketing is “How often should I email my list?” My response is always the same . . . “Email your list as often as possible – provided you can provide them high quality content.” The client’s response was “But I don’t want to SPAM people.” I completely agreed with him, but it’s important to understand the context of spamming. You run the risk of SPAMMING people when you send your email list lousy content. We all hate to be spammed. Lousy content usually takes the form of sales pitching people right from the start of an email campaign.

The Typical Email Marketing Sequence
Most email sequences usually go like this . . . “Buy Now, Hurry up, Last chance, etc.” When people look at your opt-in box, they’re already thinking “I’m probably going to get spammed if I put my information in here.”  You need to break their preconceived notion by delivering high quality content first, then asking for the sale.

Start with Your Opt-in Box
Have a prominent opt-in box above the fold with lots of benefits to signing up. Don’t put up one of those lame, put your first name and email address boxes. Last year, a client cringed with horror when I insisted they put up massive an opt-in box on their home page. The sign up area contained a bunch of prospect focused benefits that web site visitors actually cared about and took up half the home page.  Make it easy to have someone to put in their email address.  The oversized opt-in box with lots of prospect focused benefits generated over 7,500 email sign ups in less than 60 days.

Think in terms of Insider Info
If you’re setting up an email marketing campaign an event, think in terms of insider info.  Get your email list content that’s “not available to the public.” People have an insatiable curiosity that can only be fed by getting the inside scoop - use that to your advantage. Just make sure that you’re getting people information that’s important to them.   Many event organizers make the mistake of providing people with information they think is important, not what their target market actually wants.  Think about it this way - If your emails are full of great content are people going to say . . .“I hope I don’t get another interesting email again.” Heck no!

Not everyone is opening your Email
Realize that regardless of the size of your email list, most people aren’t opening your emails. Typical open rates for a double opt-in event email lists ranges from 20-50%. Don't be discouraged by the previous numbers. The more often you email the lower your opt-in rate is going to be - it's the reality of the situation. Think about how difficult it is for your to get through your own email on a daily basis. The easiest way to counter low open rates for your email is by having quality content.

Build Their Interest First!
How many emails should I send out for my event?  For the campaigns I’ve managed the typical sequence was 10 to 15 emails long. Unless it was an existing email list, I never sent a sales email until the very end of the campaign.  Important tip: It’s significantly easier to sell a ton of advance sale tickets when you have people really excited for your event. How long your tickets are for sale rarely translate into bigger advance ticket sales. This is another mistake I see event marketers and promoters make . . . trying to sell advance ticket too early. Focus on building rapport and excitement with your list before you try selling to them. People aren't going to buy from you if they feel hustled.

If you marketing for your event try to deliver great content and insider information, before hounding people to buy.  You want to tickle people’s interest in your event. If you try and sales pitch people from the get go, without establishing trust and rapport, you’ll scare them off.  Your email list is your single best market conduit, don’t blow it by sending lousy email.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing: Start Building Your List Early
• Automatically Generate Leads for Your Event Year Round
• Keeping Your Event List Engaged
• Don't Neglect Your Email List
• Event Marketing: Multiple Ways to Engage Your List
• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Did You Buy a Snickers Bar Yet?

Are you looking for advertising ideas for your business or event? Do yourself a favor and DON’T follow Super Bowl commercials as an advertising template. It’s my opinion that most companies advertising during the Super Bowl are wasting a tremendous amount of money.  Ask yourself the following question - Can you actually remember what the most entertaining ads were selling? If you ask most people the previous question - they’ll go all fuzzy on you.  The most entertaining Super Bowl ads are usually total flops for getting people to buy.

Focus on Selling – Not Entertaining
When it comes to advertising it’s important not to confuse advertising that entertains with advertising that actually sells.  This belief comes from spending way too much time (in a good way) with some of the best direct response marketers on planet Earth.  If you look, most Super Bowl ads are almost entirely judged on entertainment value. Yeah there were entertaining ads that made me laugh.  Honestly, did Abe Bogota and Betty White actually get you to buy a Snickers bar? Probably not. The reason that huge companies like Coke and Anheuser-Busch can get away with funny commercials is because they have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on advertising.  Most event organizers don’t enjoy such a luxury.

Great Advice From an Advertising Master
David Ogilvy, The Pope of Modern Advertising, is famous for saying "I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.” The purpose of advertising is to sell. Ogilvy believed that “Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything."  With Ogilvy, advertising was tied to bottom line results. The thing that constantly cracks me up is all the advertising agencies that revere David Ogilvy, yet completely ignore his most basic tenants.

Halfway Decent Ads
Looking back, the best ads were from Denny’s and Google. In my opinion, the previously mentioned companies created ads with a result in mind. Denny’s gives away free food as a loss leader. Last year, Denny’s Grand Slam Giveaway packed their restaurants. Do you think all those people are going to Denny’s and ONLY getting a FREE?  Consider this . . . “Every $2 coffee translates into something like $1.70 profit. If 1.5 million of the freeloaders spring for coffee, the revenues will hover around $2.5 million. Experts estimate that 2009’s giveaway generated roughly $50 million through free advertising.” (Source: “Denny's Free Grand Slam Breakfasts, and the Cost of Free Publicity by Bruce Watson - Daily Finance.com)  Google slyly featured all the neat little things their search engine can do for you. The Google commercial was clean and brutally simple – type something in, hit search, and get results.  Search results come up with advertising worth billions of dollars to Google.

Bottom Line Results
When advertising your event, regardless of medium, focus on selling your event.  Don’t make entertainment a goal of your advertising. Tie every ad for your event into bottom line result. Make your event advertising and investment, not an entertainment expense.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• David Ogilvy on Direct Response Marketing
• Measuring Advertising Effectiveness
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising

Using Twitter for Your Event Marketing . . .

Last month I attended the International Council of Air Show's annual convention in Las Vegas. The convention is the air show industry's annual get together to share ideas and plan for the upcoming air show season. During the convention's marketing seminars there was significant discussion regarding social media. Seminar participants and presenters were jumping up and down expounding the marketing virtues of using social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Here's my rub . . . when pressed, not one Twitter proponent in the could cite a bottom line result for all their efforts. Perhaps it's that I've been spending way too much time in the direct response world, or maybe I'm just getting jaded on all the social media hoopla . . .   But before you jump on the social media crazy train, take a moment to find out if social media is actually helping your event marketing efforts.

The Twitter Case Study
As a case study, here is my own Twitter experience.  WARNING: Shameless Self Promotion Ahead! Recently I broke the 1,000 Follower mark on Twitter. According to the UK Guardian, the average Twitter user has 126 followers. Source: Arthur, Charles, 29 June 2009, Guardian.co.uk. Since March of 2009, I spent about 10 minutes a day following people and posting updates and event marketing links to articles on my blog. A recent look at my Google Analytics account revealed that my all Twitter efforts drove a whopping 61 visitors to my web site. The only silver lining, if any, was that each visitor driven by a Twitter link spent over two and a half minutes on my site. Sorry Twitter Pundits . . . 30+ hours of effort for 61 visitors is a horrendous ROI. I'm not going to sit here and proclaim to be an Twitter Jedi Master, but I integrated expert advice and followed it consistently. I cringe to think what other people are getting in terms of their results.

Disclaimer: You should know that I'm not an anti social media guy. Yet, I am staunchly against smart people wasting time and money on "amazing" Internet technology that doesn't add one cent to their bottom line or help to promote an event. People get so focused on the technology, they forget about the fundamentals. 150 years ago, P.T. Barnum figured out a simple model promote almost any event. Since then, we've found a million different ways to screw it up. Regardless of the technology, never abandon sound marketing fundamentals. Check out "The Danger of Too Much Event Marketing Technology" for more insight.

Adopt Your Twitter Event Marketing Efforts Very Cautiously
It's important to remember that Twitter is still being adopted by the masses. Yes, a ton of people are joining Twitter, but it tends to be fairly young demographic. I'd argue less than 10% of your potential target is using Twitter, probably less than 5% on a regular basis. The air show industry is a prime example of only a tiny segment of your total target market using Twitter. What are you doing to engage the rest of your target market?

Think Before You Jump
Before you even setup a Twitter account, ask yourself . . . "Is enough of my target marketing using Twitter to warrant my investment in time, money, and effort?" If you are investing your efforts in to Twitter, make sure it's delivering you positive and measurable results. Keep your Tweets interesting and relevant to your event or business goals. Always make sure to use Google Analytics to see if your efforts are making a positive impact on your marketing efforts.

I'm still willing to find ways to leverage social media to better promote events and businesses. But at the moment I'm unwilling to say that using Twitter to market your event is a worthwhile investment. If you have a suggestion or great examples of using Twitter, please leave a comment to this post. I'm always open to insight and suggestions.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• How Long Before Social Media Advertising Gets Too Noisy?
• Event Marketing with Social Media and Email
• Social Media, Social Networking, and Event Promotion
• Web 2.0, Social Media, and Event Promotion
• Event Marketing: Do You have an Online Champion for Your Event?
• Online Comments About Your Event

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

“There's a Sucker Born Every Minute”

Do you know who said, “There's a sucker born every minute”? Most people respond with, “It was P.T. Barnum” Yet if you do some historical digging, you’ll find out that Barnum never said the infamous quote most attributed to him. It wasn’t until I read “There’s a Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum's Secrets to Business Success” by Joe Vitale that I was set straight.  Vitale points out that nobody has been able to directly attribute the “sucker” quote to Barnum. You won’t find the quote in any of Barnum’s writing or speeches.  It was also pointed out that the “sucker” quote was out of character with Barnum’s personal and business beliefs. So where did the quote come from? The quote most likely came from one of Barnum’s competitors. Read more about the “There's a sucker born every minute” misquote over at HistoryBuff.com.

Staged Fights!
Yes, Barnum did believe in hyping the heck out of his events. He even went so far as to stage fights during live performances. But Barnum also realized that the customer was always in charge.  If the customer felt that Barnum wasn’t able to deliver on his fantastic promises, they wouldn’t pay up or find something else to do. No event can afford to treat their attendees like suckers.

150 Years Later – You Have Just One Shot
One hundred fifty years later, not much has changed in marketing or promoting events. Today you mostly likely have just one shot to impress your customer with your event.  Delivering an extraordinary experience is especially crucial to recurring events.  If you don’t deliver a great event experience, people will find other things to do.  Don't forget the competition! Talented people are creating new events to compete with your event all the time. Don’t count on the competition slowing down (even during times of economic hardship).  Certain segments of the event industry have actually flourished during economic crisis. It is in your best interest to focus intently on creating events that leave your attendees satiated beyond belief.  You want your attendees leaving your event saying “That was amazing – I want to do it again.”

Focus on the Customer, Not the Sucker
The title of Joe Vitale's book "There’s a Customer Born Every Minute" sums up the mindset of the most successful event promoters and marketers. There are new customers coming into your marketplace all the time. In order for your event to thrive, you must find more effective ways to market and promote your even, plus execute a truly great event.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• The World’s Best Event Promoter Is . . .
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum
• More Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

The Media and Making Your Web Address Count

Is getting your company or event featured in an article enough to drive traffic to your web site? Probably not. Too many business people jump up and down with unbridled enthusiasm because they were featured in their local media. I call it the “Hey, look at us!” syndrome. Don’t get me wrong, publicity is great – especially free publicity. But you need to leverage publicity the right way. Let me put it to you this way . . . The end result of publicity is more important than the actual publicity itself.  You should constantly ask yourself, "What is this publicity going to do for us?"

Getting Featured Online and Off
Last week a client was featured in both the online and offline versions of our local newspaper. The feature article was very positive and included the client’s web address (but not as an active link online). According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations the local newspaper has a daily circulation of 124,987. Online the paper’s web site has an estimated 230,000 visitors per month according to Quantcast.com. With the previous numbers one would think having your web address included in a positive article would generate a decent web traffic burst. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. According to Google Analytics the client’s web site received just 10 extra visitors per day when the article was featured. Getting your name in the paper these days simply isn’t enough. You need to think about how your publicity is going to benefit you.

Realty – Most Web Users are Getting Lazier
It’s important to remember that the online attention span of the typical web users is getting shorter and shorter. If a web site doesn’t load in a few second or it isn’t easy to understand and navigate, the user usually bolts to a competitor’s web site. It's important to always keep in mind the User Attention Span. Just because your web address is included in an article, online or off, doesn’t mean people will visit your site. Remember that your consumers are bombarded with way too much advertising, yet still want instant gratification. You can't expect them to do something like copy and paste a web address from an article into the address bar. Focus on leading the user down a given path.

