Post Event Engagement Strategy
Any post-event engagement strategy will be unique (mainly depending on the goal of your event), but we believe there are a few essential elements that should be included in any successful post-event strategy. Anything more your company decides to do in the wake of your events can be added to, subtracted from, or mixed with these. The following post-event technique allows you to follow up with your visitors:
1. Send an email of gratitude
The least you can do is take the time to express your gratitude to your guests for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend your event (it’s also a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with them). After implementing this post event strategy, send a quick follow-up email; you’ll be astonished at how far this little gesture goes.
The answers to the following inquiries will help you with your event management:
- How much did you like the location?
- How kind and welcoming did you find the employees to be?
- How relevant do you think the speaker is?
- They enjoyed the workshops a lot, right?
- Would you suggest others attend this event?
2. To no-shows, send an email saying “sorry we missed you.”
Don’t limit your follow-ups to just the event participants. Inform those who were intended to come but were unable to, then show them all they missed. Send them any relevant documents and the event’s post-event page.
3. Create a post-event survey to gather information from attendees
Attendee feedback is one of the most important elements in deciding whether your event was successful. After a sold-out event, you should stay in touch with attendees to see if they had a good time. You may quickly generate a survey using Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, or another survey platform. Don’t forget to keep your post-event survey’s question count to a maximum of 10. It’s best to be “short and sweet” for a high response rate! Include information about the survey’s length or number of questions (for example, “A five-minute survey”) in your email. You might even persuade respondents to fill out the survey by providing them the chance to win rewards.
4. Establish an event post-page
To enable your visitors to experience the entire event (or see what they missed), create a post-event page that you can quickly edit and add to the event landing page you have developed. Make sure to draw attention to each element, such as the speakers, the award winners, the refreshments, and the entertainment. The following examples are available:
- Recap or sizzle reel video
- A gallery of images or a photo booth
- A music library
- A collection of tweets using the occasion hashtag
- Slideshows or any other event materials
- Interesting event statistics
Promote it on your social media platforms and let everybody who went (or didn’t) know about it.
5. Host pre-event networking to keep the fun rolling
Meeting planners are aware of the value of pre-event networking opportunities in energising attendees and getting them ready for the events and sessions that will take place the next day. However, networking events after events could be equally enjoyable. Social gatherings are a great way to keep attendees interested and give them something to anticipate after the main event. Post-event activities and other team-building exercises can help participants get the most out of your event (even after it has ended) if they are done appropriately. You’ll also be able to link attendees and sponsors, end your event on a high note, and facilitate meaningful interactions between attendees and sponsors.
6. Fill out post event survey
Send a survey to your attendees after the event to obtain their feedback on how it went, what went wrong, what they enjoyed best, etc. You might be able to enhance your upcoming event by doing this.
7. Ask your customer service or sales employees to personally follow-up
If the goal of the gathering was to improve sales or customer involvement, ask your sales or customer teams to individually get in touch with attendees (by phone or email) after the event, whether it be with a useful bit of information or a “what did you think of the event?” query. Remind salespeople that, regardless matter how far along a prospect is in the buying process, it is always preferable to provide relevant, non-sales information, even if it goes completely against their nature. If you were planning a larger event and had to choose who to reach out to first, start with those who:
- Ahead of time invitation opened
- Came to the occasion
- Apparently appeared to be quite engaged
After a trade show or partner event, if you’re following up with leads, keep in mind that they might not remember stopping by your booth, so make sure your staff doesn’t go into a sales pitch right away.
8. Distribute pertinent content
A excellent way to include your attendees is to send out any information that is pertinent to the event. If you don’t already have any content, you should still plan to create some before or after the event so that you may use it as a wonderful touch point in the future. Additionally, it might be beneficial for your visitors to