Make It Easy to Click on Your Address
There are two simple things you can do to get more way more leverage from your web address in the media. First, make sure any online reference to your web address includes an actual HTML link to your site. If you find an article online about your event or company that doesn’t include an actual link, get in contact with the publication immediately. A friendly telephone call can go a long way. For sake of immediacy, don't try to rely on email. Correcting media references offline is a little more difficult. Print is near impossible to change after the ink dries. Be proactive with print publications. Your best bet is to ask the publication to finish the article with “For more information about XYZ, please visit the XYZ web site: XYZ.com.” That one sentence can go a long way to driving tons of free traffic to your web site. In order to get publicity to work, you need to make it easy and compelling for people to find out more about you. A well positioned web address helps tremendously.

Check out the articles below for additional information on getting the most from free publicity.

• Press Releases and Your Event Marketing
• The Press Conference Lesson on Event Marketing
• Be Vigilant About Your Event Details and the Media
• The User Attention Span

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Promotions and Shortening Your Domain Name
  
• Your Domain Name and Television Advertising
• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising
  
  
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Event Marketing: Your Email List - Quality versus Quantity

It’s slightly aggravating when I hear people bragging about email their email list size. You've probably heard the same from some local advertising or marketing firm. Here in Rochester, NY, we have a local advertising company that tries to impress everyone with their ridiculously large email list. Don’t be fooled by big email lists! The size of an email list is rarely related to your return on investment from that list. In many cases email lists are haphazardly thrown together. Internet marketing dude Frank Kern said it best, “It's not about the size of the list. It's about the quality of the relationship you build with the list.” You should strongly consider Frank's advice, he make over $150,000 in 20 minutes with an email list of less than 800 people.

If you’re using an email list to market your event, focus on building a high quality list that you can engage in meaningful conversion. The relationship you have with your list is huge factor in determining how many people actually buy. It’s also imperative that you vet any partner lists that you might use to market or promote your event. Below a a few ideas you need to consider . . .

Lessons from the Battlefield
My own client projects have helped to drive home the quality versus quantity ideology. Recently, one client sold $61,450 worth of event tickets in 6 just days with a house list of 3,100 people. Their list of 3,100 people was grown from zero, all online, in less than 2 months with organic traffic. Another client who focuses on establishing an online relationship with his list is doing amazing at quickly converting new list prospects into buyers. He’s able to convert over 40% of new subscribers to his list into buying customers in less than 30 days. The previous examples are not meant to brag, but merely to impress what one can accomplish.

• Ask yourself, “What can I start doing today to have a better relationship with my list?”

Joint Ventures/Cross promoting
If you’re considering a joint venture or cross promotion for your event, check some of the most basic metrics of your partner’s email list. Here are some simple questions you need to ask when marketing your event to another list:

• Where the names and email address collected online or offline?
• Is the list segmented? (leads versus customers) 
• Is the list single or double opt-in? (double opt-ins are better)
• What is the average open rate? (look for a minimum of 20%)
• What are the click through rate?
• How often is the list emailed?
• What are the average subscribe and unsubscribe rates?
• When an offer is made what are the conversion rates?

There are other important questions you should ask, but most people neglect to find out the basics. If you find out the answers to the above questions, you’ll be well ahead of the pack.

You Need Your Own List!
At the end of the day a high quality house list is the single best list for promoting and marketing your event.  I’ve seen a house email list of 3,100 people completely crush a partner list of 23,000. Both lists had very similar demographics and psychographic profiles. Another client promoted their event using a partner list almost twice the size of their house list. The client’s own house list generated 98% of total revenue. If you haven’t started your list for marketing and promoting your event, start one today! Check out the helpful resources below to get you started.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing: Start Building Your List Early
• Automatically Generate Leads for Your Event Year Round
• Keeping Your Event List Engaged
• Don't Neglect Your Email List
• Event Marketing: Multiple Ways to Engage Your List
• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

A Simple Formula to Pack Your Event

Over the last few years I've looked long and hard at killer tactics that sell out events. As an event planner or organizer, it's in your best interest to methodically look around your own industry and outside your industry for successful event marketing strategies that you can adopt. A casual look will show you that the simple things usually work better than the complex. Some of my best event marketing strategies (ideas that have made clients hundreds of thousands of dollars) have come from unrelated marketplaces. Through all my observations and experiences I've formulated a very simple formula that any event organizer can use to pack their event. Here is the formula:

Hype + Massive Value = Monstrous Demand

The formula above might seem overly simplistic, but it works when you put into practice.

Hype
Yes, it's extremely important to hype up your event!  Hype is a strategy right out of P.T. Barnum's playbook. Barnum was a master at using the right amount of hype to pack his events. Unfortunately, most event organizers, planners, and marketers completely screw up how they leverage hype. In most cases events are under hyped. Don't be afraid to be loud and proud trumpeting the benefits of your event! Let people know what's in it for them. This next part is really important . . . if you're going to hype your event, you damn well better make sure you exceed your patron's expectations. Yes, it is possible to over hype, but only if you don't deliver on the promises you make to the consumer in your advertising.

+ Massive Value
Your hype needs to be followed up with massive value. If you hype your event and then fall short of the consumers expectations, your dooming your event. Focus on delivering massive value with your event by exceeding your customer's expectations. You know you've nailed it when most of your customers leave your event saying "That was amazing!" Don't forget that you can also create value for your event before it even begins. Can you think of ways to let people experience your event before they've even attended? For more info on delivering value beforehand, check out "Front Loading Value for Your Next Event." The Internet has made "front loading value" easy and inexpensive. Value is such a powerful factor in your event marketing and promotion that it can create it's own demand. If you do nothing more than focus on providing massive value for your event, it's hard to go wrong.

= Monstrous Demand
Here is formula's payoff . . . When you couple hype for your event with massive value, you create monstrous demand. My favorite example of monstrous demand is the World's Largest Disco in Buffalo New York. In 2009, the "Disco" sold out over three months before the event takes place.  That's 7000+ tickets selling between $50-$150 that nobody can purchase anymore. You know you've hit it when people are lining up to attend your event like a pack of ravenously hungry wolves. Do everything you ethically can to stoke demand. Ridiculously high demand is the key doing really well with advance ticket sales.

Recurring Events
A big key to seeing success with the formula above is having a recurring event. I understand for some people having a recurring event isn't possible. If you aren't going to have a recurring event, it's even more important to deliver value on the front end. If you have a recurring event, make sure you're collecting feedback from attendees. Here is a counter intuitive way to collect feedback, World's Largest Disco style. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Being a World Class Event Promoter (the P.T. Barnum Way)
• Front Loading Value for Your Next Event
• Event Promotion: Using Video to Front Load Event Value
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources
  

• The Event Promotion System - Get 'FREE' Event Promotion & Marketing Video

How to Sell Out Your Event

If you want to sell out your event, you need to set the demand level for your event higher than your supply of tickets. The previous suggestion might seem like it’s straight out of the book “Thank You Very Much, Dr. Obvious!" But, very few event organizers and planners ever focus on creating a high level of demand for their event. When it comes time to sell tickets for their event, the ticket sales fall miserably sort of expectations. You need to find ways to set the demand level for your event as high as ethically possible.

The P.T. Barnum Way
One of the easiest ways to set the demand level for your event higher is by hyping your event.  The suggestion is straight from the playbook of P.T. Barnum. You’re event marketing should never be humdrum. You need to inject excitement and intrigue into all your event marketing and promotion. Get the target market so excited for your event that they're running to get their wallets and buy from you.

Let me give you a quick example from the air show industry. Which of the following event headlines is more likely to catch an air show prospect’s attention?

Example #1: “Come Out and Enjoy the 2009 XYZ International Air Show.”

- OR -

Example #2: “Experience Flight in a Way That Will Leave You in Awe! Come out and Enjoy 4 Hours of Aerial Spectacle & Heart Pounding Excitement, featuring the Best Pilots in the World.”

Don’t Make Your Event Sound Boring
How excited would you be to attend a BORING event? Too many event organizers promote and market their events in a boring manner. Don’t make the same mistake. Whenever you market or advertise your event, make it sound intriguing and exciting to your target market. I can’t remember who said it, but “the greatest sin in advertising is being boring.” Get your prospect to say to themselves “I want to do that!” If you're event organizer or planner, focus on your target market's wants and desires.

Balancing Event Marketing Hype & Delivering on the Promise!
If you’re really going to hype your event, the level of hype can’t be greater than your patron’s expectations or the level of service you can deliver. Over hyping your event and under delivering is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. It is very important that you do everything possible to under promise and over deliver.

Hype & Exceeding the Patron’s Expectations
If you exceed your event attendee’s expectations, regardless of the level of hype, the demand level for your event can go through the roof.  Just one happy event attendee will tell a number of other people about their great experience at your event. It's word of mouth advertising and it costs you nothing!

One Man = $17,500.00 in Advance Ticket Sales
Last weekend a Toronto businessman paid $175.00 to get access to an exclusive VIP Chalet at a FREE air show. The $175 dollars he and others paid got him access to a very nice chalet with open bar and all you can eat catered food. Before the air show finished the businessman was so satisfied with his experience that he inquired about purchasing 100 VIP tickets (at $175 each) for next year’s air show. That's $17,500 of advance ticket sales! The business man wasn't the only person to inquire about tickets for next year's air show. Since the show ended, more attendees have already offered to buy tickets for next year's air show and it's still a year away. If you can get people to your event and show them an amazing time, they'll line up in droves to come again. 

Below you will find a small collection P.T. Barnum posts that will help you with hyping your event. There is at least one good idea waiting for you to use with your event. Please take the time to read through a few posts:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• The World’s Best Event Promoter Is . . .
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum
• More Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• How to Get Them To Your Event
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training
  

>> Leave a Comment About This Post <<

Getting Detailed Feedback To Improve Your Event

If you want to truly improve your event, you need to identify what people disliked about your event. At first thought the previous suggestion might seem a bit counter intuitive, if not scary. Too many event organizers and planners are apt to only be interested in positive feedback. Don’t be lured into the same trap! A few months ago I wrote a post “A Negative Question to Create a Better Event.” The post suggested a counterintuitive way of getting feedback for one’s event. You should honestly consider the advice outlined in the post. It came from a guy who sells out his event of 7,000+ people more than 30 days in advance. Last month, I had an opportunity to put into practice the advice from “A Negative Question to Create a Better Event.” Below is a brief synopsis of the surprising results.

The Negative Feedback Case Study – Not Expected
During the last weekend of May a local client held their annual air show. Immediately after the event, people started sending in their unsolicited feedback.  About 35 people sent in email feedback over a three day span. For the most part, the patron feedback was very positive and general in nature.

Four days after the event, I sent out a thank you email with a survey link.  The email included a link that brought visitors to a page with one simple survey question . . . “What DIDN’T you like about the event?” Below the survey question was a simple text box form.  In a little over a week’s time 375 people sent in their feedback. The survey results identified very specific issues people had with the event. That wasn’t the case with the unsolicited feedback. Here is something really interesting . . .  Even though the survey asked people what they didn’t like about the event, people still sent in a ton of positive feedback.  Because the event is recurring, all of the collected feedback can now be used to improve the event.

You Must Ask for Feedback
Here is one of the most important lessons I learned over the years regarding event marketing and promotion . . . you have to actively engage your patrons to send event feedback.  Never expect patrons to just email you feedback.  It never works that way. After two months only about 40 people sent in their unsolicited feedback. Compare that with the almost 400 people who sent into detailed feedback when prompted. If you’re truly dedicated to creating a great event (especially if it’s a recurring event) don’t be afraid to collect negative feedback.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• A Negative Question to Create a Better Event
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• How to Get Them To Your Event
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Getting More Opt-ins & Making More Money Online

A few weeks ago I was listening to an audio interview with Tim Ash.  Tim wrote an excellent book on Landing Page Optimization.  He’s an expert on getting people to take specific actions after they get to a web site.  During the interview, Tim gave one piece of very simple (yet highly effective) advice. His advice was especially important from a list building perspective.  Here is Tim's advice - "When you’re collecting information online, collect the minimum amount of information to complete the transaction." It’s important to think of Tim’s advice from the user’s perspective . . .

Remember – Upfront - They Don’t Know or Trust You!
Would you give a complete stranger personal information about yourself?  I’m guessing probably not. The previous question is directly applicable to collecting information online. A big mistake made when trying to collect personal information online is asking for too much information on the first visit. In most cases you have zero rapport with a prospect that just arrived at your web site. The more information you ask from a first time web visitor, the more difficult it is to collect information.  I’ve seen web sites that ask from full mailing addresses, fax number, and cell phone (all as required fields) up front.  As a result, less people are going to sign up.

The bigger and better quality list you have . . . the more money you make online!

Gain Some Trust
Your initial focus needs to be on establishing trust and credibility with your web site user. You can start to establish trust by offering your prospect something they perceive as valuable. It could be a free report, video, or audio.  You might offer some great articles for free or insider information. It is crucial to focus on the prospect’s wants and needs, NOT what you think is important to them.  The better you know your market, the better you can position information for them. The same advice rings true when planning an event . . . The best events are those built specifically for the target market – not for the event organizer’s ego.

Collecting Info Online - Where to Start
I suggest starting with the bare minimum for online data collection, first name and email address. Have any easy way for people to opt out of your list and have sound privacy policies in place. You can collect more information as you grow rapport with your prospect over time.  The best way to grow rapport over time is to give additional information that the prospect deems as valuable.

Seeing too many information can fields makes user apprehensive, regardless of those fields being required.  When collecting personal information online . . . Start with first name and email address, build trust, then go from there.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Event Search Marketing and Your Description Tag

When it comes to search engine optimization and event promotion, simple things can have big impact. Search Engine Marketing is critical in your event marketing and promotion efforts. Check out "Leveraging Your Event Promotion with SEO." One easy SEO improvement, with a high level of impact, is crafting a compelling description tag. The description tag is used to tell an internet searcher what a particular page is all about. Each page on your event web site should have its’ own unique description tag. 

An Example
Below is a shameless self-promotion example. The section highlighted in Red is the description tag.

If They’re Searching - They’re at Least Curious About Your Event
Keep this in mind when writing a description tag . . . Most people searching for your event web site are at least curious about your event.  When is the last time you used a search engine to look up something of no interest to you?  If a searcher finds a search listing for your web site in the search engine you want them to click on your link, not the competitions. A strong description tags helps in getting people to click on your web site link.

Make Your Description Tags Compelling to Click
Description tags shouldn’t be boring or mundane.  Think of your description tag as a way to get people to click on your link on the search engine results page.  Does your description tag give someone a compelling reason to click? The best description tags give internet searchers a compelling reason to click.

A Bad Example
Here is an example of a bad or inaccurate description tag for an event or business. It gives the reader almost no incentive to click. Be sure you're not making the same mistake.

Balance Click'ability and Search'ability
Some search marketing specialist might suggest that you try to include search relevant keywords in your description tag.  I would argue that the best tag for search relevant keywords is your title tag. Description tags don't carry as much importance as the title tags in search engine placement. Therefore keep your description tag focused on getting people to click on the link.  Think of your description tag as the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for individual web pages on your event site.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing and Search Engines
• Search Engine Optimization and Your Event Marketing
• Free Qualified Traffic For Your Site
• The Simplest SEO Technique
• Are You Targeting The Correct Search Keywords?

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Be Vigilant About Your Event Details and the Media

Do you have an upcoming event that could benefit from media coverage?  If you’re preparing to release information about your event publicly, you need to be extra vigilant right after information is released to the public.  All it takes is one little piece of inaccurate information to create a maelstrom of headaches.

Real World Example
Let me give you an example . . . A few months ago a client held a press conference to announce their upcoming air show.  In conjunction with the press conference, there was an official press release issued and great coverage by the media.  The press release contained one small inaccuracy (an event detail carried over from last year’s press release) that was no longer accurate. As a result, the media started reporting about the event with inaccurate information.  The local newspaper reported that the U.S. Navy Blue Angels were performing at the air show. In fact, the Blue Angels were not attending.  (When it comes to air shows, the Blue Angels attending an air show can make it or break it for event organizers.) The next day, local radio stations started to report the inaccurate information from the newspaper story. The radio station’s mindset was most likely . . . “If the newspaper is reporting it, it must be accurate.” One small piece of information created a tremendous amount of unnecessary stress for the event organizer.

Be Vigilant
When really important information about your event is released to the public (major performers, dates, times, ticket details, etc.) you must be extra vigilant. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, honest mistakes can be made and information can be reported inaccurately. In today’s world of social media one inaccurate piece of information can get to the other side of the world in a matter of seconds.  You don’t need to go overboard, but a little vigilance can prevent hours or days worth of necessary headache. 

Quick Suggestions
There are a few simple things you can do to prevent inaccurate information from spreading through media outlets. The first place to start is to triple check any press releases that go out to the media. Have other people you know review your press release.  If you’re really invested in a project your objectivity goes down the more you look at something. In the example above, it was one simple sentence that resulted in a bunch of unnecessary stress. Get more info on - Press Releases and Your Event Marketing.

Online Champions
Another suggestion is to get members of your team to monitor the local media (television, radio, and print).  You might want to consider making use of an online champion.  Have your online champion (trusted team member) monitor the local media.They can let you know if there are any discrepancies in information.

Setup a Google Alert
You should also consider setting up a Google Alert regarding your event. Google Alerts allow you to ability to automatically monitor what's going on with your event in cyberspace. Get more information about - Google Alerts and Your Event.

All it takes is one small piece of inaccurate information and you’ll be left with hours or days worth of headaches. By putting some simple controls in place and by being proactive in the process you can prevent a great deal of stress in your life.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Leveraging Your Event Promotion with SEO

Search engine optimization is a critical part of your event marketing and promotion, especially if you have a recurring event. A properly optimized web site can drive tons of free traffic to your event web site. The more qualified people you have coming to your site the higher the user’s attention level.  Let’s face it . . . someone searching for “underwater basket weaving” isn’t going to show up to an air show event web site. A proper search engine strategy can also allow you to leverage your traditional marketing campaigns.  What’s more interesting is the interaction of search engine marketing with traditional advertising and promotion.

Here is a real life case study to consider. The event organizer spent in excess of $100,000 USD to advertise their local event. Their traditional advertising efforts included television, print, radio, and billboards. The brunt of their campaign started 30 days before the event date. For all of the money spent on traditional advertising, almost 50% of the traffic came as a result of search engine traffic. You can see a break down of the information below.

The graph above illustrates the importance that search engine optimization plays in your event marketing strategy. What’s even more interesting is that only about 28% of the traffic was a result of people directly typing in the domain name into the address bar. The event organizer put a tremendous amount of focus on driving people to the web site with their traditional advertising.  Additionally, the domain name for the event web site was very easy to remember. Yet, a majority of the people used the search engines to find the web site.

Below are some short articles to help you with search engine optimization ideas for your event web site.

• Event Marketing and Search Engines
• Search Engine Optimization and Your Event Marketing
• Free Qualified Traffic For Your Site
• The Simplest SEO Technique
• Are You Targeting The Correct Search Keywords?

Lost Opportunity - Seemingly Irrelevant Search Keywords . . .
Your event prospects aren’t always using obvious search terms to get to your web site. Check your web stats and see if you’re missing a search engine optimization opportunity.  One event planner that I recently started work with discovered that a large number of people were searching on a significant keyword that the event planner considered irrelevant. Seemingly irrelevant keywords are a huge opportunity cost. Make sure you optimize your web site for some of the valuable, yet obvious terms.

Your search engine optimization strategy is a crucial part of your overall event marketing and promotion strategy. If done properly, a well thought out search marketing strategy can significantly increase the effectiveness of all your traditional marketing.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Promotions and Shortening Your Domain Name
  
• Your Domain Name and Television Advertising
• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising
  
  
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Automatically Generate Leads for Your Event Year Round

You need to think of your event marketing and promotion as a year long process. This is especially true if you have a recurring event.  You don’t have to let the thought of year round event marketing scare you. There are simple things you can do to automate your event marketing. Let’s start by looking at the opportunity that most event planners are missing . . .

The Graph Above
Take a look at the graph above. The graph is a 12 month web site visitor graph from the air show in Rochester, New York.  As you can see, most of the traffic comes to the web site in a time frame of 15 days before and after the event. The trend above is consistent with almost every web site I’ve ever seen. It’s important to note that 33% of total web site traffic comes in the 6 months before and after the event. Most event planners and organizers miss the opportunity to capitalize on the traffic coming to their web site. You need to look at any traffic to your web site as a year round event promotion opportunity.

Have a Simple Opt-in
One simple way to automate your event marketing is to setup a simple opt-in box on your home page.  Think of target market focused ways to get people to sign up for your event email list. Make an offer to give anyone who opts into your email list exclusive content about your event or discount ticket prices. In order to get people to opt-in, you’ll going to have to make them an offer that’s enticing to them. When you have a compelling offer, you can automatically collect email addresses from your target market year round. Have an autoresponder setup that automatically sends information about your event to the people on your email list.

Market Your Event Before and After
As your event approaches, use your email list to market your event.  A home grown list allows you to directly interact with your target market. If a person is signing up to your event email list, they’ve prequalified themselves as interested. Ask yourself, how many people are going to sign up to your event email list if they’re not at least curious about your event? After the event, follow up with your list to get feedback on ways to improve your event.  Recurring events can use the ideas above to grow their list year after year.   

Remember that most people only visit your web site once. If you can collect someone’s email address – you have a pre-qualified list of people interested in your event.  Keep the focus of your marketing on delivering high quality content and establishing trust. Don’t sales pitch people as soon as you get their email address.

What Do You Think? - LEAVE a COMMENT

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Does Some Else Own YOUR Web Address?

The other week I met with a new client over lunch.  During the client intake process we reviewed some information about the client's web site.  As part of the intake process I check up on web site ownership. When I did a registration look up on the client’s web site I noticed that the client didn’t own their domain name / web address. The client originally contracted with a local advertising agency when they first setup their web site. When I checked the domain registration for my client’s web site, it was registered with the sales rep for the advertising agency.  My client had no idea someone else owned their web address. This happens all the time. You need to ask yourself, right now, “is my business web site registered in my name?”

For those that don’t know . . . when registering a domain name (web address) you’re required to input a registrant or owner for the domain being registered.  I’m not an attorney . . . and this isn’t legal advice . . . but, if someone else is the domain registrant for your web site – they own your web address. Over the last few years I’ve had to tell several business owners that they didn’t own their own web address. In most instances the situation was easily remedied and the registration was corrected.  The whole situation can become a real pain if you need to change hosting providers or web development companies. It becomes worse if you've spent thousands of dollars on advertising that includes a web address that you think you own, but really don't . . . You can avoid the stress . . .

Quickly Check Domain Your Domain Ownership
The easiest way to determine if you own your domain is by doing a Whois look up.  A Whois lookup gives you ownership information about a given web address.  If you’re looking up your own web site, pay attention to the ‘registrant.’ If it’s your web site, you should be listed as the registrant. Go to the following link to do a Whois lookup . . . http://whois.domaintools.com/. Just input your domain name to get the registration information.

If Your Domain Isn’t Register to You
If you do a Whois lookup and notice that your domain isn’t registered in your name . . . don’t panic. The personal who initially setup your site probably automatically registered your domain using their information. This happens all the time and there is no fraudulent intent. If the person or business who setup your web site is the registrant, kindly ask them to transfer the registration into your name.  It takes 2 minutes to update the information. There are several businesses owners I know who took control of their domain without incident.

Avoid Domain Ownership Disputes for Less Than $10 Year
Be proactive about securing your online identity.  If you have an event or are considering holding an event, make sure you register a domain name. Less than ten dollars a year (the typical cost to register a domain name annually) is a small price to avoid a bunch of stress and frustration.

What Do You Think? - LEAVE a COMMENT

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Promotions and Shortening Your Domain Name
  
• Your Domain Name and Television Advertising
• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising
  
  
• Watch Out People Are Googling You!
• Leveraging People Googling You to Your Advantage
• Protecting Your Online Identity - What You Can Do
  
  
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Vicarious Event Marketing & Promotion - Be Edgy!

Has a friend ever tried to live vicariously through you? Being one of the unmarried guys - I find my friends (usually the men) telling me “I want to live vicariously through you!” It’s a bit ironic . . .  A large number of people I know what to settle down. But when they settle down (or for whatever reason) people tend to get incredibly bored.  Don’t get me wrong - There is nothing wrong with marriage and kids. But people still want some excitement in their life.

 

People are Bored Out of Their Gourd
Back in September I attended Eben Pagan’s GuruMastermind Conversion Summit in Los Angeles.  During one of the sessions Eben talked about how most people live incredibly boring lives. He illustrated the point with a simple example: People wake up bored, they go to work bored, come home – watch some T.V. and then go to bed bored. The next day the same boring process starts all over again. One could argue that Eben’s example is a pretty harsh assessment. Yet the more I think about it, the more he might be right. When I ask my friends “why do you want to live vicariously through me?” they usually respond with “because I’ve settled down and don’t get to have as much fun anymore.” You need to realize that most people are bored. If people are looking for a little excitement in their lives, give it to them!

Inject a Little Personality into Your Marketing
It’s never been so easy or inexpensive to capture the attention of your target market. The challenge is cutting through the all advertising people face. One simple way to overcome the standard advertising glut is by injecting a little personality into to your marketing. Eben recommends being “edgy authentic.” Being “Edgy Authentic” is a great way to capture the attention of someone who might be bored. By being edgy you cut through all the other pompous corporate style marketing.  Be authentic and genuine when you communicate with your target market. They’ll appreciate your candor.

Get Them Excited
Apathy, ambivalence, and indifference make the challenge of getting people to your event very difficult. The same goes for trying to sell a product or service.  You need to get your target market so excited that it’s difficult NOT to buy from you. As Jeffery Gitomer put it “people love to buy, but they hate to be sold.”

An Edgy Example
One of my friends, Chris McCombs, did the improbable. Chris’ blog KickBackLife.com became the number one fitness marketing blog in the world. He accomplished this feat by being edgy authentic. Chris knows his target market and how best to communicate with them. People write him all the time to compliment him on his open candor and marketing style.  If you’re looking for a super successful example of edgy authentic, check out Chris’ blog KickBackLife.com. When you look at the site, you need to go a little deeper. It might look like it's about scantly clad women and guns . . . but there is a lot more to it.

By applying an appropriate amount of edginess to your event marketing and promotion, you’ll stand out from the crowd. At first you’ll feel a bit uncomfortable . . . but with time you’ll see the benefits of not being like everyone else in marketing. Don’t be afraid to stand out!

What Do You Think? - LEAVE a COMMENT

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Personality & Your Event Promotion
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Email Marketing: Stop Cramming Too Much Info Into Your Email!

Event planners and organizers have a tendency to try to include as much detail as possible in their promotion pieces.  Have you ever seen an event poster or ad filled to the brim with information? The same “cram as much as you can” mentality usually carries over to the email marketing of an event.  As a result – emails used to promote an event have so many details that that the reader doesn’t know where to begin. Cramming your emails full with too many details is a big event marketing mistake. You are far better off breaking the information down and focusing on one or two information points at a time.

What’s Important to Them?
Start by identifying the information most important to your prospect.  (Not what you think is important to your prospect.) Sending a bunch of irrelevant information to your target marketing isn’t going to do anything to promote your event. If you send useless information on a regular basis, people will consider you a SPAMMER. Spamming destroys your trust and credibility with prospects. Put the prospect and their informational wants and needs in the spotlight. Trust and credibility translates into more ticket buyers and people coming to your event.

One Main Point Per Email
If you have several points to convey to your prospect, send them over a series of emails. As long as you honestly try to convey information that people are interested in - you can send several emails in rapid succession.  I’ve sent emails every day for 5 days with an opt-OUT rate of less than 4.0%.

Limited Online Attention Spans
It’s important to remember that when people read information from a computer screen they tend to scan and skim as opposed to read word for word. The average attention span of an online reader is measured in seconds.  You can help the person reading your email by differentiating you writing.  Use bolds, italics, headers, and bullet points.  Make information stand out and ensure the document is easy to scan. Long emails can work, but you need to keep the interest of the reader very high.

Send Them to Your Site for Details
You can ensure your prospect gets specific details about your event by including a link to your event web site in each email. Give them a reason to click on the link . . . “For more details about our event, please visit our web site . . . (insert your link).”

Like the old adage goes . . . keep it simple stupid! Don’t overload your reader with too much information all at one time.

What Do You Think? - LEAVE a COMMENT

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Capitalize on Your Event Domain Name

A catchy domain name is always helpful in getting people to remember your web site. But when it comes to event marketing and promotion it is very easy for your domain name (even a catchy one) to get lost in all the details. I would argue that the most important piece of information that you want your prospect to remember from you advertising is your domain name.  If and when people are interested in getting more information about your event, they’ll probably go online to get additional details.  It’s much easier to remember your domain name than it is to remember plethora of advertising details such as dates, times, ticket details, performers, telephone numbers, etc.  When advertising your web address in print advertising there are simple things you can do to insure greater impact. One simple technique is using selective capitalization in your domain name.

Use Capitalization
Take a look at your domain name.  If you capitalize certain letters in your web address does it provide more visual impact? Consider the example below.

yourbigevent.com - YourBigEvent.com 

The capitalization doesn’t have to occur on the first letter of each word.  Play around with the idea. Find the right capitalization combination that works for your web address. By capitalizing key letters in your domain name, you also make your domain name more legible and easier to remember. The idea is also applicable to any other form of visual media where your target market is going to read words (billboards, posters, fliers, etc.) Don't forget to drop the 'www.' when advertising your domain name. Check out "Event Promotions and Shortening Your Domain Name" for more details.   

Capitalizing certain letters in a web address seems like a “no brainer,” but you’d be surprised at how few people make use of the practice. It's a simple technique that costs nothing to implement, yet brings you a high return on your investment. 

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Promotions and Shortening Your Domain Name
  
• Your Domain Name and Television Advertising
• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising
  
  
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

How Long Before Social Media Advertising Gets Too Noisy?

The other day I went to lunch with my good friend Todd.  After lunch (and the ensuing food coma), we headed back to Todd’s office for a few minutes.  While at Todd’s office, I had him log into his Facebook account to show some interesting photos from the weekend.  During our brief Facebook excursion the topic of “How many Facebook friends could one person possibly have?” was discussed.  I told Todd that I’ve seen some high Facebook friend numbers before - people with over a thousands friends. Yet Todd knows someone with the highest number of Facebook friends I’ve ever seen – 2,157! After leaving Todd’s office, I had to ask myself “How many friends are too many friends?” The more friends you have on Facebook the more requests and messages you’ll get on your account.  Isn’t a person eventually going to get to a point where they can’t deal with all the information?

Task Saturation Can Be Fatal to Your Event
In the aviation world they call information overload, task saturation.  There are so many things going on at once that the pilot’s likelihood of missing critical information goes up significantly. Task saturation can be fatal in the aviation world.  I also think that task saturation can be fatal in the event promotion and marketing world. Social media has exploded in growth.  There’s Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogs, etc. and the list keeps growing.  I find it hard to believe that people can process that much information from so many services at one time. Take a moment to consider all the traditional advertising (television, print, radio) you’re bombarded with on a daily basis. Is your event marketing information getting lost in all the social media noise?

Stay Focused on a Few Good Channels for Promotion
Instead of looking at how many social media channels you can use to promote or market your event, focus on the right social media channels to promote your event.  Line your marketing up accordingly with your target market’s demographic and psychographic profiles.  One form of social media probably outperforms another for promoting your event.  It’s up to you to find which one works the best.  Do some simple testing to find the answer.

Drive Them to Your Web Site with Everything You Do
Yes, you can successfully use social media to build awareness of your event.  I’m not trying to knock the possibilities of social media. But I still believe that the single best place for promoting your event is a dedicated event web site.  Any other form of media (social included) should be focused on getting people back to your web site. The people who are on your web site are prequalified to be interested in your event. That is where your focus should be.

> What's Your Opinion? - Leave a Comment on this Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing with Social Media and Email
• Social Media, Social Networking, and Event Promotion
• Web 2.0, Social Media, and Event Promotion
• Event Marketing: Do You have an Online Champion for Your Event?
• Online Comments About Your Event

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Stop Losing Emails Subscribers to Double Opt-in

I’m a firm believer in using opt-in verification (double opt-in) whenever you collect email addresses online. Opt-in verification requires an email subscriber to click on a unique verification link that is emailed to them immediately after sign up. Your email list might not grow as large or as quickly if you require people to verify their subscription. But, requiring a double opt-in creates lists that are of higher quality and more responsive. Double Opt-in also significantly reduces your chances of being blacklisted as an email spammer, increases email deliverability, and makes your email databases more portable. You can significantly reduce your double opt-ins losses by having a well though out verification process.Below is a brief outline of my verification process. Feel free to integrate the ideas into your own list building efforts.

A Well Thought Out Thank You Page
Most services allow you the ability to redirect email subscribers to a thank you page after they submit their information. A well crafted post submission thank you page is your best chance at reducing the number of people you're losing to double opt-in verification. Be sure to be very direct in telling people what they need to do on the thank you page (e.g. - go check your email right now and click on the verification link). Make the instructions bold and as visually loud as possible.

Here is some of the text I use on my thank you page for this site:

IMPORTANT . . .

I can't send you any information until you verify your sign up. This is done to protect your privacy.

What you need to do, right now:
Please check your email and click on the confirmation link. (It's that simple.) More detailed instructions can be found below.

(Shameless self-promotion)
You can sign up to my list and see how the complete process works.

Before implementing a robust verification process, I was losing 25% of total email subscribers, across numerous web sites, to the double opt-in verification.  Recently I setup a simple one page event web site with the sole purpose of collecting email addresses. The web site included a thank you page with very direct instructions. In 12 days 486 people subscribed to the VIP email list for the event. By using a well thought out post opt-in thank you page I was able to reduce the loss of subscribers from 25% to 15%.

Having a dedicated email list is one of the single greatest marketing resources any event organizer or planner can possess. Unlike other forms of marketing for your event, lists allow you to directly interactive with your specific target market. People aren’t going to subscriber to your event email list unless they’re somewhat interested in your event. Be sure you have a well thought out email collection process in place before you start trying to collect email addresses.

> What's Your Opinion? - Leave a Comment on this Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Satisfaction Guaranteed Events

Does your event come with a satisfaction or money back guarantee? Whenever I ask event producers the previous questions they always get really uncomfortable.  The usual response to the guarantee question is “We’d be crazy to offer a money back guarantee, everyone would ask for their money back.” Are you not willing to stand behind the quality of your event?  A satisfaction guarantee is already built in to your event if an attendee purchased a ticket with a credit card. The consumer has the right to challenge any charges on their credit card. If a consumer feels like your event didn’t deliver on their expectations they can call the credit card company and dispute the charge. If the consumer can prove their case you need to return their money, plus a charge back fee.

People Always Ask for Their Money Back
Even if you have a stellar event, there are people who will dispute the charges on their credit card.  Last year, I managed online ticket sales for a large event.  Over 7,000 tickets were purchased online for the event.  Of the over 7,000 tickets purchased less than 6 people called the credit card company to dispute the charges.  If people can already ask for their money back, why not just offer a guarantee?

Event Organizers Already Offering Guarantees
Guarantees are a great way to decrease any buyer objection. I know numerous event organizers who offer a money back guarantee on their seminars, workshops, and events.  The money back guarantee is on events that cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. In one case an event organizer offered a "money back guarantee, plus we pay your travel expenses" on their event. There were 3 people who asked for their money back. Yet the same event organizer managed to increase their event revenue by over 50%.

Yes, there are people who have asked for their money back. But savvy event organizers still insist on having a satisfaction guarantee. Why?  It makes selling any event significantly easier.  Would you be more or less inclined to purchase a ticket for an event of interest if it was backed up with a believable guarantee?

When planning your event, consider offering a money back guarantee.  It’s one of the easiest ways to increase revenue with little risk. You can mitigate the risk of refunds by properly executing your event. A strong guarantee tells your target market that you firmly stand behind the quality of your event. The whole idea of a event guarantee is much scarier than it seems. As soon as you do it once and see the results, I doubt you’ll have another event without a guarantee.

> YOUR OPINION: Leave a Comment on this Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• About the Money Back Guarantee
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Social Media Comments and Your Event

Social Media can be a virtue or a vice for event organizers.  On the positive front, event organizers can interact with their target market like never before.  You can use target market interaction and feedback to build a better event.  On the negative side, social media can be used to leave disparaging comments about your event.  In some cases the comments might not be true or misrepresent your event.  Even worse, negative comments about your event can show up on web sites that you have no editorial control over. If comments appear on a popular web site (a local news agency web site) they will probably get indexed into the search engines. Today people are apt to read something online and take it as fact without checking the facts.

Below you will find some suggestions on dealing with social media comments regarding your event.

A Real World Example
Last week one of my clients held a big press release for their upcoming event. After the press conference the local media outlets published stories about the event.  One local news paper has a web site that allows you to comment on their news stories.  Because my client decided to change the format and location of their event, there were plenty of comments posted with the news story. The comments covered the whole spectrum from very positive to negative.  If you’re an event organizer it’s hard to ignore comments about your event.

Addressing Comments About Your Event
You don’t need to get stressed about negative comments. Here is a simple process for spinning negative comments about your event to your advantage.  Start by tracking down online comments about your event. You can easily do this using a Google Alert (Jenny B.). Google Alerts is free and allows you to leverage Google’s massive search capabilities. Collect all the comments about your event into a simple document. Organize the collected comments into positive and negative categories. Use your event web site to directly address some of the most prevalent comments. In most cases you can silence criticism by giving a straightforward answer to a comment or question. Consider addressing the most popular comments on a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. You can even integrate the comments into your marketing. In most cases, it’s not worth your time replying to comments on other web sites. You’re better off addressing comments on your web site. 

Whenever you read a comment about your event, stop and ask yourself “How can I turn this into a positive?” Like the old adage goes, “Any publicity is good publicity.”  Find out ways to take the negative and spin it positive.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing: Do You have an Online Champion for Your Event?
• Online Comments About Your Event
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Free Qualified Traffic For Your Site

This past Monday one of my clients held a press conference announcing their annual event. My big lesson from the announcement revolved around the importance of referral traffic. Any time another web site links to your web site and sends you traffic, it’s considered referral traffic. Referral traffic doesn't cost you any money to generate. Another nice part about referral traffic is that it’s usually highly qualified traffic. If people are at all curious about your event, they’ll click on the referring link. Below is an easy to implement suggestion to get free referral traffic for your event web site. It works best when done in conjunction with a press conference or press release for your event. Focus on getting referral links from local news outlets.  Local news web sites have higher traffic rates. If you can get national coverage, even better!

Compare and Contrast
Here is a quick comparison of the traffic to the web site supporting my client’s event. In 2007, 85 visitors went to the event web site within 24 hours of the announcement. There were few referring links back to the web site in 2007. After the press conference on Monday, 1,238 visitors (1,346 visits) went to the web site within 24 hours.  That’s a 1356% increase in traffic.  84% of the 1,238 visitors came as a result of referring traffic. One of the local news web sites accounted for almost 50% of all the traffic in the first 24 hours. In addition, over 400 people signed up to mailing list supporting the event within 72 hours. The last time we tried to collect email addresses it took 4 months to get 400 people on the mailing list.

The Media Forgets
Just because you include a web address in your media kit or press release doesn’t mean the media will automatically include it with their stories. It’s very easy for a writer on deadline to forget something as simple as your web site address.  Don’t take it personally. Whenever the media covers your event, you want them to include your web address. It’s free publicity that drives qualified traffic to your web site.

What You Can Do
The following suggestion might take 15 minutes to an hour of your time, but it is well worth the investment.  Call up your local media outlets (television, radio, & newspaper).  Concentrate your efforts on news outlets that have dedicated web sites.  When calling, you want to ask for someone at the news desk. Try to find out who might be covering the story on your event.  When you find the right person, kindly request that they include your web address with any stories they’re running. By doing so you’ll drive qualified traffic to your web site.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Your Event Marketing on the Radio

Over the weekend I heard a radio spot for an upcoming local event.  Any time I hear or see something event related my ears and eyes take notice. The first half of the radio spot was what one would expect; “come out to a great family event,” date, time, location, etc. But the second half of the commercial was the really interesting part. All of the information in the second half of commercial was dedicated to information on purchasing tickets.  That didn’t make any sense to me. Why dedicate half a radio commercial solely to ticket information?  There is little use in giving people ticketing information if they haven’t been convinced to attend your event.

Think Web Centric
In my opinion all your advertising should lead to your web site.  Think about the process people use today to find out more information on just about anything. If a person is interested in something, they’ll probably go online to get additional information. Integrate people’s behaviors into your event marketing strategy.  Whatever event advertising you’re running should give good incentive to get people back to your web site.  You can use something as “for more details visit our web site (insert web address).”

You Can't Change Their Mind
If I had to redo the radio spot from above, I would have dedicated more time to building curiosity or value about my event to the potential target market. Your event advertising, regardless of how good, is unlikely to change the mind of your target market. I can’t think of any event organizer who has a big enough advertising budget to change the public's mind.  People are predisposed to being interested in your event.  Keep your advertising efforts on those people most likely to attend.

Don't Try to Cram Every Last Detail
Don't overload the listener with details. "Less is More" is applicable to radio advertising. Too many event organizers try to cram every last iota of information into advertising. If listeners take away only one thing from your web site let it be the web address of your event web site.

Here is another article that includes additional advice on radio advertising:

• Your Domain Name and Radio Advertising

Whatever advertising you’re doing, focus on delivering the value of your event before you ask for the sale. You’ll get a lot more people to your event.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

The Advertising of Your Event

Contrary to popular belief, print advertising fundamentals are still extremely relevant for promoting your event. The fundamentals of effective advertising can be applied beyond just newspapers and magazines.  If you can create an effective print ad, you can do the same for almost any form of online advertising. The same principles for effective advertising apply to video and audio. Unfortunately too many organizations seem to be more concerned with creating works of art instead of advertising that gets people to take action. You can’t afford to have ineffective ads when advertising for your event.

"The King of Madison Avenue"
David Ogilvy is one of my favorite sources for advertising fundamentals.  He’s considered by many a “patron saint” in the advertising industry.  Ironically some of the same people who revere Ogilvy are also the first to abandon his tenants.  Ogilvy believed that the purpose of advertising was to sell, not to entertain. Don’t try to make your advertising look like a work art! Think in terms of good design (not art) and persuasive copy.  Focus on creating advertising for your event that gets people to take action.

Below are a series of articles outlining several of David Ogilvy’s concepts and suggestions for writing effective advertising.   If you follow his tenants you have a good chance at creating advertising that gets people to your event.

• David Ogilvy on Direct Response Marketing
• Measuring Advertising Effectiveness
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• How to Get Them To Your Event
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Being a World Class Event Promoter (the P.T. Barnum Way)

Over the last two years this blog has featured a number of posts about P.T. Barnum. The man was an event marketing and promotion genius.  He could take the seemingly odd or simple and turn it into a financial gold mine.  Barnum has been gone for almost 120 years, but his techniques for event promotion and marketing are still applicable today. In the 1800s there was no Internet, radio, or television for advertising.  Barnum’s American Museum actually thrived during a time of Civil War. Regardless of what’s going on in the world people want to escape reality and be entertained. Everything that Barnum accomplished was as a result of ingenuity, printer’s ink, and word of mouth advertising.

Have you ever considered including some of P.T. Barnum’s concepts into your own event marketing and promotion?

Below you will find a small collection P. T. Barnum posts that will help you with promoting and marketing your event. There is at least one good idea waiting for you to use with your event.

Take the time to read through a few posts.

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• The World’s Best Event Promoter Is . . .
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum
• More Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• How to Get Them To Your Event
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Monetizing Free Events - There is Money Everywhere

There is no such thing as a free event. Events without any type of admission still cost event organizers money to produce.  Organizers almost always need to rent equipment or have a dedicated facility to hold their event. These things cost money. In addition to the previously mentioned costs, there are typically numerous ancillary expenses that cannot be traded out. If the economy is bad, people and businesses are less apt to help out free events and not for profit organizations. With sponsorship dollars becoming much more difficult to come by event organizers need to look at other avenues for funding. As an event organizer you need to focus on other areas of financial opportunity.  Is there some aspect of your event that you can monetize?

Offering a Premium Event Experience
Here is an idea.  If you have a free event, can you charge people for a premium experience?  People are willing to pay money at free events if you can deliver extra value.  Things like reserve seating or a VIP experience are just some of the things you can offer as premiums.  Some patrons are willing to pay you money if it means not having to wait in line for 45 minutes. Look at ideas that are of minimal cost to you as an event organizer, yet generate maximum revenue.  You would be surprised what patrons are willing to pay for a premium experience. It’s important that you offer a premium that your event patron finds valuable. There is often a discrepancy of perceived value between patrons and event organizers. You can overcome the “What’s a premium” hurdle by asking or testing offers with your event patrons.  Keep the focus on what patrons find appealing, not what you think they might find appealing. Something as simple as an email survey to your target demographic can give you answers to the premium experience question.

Monetizing Your Event Afterward
A less desirable place to monetize your event is after the event takes place. The disadvantage is what you can’t put money into your coffers before your event occurs. Patrons typically look for nostalgia items after an event takes place.  Do you have anything that people might be interested in purchasing after you event? The easiest way to generate revenue, post event, is from a dedicated event web site. Make nostalgic items available for purchase online.  Just remember to focus on your patron’s desire.

As an event organizer of a free event (or any event) you need to think of additional ways to monetize your event. People will pay, regardless of the economic conditions, for a premium experience. A little brain power can go far in generating extra revenue for your event.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Recession = Opportunities For Your Event

Are you as an event organizer making the most of the economic downturn?  It isn’t all doom and gloom in the world. There are events and industries that are actually thriving in spite of current economic conditions. Check out some of the random press clippings pulled from the last few days.

• Fans flock to speedway, despite sputtering economy
• Economy stinks, but golf at Ritz a 'blessed' event
• The Stock Market Is Down But the Movie Business Is Up 14% Over 2008

I’m not going to deny that people are struggling. But it’s important to remember that people still want to do things.  Go take a look at your local shopping mall during any given weekend.  There might not be as many people shopping, but people are still shopping.  Opportunities are all over the place for smart and savvy event organizers. One huge opportunity that you can take advantage of is discounted advertising rates. 

Discounted Event Advertising
Advertising outlets are so desperate to get advertisers they are offering advertising at a discount. Everyone is discounting their services: television, print, radio, online, etc. It’s far less expensive to buy advertising to promote your event. Even with discounted advertising, focus on negotiating your advertising packages even lower. You should never pay rate card for advertising.  A trusted media buyer told me that 80% of online advertising goes unsold. Be vigilant in how you negotiate your advertising agreements. Never say yes to the initial price you're quoted.

Less Advertisers
Advertising advantages go beyond discounted rates. The current economic state has also prompts many businesses to reduce advertising efforts.  It’s a psychological effect. Business owners think “other businesses are spending less, we should follow suit.” As a result you have less advertising competing for the consumer’s attention. Make sure you don’t follow the rest of the flock. A down economy is an excellent time to gain market share on the competition. Take advantage of less clutter in the market place to position your event with the public.

If you’re thinking of holding an event, the current economy offers you certain advantages. People still want to be entertained, have fun, and learn new things. It’s up to you to provide them something unique and of high perceived value.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Exquisitely Describing Your Event

The words you use to describe your event can make a world of difference in how many people show up to your event.  For all the technology we have at our fingertips words are still your most powerful marketing tool.  When you describe your event, especially in your marketing, make your event description extraordinary.  It doesn’t matter if you’re using traditional media (television, print, radio) or new media. You want the person reading or seeing your advertisements to automatically think, “I want to do that!”

As a quick example, which of the following would more likely peak your interest to attend the event captured in the video above?

“Come see our amazing fireworks and laser light show.”

- OR -

"Witness a thrilling nighttime kaleidoscope as the sky erupts with over 1,100 pyrotechnic bursts and the extraordinary Earth Globe floats across the lagoon, revealing wonders of the seven continents on its curved LED screens — the first ever of their kind. Revel in rousing original music as lasers turn the very sky into a work of art."

Both descriptions are for the same event. The longer description comes from the Disney Corporation. It's for their Reflections of Earth fireworks and laser light show at EPCOT.

You're description can be as long as you want. (Provided you hold your readers attention.) The marketing of your event needs to rival the quality of your event.  Most event organizers create great events that nobody attends. Make sure you’re not making the same mistake. If you have something really great to share with people, don’t under hype your event.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising (Part I)
• The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising (Part II)
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Sponsorship Page Reality

Sponsors are an important part of any event.  There are numerous event that wouldn’t take place without the support of their sponsors.  Over the last nine years I’ve carefully looked at web statistics for various events. There is a glaring statistic that comes to light as it relates to featuring your sponsors.  When people visit an event web site they aren’t interested in who’s sponsoring your event. Sponsorship is the one of the last things the average visitor deems important.  The graph below shows pageviews statistics from an event web site. The sponsorship page accounted for less than 2% of total pageviews over a 12 month period. The statistics below are from an event web site with 9 pages.

Beyond Sponsorship Logos on Your Event Site
You need to go beyond just featuring sponsors on your event web site.  The process starts with trying to find sponsors that your target market actually cares about. Look at the demographics and psychographics of your target market. Can you find a good link between potential sponsors and your target market?  Instead of just featuring your sponsors include them as part of your marketing.  Include sponsor coupons that your target market can redeem before or after your event.  Make sure that sponsors track coupon use. It won’t be difficult for you to find sponsors for your event if you’re providing your sponsors a definitive return on investment. Using a coupon is one of the easiest ways to show a direct return on investment.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Sponsorship, Domain Name Branding, and Your Event
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources
• Web User Traffic Trends to Your Event Web Site
• The Timing of Your Event Promotion
• Hold Your Event Marketing Accountable!
• Reading the User's Mind and Then Doing Nothing About It
• Web Page Statistics - "Hits" versus Visitors

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Creating an Extraordinary Experience with Words

My dad emailed me the story (link) below a few years ago. It's an 800 word half-page personal narrative describing the extraordinary experience of flight. Even after a quick read, it’s a story that is difficult to forget.  There is no audio or video.  Yet the story (published in 1999) has no problem holding its weight in today’s overly saturated world of multimedia. In the end, it’s an excellent example of the power of words.  I’m still a firm believer that words, especially written words, are the most powerful marketing tool on the internet. It's well worth 120 seconds of your time.

After you read the story think of ways to apply passionate writing to market your event with a great story.

Check it out . . . "On a Wing and a Prayer"

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Turn Your Event Into an Experience
• How to Get Them To Your Event
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

An Important Event Web Site Statistic for Promoters and Event Planners

 

Over the weekend I spent some time digging into event web site statistics. Some intriguing information came to light when doing a comparative analysis of web stats from three very different events. The events compared include an air show, a brew fest, and an aviation safety event. Each event had a distinct demographic profile.  In spite of demographic differences, there were some very intriguing correlations in web statistics. Even when accounting for dynamic IP addresses, some specific statistics were within a percentage point or two for all the web sites.

Some Event Web Site Statistics
One interesting statistic was the number of times a user visited a web site (visitor loyalty).  Across all three sites, only 10% of visitors came to an event web site more than three times.  For the same three sites, approximately 70% of the visitors only visited each event web site once.  See the graphic above from an actual event web site. If visitors are only coming to your site once, you need to make sure the information you have on your web site is doing a great job of selling your event.  Are you trying to capture people’s name and email with an opt-in box?  For all the sites 60-75% of all visitors came to each site within 30 days leading up to each event. The more an event organizer spent on advertising their event, the greater the traffic to the site within 30 days of the event. 

Diligently Look at Your Statistics
If you have a recurring event, properly analyzing your web stats is an invaluable resource. Not enough event organizers look into their web stats. Digging into the data goes well beyond just the total number of visitors. Carefully look at what visitors on your site are doing. At the same time, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out when looking at your web stats. Knowing your stats can save you a ton of money on marketing.

If you haven’t already, be sure that you have a good analytics suite installed on your event web site. My personal favorite is Google Analytics.  Analytics is free and you can get some pretty amazing information. Pay careful attention to your statistics, it could be costing you dearly.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Web User Traffic Trends to Your Event Web Site
• The Timing of Your Event Promotion
• Hold Your Event Marketing Accountable!
• Reading the User's Mind and Then Doing Nothing About It
• Web Page Statistics - "Hits" versus Visitors

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Don’t Neglect Your Email List

What follows is a important email marketing lesson. In just over two years a friend of mine was able to build a home grown email list to about 5000 subscribers.  He drove web traffic to a landing page via a pay per click campaign.  On his web page, visitors were asked to sign up to receive additional information via email. For the first two years of his campaign my friend sent an email to his list once every 10 days.  The list generated tens of millions of dollars in sales leads.  Eventually the 10 day interval of emails slowed down. The last time my friend emailed his list was over six months ago.

Going Back to The List
Recently my friend tried to transfer his existing email list to a new email system.  The new email system requires all 5000 of his email subscribers to click on a verification link sent by email.  If the subscribers don’t click on the verification link their data won’t be imported into the new email system.  My friend prepped an email with the included verification link and sent it to his subscribers.  Of the 5000 subscriber on his list only 50 clicked on the verification link after his first email.  As one can imagine, my friend was floored that so few people clicked on the verification link. He didn’t have the expectation that a large number of people would click the verification link, but he did expect to get more than 1%.

The Lesson
When you build your email list, it is imperative to stay in constant contact.  The point above expounds on the importance of engaging your list on a regular basis. My recommendation is to engage your list at least once a week. Setup an email autoresponder to automate your marketing. When engaging your list, focus on the list’s desires and on delivering valuable information. Regardless of your efforts not everyone is going to stay on your email list. People come and people go. Your objective is to try and keep as many people on your list as possible.  As of yesterday - my friend said that about 150 people, of his list of 5000, had be verified and added to the new system.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

The Most Important Line in Email Marketing

Yesterday I had a great strategy meeting with my friend Doug Doebler. Our discussion was about email marketing. A few years ago Doug accomplished some pretty amazing things with real estate and email marketing.  If you’re interested in the World’s best beach towns, be sure to check out Doug’s web site. Having said that . . . Some people swear by the usefulness of email marketing and others consider it a complete waste of time.  During our discussion Doug and I talked about the small nuances that can make a big difference in any email marketing campaign.  One of the topics we discussed was getting people to open email.  The truth is that most marketing emails don’t get opened - ever.  My average email open rate over hundreds of emails is between 40-50%. Those open rates are from double opt-in home grown email lists, not list brokers. There are a lot of marketers that espouse that the email subject line is the most important factor in open rates.  I disagree.

There is one element more important than any subject line for getting your email opened . . .    

The Most Important Email Element
I’ll admit that there are rare times when a clever subject line will get someone to open an unsolicited email.  But more often than not, people look at who the email is from before looking at the subject line. Think about the last time you received an email from a friend . . . In most cases, regardless of the subject line, you opened the email. Getting people to open your email is about trust and credibility. Your name carries more weight than a fancy subject line. Therefore your first priority should be to establish trust and credibility with the people on your email list.

It’s About Trust
One way to establish trust and credibility is by delivering valuable information up front. If someone signs up to your email list, don’t try to sales pitch them right away. Start by giving them information that is valuable to them.(Not what YOU think might be valuable.) By delivering value up front you become a trusted adviser. You become like a friend to the recipient. It’s by far the best way to get more people to open your email.

Building Trust
Can you think of ways to build trust and credibility with your email list? Find out what interests your target market and give it to them. Intently focus on what’s important to the people you’re emailing.  It’s up to you to find information that your target market finds valuable. Save the sales pitch for after you’ve established some trust and credibility. If you follow the above advice, you’ll do far better with your email marketing campaigns.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Interactive Event Marketing

It has never been so easy and inexpensive to interact with your target market. In, “Leading People to Provide Feedback,” I wrote about the importance of collecting feedback from your target market.  Your target market represents the people most likely to attend your event. Today I’d like to take the feedback process one step further. This step involves integrating target market opinion when you’re planning and marketing your event.  Instead of getting into specific techniques for collecting feedback, I’d like to approach the concept from a strategic level. Think of it as food for thought.

Never Assume What They Want
A huge mistake made by several event organizers is assuming their target market’s wants and needs.  This happens frequently. Especially when events that are organized by committee.  Event organizers plan events around their wants and needs, not the wants and needs of their target market.  The problem is what event organizers want from their event and what their patrons want are usually completely different.  One might argue, “I’m organizing my event and paying for it, so I can do whatever I want!” I’m not going to argue with the previous statement.  But I will ask the following question: Would you rather have a very successful event, or have 100% control over your event?  (You can only choose one.) The most successful event organizers let patrons help plan their events via patron feedback.  Feedback can come in many different forms. Feedback includes email, blogs, surveys, and everything in between.   

You Can't Integrate Everything
You’re obviously not going to be able to accommodate every suggestion or request. I understand that patron requests can go beyond the budget and scope of your event. But it's in your own best interest to give patron feedback serious consideration. The cliche of "It's the thought that counts," actually applies in this situation. People are much more likely to get passionate and excited about things where they have input, even if it’s only perceived input. You want to involve your target market throughout your marketing cycle. Make patrons feel like their part of your event before it event begins.

Are you involving your target market enough in the planning and marketing of your event?  It’s not always an easy question to answer, but it’s an important one to ask. If you make an effort to involve your target market, the likelihood of having a successful event goes up dramatically. It can be as simple as sending an email and asking someone, "Hey, what do you think of this?"

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Create a Better Event with Patron Feedback
• Collecting Real Time Feedback on Your Event
• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Leading People to Provide Event Feedback

Last week I had an interesting experience with a client. It centered on a new online marketing campaign to the client’s house email list.  We decided to start the campaign by identifying the target market’s interests. The first email sent to their list was an informal survey.  Within a few hours of being sent, over a hundred people had replied with their feedback.  The deluge of feedback was ironic because nothing was stopping people from previously sending feedback on their own. Anyone could have gone to my client’s web site, clicked on the email link, and sent their own feedback.  Yet that never happened.

 

People Need to Be Led
Here is a little secret of human psychology . . .  People are silently begging to be led. Just because someone can write you a suggestion regarding your event, product, or service doesn’t mean they will. Today’s web sites are cluttered with so many options that people don’t know where to start. You need to lead people on a path to action.  If you want feedback on your event, lead them in that direction. Something as simple as an email can evoke that response.

Here is an excerpt from the informal survey sent to my client’s email list:

“To ensure that we are giving you the information you really want to know I am asking for your help. Please reply to this email with any interesting questions or ideas you might have to include in the series. Feel free to ask me anything and I'll try to incorporate as many answers possible.
If you don't have a question, maybe you have a suggestion? All you have to do is hit reply to this email.”

I’m working from the assumption that you already have an email list.  If you’re looking to build a list, check out “List Building & Your Event Marketing.”  Feel free to take the verbiage above, modify it accordingly, and use it to get feedback from your own target market.  It’s one of the simplest and most cost effective ways of getting valuable feedback on your event.  If you integrate patron feedback you will create a better event that more people will want to attend.

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Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Create a Better Event with Patron Feedback
• Collecting Real Time Feedback on Your Event
• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Ride a Winning Ad

Do you ever reuse advertising for your event? As humans we have this drive to constantly create something new. This happens frequently when it comes to advertising for events. We often try so hard to create something new that we forget to step back and to figure out what actually works.

Rerun Successful Advertising
I would argue that event organizers are better off rerunning an ad (or a web site) that gets a decent response than trying to create something new for creativity’s sake.  The cost of creativity is usually your time and money. A great success model to emulate is classic direct response advertising. The magic of direct response ads are rooted in great headlines and compelling body copy. Some of the most successful advertisements in history have been run for years without any changes.

How to Find a Winning Ad
Finding a winning ad has never been easier. You can track advertising effectiveness with Google Analytics. Let’s use print advertising as an example. Make sure that all your print ads include a strong call to action that includes your web address. You might want to consider running different domain names for various ads. Specific domain names make it a little easier to test your ads. After the ads have run, go back to Analytics and see which ad drove the most people to your web site. The ad that drove the most people to your web site is the winner. The above example lacks specific details, but should give you some ideas to start.

When advertising and marketing for your event you a far better off going with something that you know works. Why mess with something that is going to help put “butts in seats”? Find the ad that works and don't be afraid to use it over and over. You can create a new ad when your winner stops paying you dividends.

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Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Promotional Headlines for Your Event
  
• Does Your Headline Grab Their Undivided Attention
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
  
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Dealing with Harsh Event Feedback

Have you ever received a really nasty email regarding your event? Customer service over the Internet can be a bit tricky at times. Today most of the feedback event organizers receive is going to be over email. Most people give very gracious feedback. Yet there are always a few people that are a little harsh with their feedback. The truth is a small number of people complain, just because they’re given the opportunity.  You are best served trying to address every piece of feedback, even from unreasonable people. Here are a few quick tips for delivering customer service over email.

Step Back
It’s important not to take negative feedback about your event personally. When you organize an event you’re emotionally vested in that event. The initial response to a harsh email might be to respond with an equal tone. It’s not worth it. Take a step back and make sure you don’t respond defensively.  Give yourself time to cool down. I find that waiting 24 hours to respond to an email helps.  In that time, try to honestly consider where your patron is coming from.

The Magic Phrase
Use the following phrase to defuse any harsh feedback about your event, “Thank you for your email.” Then continue your email in an understanding and appreciative tone.Someone who just wrote you a very harsh email is probably not expecting a thank you response. I’ve used the “thank you for your email” all the time. It’s amazing how that simple phrase calms people down. Event patrons have written back apologizing for their initial email. 

Respond within 48 Hours
A timely response is huge in customer service.  Try to respond to people as quickly as possible. Within 48 hours is a good rule of thumb. The quicker you respond, the better your chances for resolving a patron complaint. I fully realize that quickly replying to an email might not be at the top of your priority list, especially right after an event. Utilize a trusted member of your team to field initial emails. When a team member responds to a patron’s email, make sure they CC you on the email. You can respond with a follow up email.

Taking the higher road is the best way to go in addressing feedback for your event via email. Initially it might pain you to “be the better person,” but it will pay off in patron loyalty and appreciation. Most people are reasonable when you genuinely try to help them. Read through “The Mystery of Online Customer Satisfaction” for some interesting insight on customer service.

> Leave a Comment About this Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Event Marketing: Do You have an Online Champion for Your Event?
• A Great Customer Service Example
• Business Problems and Customer Service
• Your Event Web Site as a Customer Service Portal

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Injecting Personality into Your Event Promotion and Marketing

Today I’d like to share with you one of the greatest marketing resources on the Internet.  It’s a cornucopia of knowledge that can make you a very good copywriter or marketer. Why strive to become a great copywriter? Because great copywriting is a huge trump card in your event marketing and promotion. When you focus on creating compelling copy you can persuade people to take action. (Get people to your event, buy tickets, etc.) Compelling copy isn’t bound by any medium.  It works in both traditional advertising and new media. People that get good at copywriting have a massive advantage in the world of event marketing and promotion. You can write you ticket to success by being a decent copywriter. Would you like a great resource for making you into a good copywriter?

The Man the Myth the Legend . . .
Today’s Kings and Queens of copywriting constantly reference the infamous Gary Halbert.  Gary knew how to tap into people’s inner most needs and desires. When you tap into people's inner emotional core, you can get them to take action. If you want to create killer marketing ideas for your event I urge you to look into Gary Halbert.  Unfortunately Gary is no longer with us. He passed away in 2007. In spite of his absence, he did leave an amazing marketing resource. His website, theGaryHalbertLetter.com, is still being updated and maintained by Gary's sons. When you visit Gary's web site you will find hundreds of his achieved newsletters. It's a copywriting goldmine of marketing information.

FAIR WARNING . . .
Be sure you take the time to peruse a few of Gary's newsletters. FAIR WARNING: Gary had a propensity to get a little edgy in his writing. If you’re easily offended, I’d recommend staying away from Gary's stuff. Those with a good sense of humor and a strong desire to become great event marketers should visit his web site immediately. Gary makes reading his material fun and engaging. P.T. Barnum would be proud!

Injecting Personality
One area where Gary excelled was is injecting personality in his copy and marketing. A few clicks on the Internet will quickly introduce you to the doldrums of boring copy. I'm not a big fan of pompous corporate writing in any form of marketing. People don't want to read about how "We're great ... Our Widget is the Best Because, etc.) Write to your audience and what interests them. If you’re doing any marketing, I highly recommend injecting a little personality into your copy. I'll be the first to admit that getting personality in copy isn't easy. I struggled with it for years. Your objective should be making your marketing and event information fun to read. It doesn't matter if it's a quarter page ad or 20 pages of copy, you must keep your reader engaged. Gary's newsletters are an excellent place to learn how to inject personality into your copy.

If you don't want to read through Gary's newsletter achieve, feel free to click on the audio link below.

2 Hour Audio Interview with Gary Halbert on Boosting Response:
Gary Halbert & Michael Fortin Interview

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Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising (Part I)
• The Most Powerful Form of Online Advertising (Part II)
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

   

Measuring Advertising Effectiveness

Over the weekend I purchased The King of Madison Avenue. It is a biography on the late David Ogilvy.  David Ogilvy was considered one the greatest advertising minds in history. His U.S. firm of Ogilvy & Mather launched numerous successful advertising campaigns.  These campaigns include companies such as Schweppes, Dove, Rolls-Royce, and Shell just to name a few.  What made Ogilvy truly unique in the advertising field is his focus on results oriented advertising. Ogilvy’s advertising philosophy is rooted in direct response marketing. In its simplest form, direct response marketing correlates the money you spend on advertising with a direct return on investment. You should always be measuring advertising effectiveness. It’s fascinating to me that so many advertising agencies and graphic designers recognize Ogilvy’s greatness, yet ignore his most basic and powerful advertising philosophies.  If you’re an event organizer, marketer, or promoter, I suggest that you embrace David Ogilvy’s advertising philosophies.

Over the last few month’s I’ve looked into some of Ogilvy’s basic advertising philosophies. Below are some quick links to various articles. I strongly encourage you to look through some of the articles. If you really want to raise your advertising prowess visit your local library take out a book on Ogilvy. I highly recommend Ogilvy on Advertising.

• David Ogilvy on Direct Response Marketing
• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• Providing Massive Value in Your Marketing and Advertising

The US economy is facing increasingly difficult times. Because of the economically symbiotic relationship that exists, other nations also feel the economic hardship faced in the United States. The current economic situation creates both virtues and vices in the marketing and promotion of events. The disadvantage to event organizers is that prospective patrons are less likely to open their wallets. A reluctance to open one's wallet can be overcome by learning to be more persuasive with your target market. Ask yourself, “How can I take advantage of the current situation?” One economic advantage event organizers can embrace is increased advertising spend power. It’s never been so inexpensive to purchase advertising. You can gain market share and get your message out at a far lower price with the current economic conditions.

If you’re considering any advertising for your event, traditional or new media, make sure you measure the return on your advertising investment. This advertising ROI expectation should be carried with any advertising agencies you might hire. Let a prospective firm know upfront that you’d like to track the effectiveness of your event advertising campaigns. The best firms will gladly oblige your request.

> Leave a Comment About This Post

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

List Building & Your Event Marketing

Who’s the best potential customer for your event? Your best customer is almost always the person who just attended your event. The previous phrase is borrowed from the sales and marketing world. If someone attended your event and had a great experience, they’ll probably attend your event again. It doesn’t matter if your event is free or you charge an admission. What you really need to focus on is collecting contact information from patrons of your event. At a minimum collect your patron’s first name and their email address. Always build your internal list (house list) of customers.

Events that sell out and do so early almost always have a dedicated house list. Two events that I recently case studied sold out more than 30 days in advance. The only reason these events advertised was for public relations purposes.  Since the events are recurring, event organizers go back to their house list year after year. One of the events sold out within 20 minutes of tickets going on sale to the public. How would you feel if you could sell out your event 30 days in advance?

Before Your Event – Leveraging Your Event Web Site
If you don’t have a list of previous purchasers or don’t have a recurring event you’re going to need to grow your own list. There should be a dedicated area on your event home page, and throughout your site, for people to leave their first name and email address.  Make sure your opt-in box is blatantly obvious and offers a compelling incentive to sign up.  After you have someone's contact information, engage your target market frequently and as early as possible.  During your interactions always try to front load the value of your event.

Online Ticket Sales
One of the biggest reasons I’m a fan of online ticket sales is that you have the opportunity to collect contact information from your event patron. If your patrons are buying tickets online you probably have access to a patron’s name and email address. This is your most valuable list if you have a recurring event. When it comes to any data mining, always make sure you’re collecting and using patron information ethically and legally. If patrons are OK with you sending them information, don’t squander the opportunity!

At Your Event
You can use customer feedback forms or contests to collect people’s contact information. Think in terms of the lifetime value of your customer.  If you have an event program, use a page to promote your list building efforts. In the program consider offering them a discount on your next event.

By building a dedicated list of event patrons you save yourself tremendous hassle and expense.  The bigger and better your house list, the less you have to spend on advertising to attract attendees.  If you SPAM people with useless email, you’re not going to keep patron trust.  Always focus on building rapport and relationships with people before trying to sell them anything. Building a dedicated house list for your event might be the single smartest event marketing technique in the world.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth
• Building Your List Above the Fold
• Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?
• Form Placement and Growing Your List
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Event Marketing with Social Media and Email

For today I’m going to bring my friend Ben back into the spotlight.  If you haven’t already, please read over “A Great Email Marketing Example.” Ben runs a web site called Fright-Rags.com. He sells horror t-shirts on his web site. Along with his web site, he has a home grown email list of very passionate fans. In my last post, I featured one of Ben’s counter intuitive email marketing strategies. Ben’s online strategies go well beyond just email marketing.  He also engages his target market with social media. The process involves leveraging his email list in tandem with his blog.  Here is a quick example. If Ben has a question about a product or idea he’s working on he writes a related blog post. After the post is live, he emails a blog post link to all his email subscribers. Ben’s latest blog post received over 185 user responses in less than 48 hours.  By leveraging his email list and his blog in tandem he creates an interactive experience for his users.  As a result, Ben’s sales continue to grow. You can incorporate the same strategy Ben uses with blogging and email to ensure your event is even more successful.

Start with An Email List and Blog
I’m working from the assumption that you already have an email list and a blog.  If you need email list management software, I recommend AWeber or 1Shoppingcart.com. On the blog side of the spectrum you can start with services like Typepad (Paid), Blogger (Free), or Wordpress (Free). I use Typepad for this blog. Some people might be a little tech-shy, but I assure you . . . If you can use Microsoft Word, you can easily manage a blog. Both Typepad and Wordpress have a big following and excellent online support.

The Blog Post Email Marketing Strategy
Start by posting something that would be perceived as intriguing to your target market. The post should include a call to action for the reader. Are there there any aspects of your event that can benefit from target market input? Maybe you’re trying to choose between two artist to perform at your event.  You can also create surveys and features on a number of different things that apply to your event. Your goal should be to prompt user feedback. By interacting with your target market you’re also building interest and trust about your event without spending money on traditional advertising.

Email Your List
After your blog post is up, send your email subscribers the link.  As part of your email, include a call to action. Ask your subscribers to read your blog post and encourage them to leave a comment. It isn’t enough to just post a blog entry and expect people to take action. Each step in this process needs to include a call to action. People need to be carefully led through a process and you’re the leader.

Their Opinion
I guarantee that when you ask your target market for input you’ll discover something to benefit your event. Always keep the emphasis on the target market’s wants and desires. By doing so, you'll have a very successful event.

Collect Target Market Feedback
The last step is to collect user feedback and incorporate it into your event. By virtue of asking your target market’s opinion you’ll gain trust and credibility. People love giving their opinions. When you create an interactive buying experience for your target market they’re more likely to buy from you.

I’ll end where I started.  Check out the Fright-Rags web site and blog. I've included the links below. Even though your target market might not be horror fans, there are more than a few ideas you can collect from Ben’s web sites. Just remember, ideas are no good unless you put them into action.

• Fright-Rags Blog
• Fright-Rags Site

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Social Media, Social Networking, and Event Promotion
• Web 2.0, Social Media, and Event Promotion
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Don’t Be Afraid to Engage Your Prospect Repeatedly
• Keeping Your Event List Engaged
• Event Marketing: Multiple Ways to Engage Your List
• Leveraging Your Sponsor's Digital Resources

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

A Great Email Marketing Example

On Monday, I had an interesting meeting with my friend Ben from Fright-Rags.com. We met to review and discuss Ben’s ongoing marketing efforts for his business. Over the last four months Ben has really amped up his email marketing.  He’s gone from sending one email a month to sending special promotions emails once a day for an entire month. If you asked Ben six months ago to send one email a day his response would have been, “No way, absolutely not!” How did he go from one email a month to one email a day?  He eased into it. He had to prove to himself that he wasn’t going to annoy his list if he sent more email.  I encourage everyone reading this to email their list often. Ben proved to himself that the more often he sends emails the more he sells. Don’t be afraid to email your list often or push your sales process a little. This information is applicable to both your event and your business.

The Secret Santa Experiment
Here is a great example of guerrilla email marketing that works. At the end of November Ben decided to start a Secret Santa list for his current list subscribers. Everyone on Ben’s email list received an invitation to join his Secret Santa list. Each day in December list subscribers would receive a special discount offer on one of Ben’s t-shirts. I have to admit, when Ben first told me about his idea I was a bit apprehensive.  Sending a sales pitch email each day for 30 days didn’t seem like the smart thing to do.  I’m happy to admit that my apprehension was unjustified.

How Many People Opted Out?
Ben shared his Secret Santa statistics with me. From his primary list of email subscribers 439 people signed up to the Secret Santa list.  Ben then proceeded to send 31 emails, one email per day, during the month of December. Most people would logically assume that by sending one sales email a day the list would tire, get annoyed, and opt-out. To my surprise only 13 people of the total 452 opted out of his email sequence. That is less than a 3% opt out rate, which is simply amazing. More importantly the people on his Secret Santa list bought t-shirt from him.

I would encourage you to visit Ben’s site, Fright-Rags.com, and try to gather some email marketing ideas from his home page. Pay particular attention to his email opt-in box. 

Additional Email Marketing Resources:

• Don’t Be Afraid to Engage Your Prospect Repeatedly
• Keeping Your Event List Engaged
• Event Marketing: Multiple Ways to Engage Your List

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Your Opt-in Offer and Using Specific Words

Getting people to subscribe or sign up to an email list can be a challenge. In “Form Placement and Growing Your List,” I examined the importance of opt-in box placement and prominence.  It is in your best interest to make your opt-in box as obvious as possible. Regardless of opt-in box size and placement, there is one very important factor to more subscribers.  That factor is the use of powerful words. Is your sign up verbiage enticing to your target market? Specific wording, for your target market, can be a catalyst for big list growth. The words you use should be crafted into a customer centric offer. When people sign up to your list they’re saying, “Yes, I’m interested in your event and please send me more information!” A highly targeted email list is your single best event marketing and promotion resource. If you get your list big enough, you might be able to avoid traditional marketing altogether.

What’s Your Offer?
Telling someone to subscribe to your email list isn’t reason enough for them to sign up. Always keep in mind how apprehensive users have become in giving up their personal information. You have to make sure your sign up offer addresses the benefits and desires of your target market. Shine the spotlight on your target market at all times.  It’s amazing to see the difference a few words can make in subscriber sign up rates.

Sample Opt-in Offer
Instead of getting too heavy on the theory side, I’ve decided to share with you a real world example. The example below was used on a client’s event web site. We were able to grow a list of subscribers, using a similar offer, from zero to 3200 people in less than eight months.  Feel free modify the verbiage to fit your event.  Most importantly, create a customer centric offer that gets people to sign up.  

Become (Your Event Name) - Insider!

Only Insider members get special ticket discounts and insider information before any details are released publicly on this web site. It cost you nothing to join. We firmly believe in providing our Insider members useful and valuable information. We’ll never SPAM you. You can unsubscribe from the list at any time with just one click.

First Name: [FORM]
Primary Email: [FORM]

Privacy Policy
Always include a privacy policy after your sign up box. Let people know you’re serious about keeping their information private. Never sell or rent your list to third parties.

Use the example above and see if you can’t get a few more people to opt into your list. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the offer and see if you can get a few more sign ups. Think of your list building process as evolutionary. You can always make changes and get better results.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

Form Placement and Growing Your List

Have you every tried to get someone to opt-in to one of your online forms?  Traditionally you ask your web site user for their first name and email address.  Today users are very hesitant to give out any personal information.  Their mindset is, “The moment I sign up they’ll start spamming me with useless information.” In most instances the users are absolutely correct in their bleak assessment. Too many web sites have abused people’s good will. You don’t have to let the same mindset prevail with your opt-in form. There are small nuances that make a world of difference when trying to build a subscriber list. Your subscriber list is a critical link in your event marketing and promotion efforts. Event organizers with highly responsive lists save a ton of money on advertising and sell out their events well in advance. Today we’ll look at the importance of opt-in box placement and prominence.

Placement - Above the Fold
In two previous posts, “Building Your List Above the Fold” and “Are You Opting-In Above the Fold?” I explored the importance of putting your opt-in box above the fold. The fold is the initial area that appears on your web site and requires no vertical scrolling to see. On a web site, anything that requires vertical scrolling downward is considered below the fold.  The analogy is borrowed from the newspaper industry. If your sign up box is above the fold, you will get more voluntary opt-ins. Read through the posts above for more information.

Prominence – How Obvious are You Making Your Opt-In Box?
How obvious and prominent you make your opt-in box accounts for a difference in sign ups. Recently I had access to comprehensive web stats for two events in the same niche market.  One event web site had 56,000 unique visitors for the year and the other site had 80,000 unique visitors in just one weekend.  Both web sites had subscriber opt-in boxes. One web site collected 3200 email addresses and the other collected a little more than 200 email addresses. More email addresses were collected by the event web site with significantly less visitors. The difference was in how prominently the opt-in in box was displayed.

Don’t be afraid to make things a little ugly. One of my coaching clients moved his opt-in from the left hand column of his site to a huge box at the center of his site.  The new opt-in box is ugly and intrusive on the web page.  Initially my client was very hesitant to make the change.  We both agreed to test the results for thirty days to measure the impact.  At the end of thirty days we tripled the number of new newsletter subscribers from an average of three a day to over nine new subscribers per day. He doesn’t seem to mind the big ugly opt-in box anymore. Of all the people becoming subscribers on his web site, 30% buy from him within 30 days of sign up.

If you don’t attract enough attention to your opt-in box people aren’t going to sign up. The higher your opt-in box above the fold, the more likely people are to opt-in. In addition to keeping your opt-in box well above the fold, make sure that it is also very prominent.

Here are some additional list building resources:

• Simple Customer List Building Suggestions
• Start Building Your List Early
• Late Event Promotion - Big List Growth

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

The World’s Best Event Promoter Is . . .

When it comes to marketing or promoting an event, there is one person best suited for the job.  In almost all circumstances, it’s you.  If you’re organizing an event, you probably know more about your event than anyone else. You also possess one attribute that others on your team might share with you. That unique attribute is an unbridled passion for your event. Most event organizers plan to the ‘Nth degree when it comes to executing an event. At the same time they usually under plan and under execute when it comes to marketing their event. The end result is a perfectly planned event that nobody attends. I strongly encourage you to look over the post “Why Well Planned Events Fail . . .”

The Right Passion and Marketing Mix
Possessing a high degree of passion isn’t enough to get people to come to your event. Have you ever seen some of the contestants on American Idol who think they have what it takes? Those same people get up to audition and they’re signing is atrocious. I call it American Idol Syndrome, lots of passion and no talent. Don’t be like that! You need to couple your passion with sound marketing principles.  You need to know how and why marketing works. The best marketers have a tremendous amount of experience. They also know the intrinsic needs of their target market.  If you feel like you need to polish your marketing skills you can do it for free. Go to your local book story, library, or Amazon.com and check out top rated marketing books. Check out “Get a Free College Education” for more details.

Hiring Out Event Promoters
Even if you hire someone out to market or promote your event, you should have a better than average understanding of marketing.  Be highly selective in your choice of people to market your event. Find someone you can trust implicitly and who has a proven track record.  Make sure you personally check their references. After you’ve hired someone, give your event promoter your goals and expectations then let them loose. If you’re going to micromanage someone, you’re better off not hiring them.

The one person who sums up all of the above is P.T. Barnum. His skills in both event promotion and event organization were extremely high.  If you’re looking to emulate someone, Barnum is a superb model. A simple Google search will unearth a bevy of some of his strategies you can start using today. I’ve included some links below as additional resources.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Your Event, Stories, and P.T. Barnum
• Barnum & Hyping Up Your Event
• Curiosity Advertising P.T. Barnum Style
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

When Do I Start Promoting My Event?

Have you ever thought to yourself, “When should I start marketing my event?” It’s one of the quintessential questions event organizers constantly ask.  In many cases the mere question causes great mental stress and agony to the person pondering. Event organizers try to think up of ideal time frames and ideal methods to get their message out. The best time frame to promote your event is as early as possible.

You Still Need to Advertise
Regardless of how reputable your event, don’t wait to advertise.  In 2005 I provided online ticketing service to a very big recurring event.  Their radio, television, and print advertising didn’t start until 10 days before the event. The organizer thought since the event was well known that “we didn’t need to advertise early or with as much volume.” The attendance and online ticketing numbers showed the outcome of the decision. Attendance was down significantly and online ticket sales dropped over 50% from the prior year’s event. Regardless of how big or reputable your event you need to advertise early.    

The Movie Industry
Take into consideration the movie industry. They release trailers for upcoming movies months in advance. In some cases potential blockbusters get trailers released almost a year in advance. There is tremendous benefit to creating an early buzz about your event. If you can get people talking about your event early you can enjoy the benefit of word of mouth advertising. If you have videos or other information, people might spread your event information around using social media.    

Recurring Events
If you have a recurring event, start advertising your next event at your current event. Consider selling tickets for your next event for your current event.  The people most likely to buy from you are those people who have already bought. Even if you offer a big discount, it’s still money in your bank account.  If you don’t know concrete details about your next event, don’t let them leave without knowing your web address. Encourage people to visit your web site for details about your next event.

As a general rule of thumb I recommend promoting your event at least 90-180 days in advance. You need to decide what’s most appropriate for your event. One important thing to do is build your advertising and event marketing campaign from the time of announcement. Don’t just announce your event and wait a few months until you release additional information or advertising. Don’t let people forget. What starts a trickle should turn into a steady stream of information and advertising about your event. Just like sales, the fortune is in the followup.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

A Great Event Marketing & Promotion Idea

Have you ever faced the dilemma of having too much content for your conference, seminar, or workshop? Over the last few weeks I’ve been working with a not for profit organization to try and build some anticipation for their upcoming annual conference. Each year the organization brings in a number of speakers for various educational sessions. This year the organization has too many speakers for their allotted program slots. The situation is frustrating because all of the speakers have valuable information to share. What if you could feature a great speaker for your event without taking up a valuable time slots at your event?

Feature Your Speakers Before Your Event
If you can’t support speakers at your event, consider featuring them before your event. You could take your extra speakers and have them prepare materials to present before your event. This can be done through a virtual presentation. It’s never been easier to create virtual presentations.  A program that I recommend is Camtasia Studio.  It allows anyone to take a PowerPoint presentation and turn it into an easy to access computer file, complete with audio and video.  You could also use a program like GoToMeeting or GoToWebinar to present a live teleseminar before the event. Maybe you want to consider doing a series of teleseminars. The ‘GoTo’ family of products allow you to do audio and video presentations live.  The participants just need a telephone and high speed internet connection. The above idea falls into the concept of front loading event value.

Do the Simple Stuff
Don’t want to do something as involved as the above suggestions? Ask your prospective speakers to prepare an audio program or downloadable PDF report. Focus on getting people excited before they even show up to your event. The best way to do this is by sharing information that's valuable to your target market. Just make sure that the information you share beforehand isn’t better than what you’re going to have at your event. Don’t get too caught up in the ‘cool’ technology. Useful is always better than cool.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

The Danger of Too Much Event Marketing Technology

Last month I attended the International Council of Air Show’s annual convention in Las Vegas.  During the convention attendees had the option of participating in numerous educational sessions. This year, one of the convention’s educational sessions focused on cutting edge event marketing trends.  All of the presenters had a number of really great event marketing ideas. After the presentation, I spoke with a few of the session attendees. Their consensus was that the information being presented was highly informative, but the myriad of technological suggestions was mind numbing. The presenters suggested using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, online video, etc.  Have you ever had so many great options you didn’t know where to start?

The Danger of Having Too Many Choices
In today’s technology rich business environment, we tend to get caught up with too many choices. Every day the growth of high tech marketing options increases exponentially. I think event organizers get lost trying to find the latest and greatest technology to promote their events. Most people get distracted by shiny things (technology). You spread yourself thin if you try to integrate too much technology. You’re better off adopting one or two simple technologies into your event marketing.  Get good at leveraging the one or two technologies before adopting something else.

Technology versus Systems
Too many event organizers and marketers start with technology and try to figure out a marketing system later. When you try to integrate the latest technology you tend to get bogged down in the minutia. This has happened to me on numerous occasions and it’s extremely time consuming. In the end you’re usually left stress out and with far less money in your pocket. You’re much better off finding a proven marketing system that easily integrates with the technology. The best technology option is the one that is easy to implement, brings you the greatest return on investment, all at the lowest cost. Remember to only adopt one or two pieces of marketing technology at a time. You might want to consider hiring outside help or getting a responsible college intern to integrate technology into your event marketing. Focus on the big picture!

When it comes to leveraging technology like social media, you’re better off taking a macro focus. A marketing system is macro. Technology is macro. Adopt a good system and then add the technological trinkets later. Master the technology trinkets one at a time.

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• Advertising and Marketing that Sells
• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training

A Guitar and Event Marketing

During my previous magazine adventure I purchased the current issue of Guitar World. The February 2009 issue of Guitar World features Eddie Van Halen. Eddie is one of my all time favorite rock guitarists. He bridges the gap between music and emotion. The article and DVD feature are about Eddie’s new guitar. As Eddie puts it, “This is the culmination of my 35 years with Guitars!” On the surface the article and video are pretty straight forward. Below the surface the feature is another great example of positioning and psychological influence. It’s like an infomercial no over sales pitch. If you’re a guitar enthusiast or aficionado, it’s hard not to get through the feature without saying “That’s pretty cool, I’d like one of those guitars.” And that’s the point. I’ve included a YouTube link to the featured video below:

Eddie's New Guitar Video

Connecting the Dots
You might be asking, “What do guitars have to do with marketing and promoting events?” In my humble opinion, a great deal.  The feature on Eddie Van Halen is a superb example of building psychological value around a product or service. You should be doing the same with your event. In the video, pay attention to how it’s not just Eddie talking about the guitar. The people in the video have nothing but good things to say about the guitar. They might be getting paid to say that, but they people come off fairly authentic and genuine. The video is a great example of social proof. If you think something is great, that’s one thing. If other people think what you have is great, that’s far more powerful. The article and video make you want to buy the guitar.

Use the Idea for Your Event
The same overall process can be used to promote your event. You have something (an event) that will bring people value or joy. Do an interview and get a few people involved with your event to give insight. Recording the interview session and turn it into an article or video. Use the event article and video for your own event promotion and marketing. 

Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:

• P.T. Barnum on Advertising
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part I)
• Online Marketing Like P.T. Barnum (Part II)
• Why Well Planned Events Fail
• How to Get Them To Your Event
  
• Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
• Turn Your Event Into an Experience

• The Event Promotion System
  Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training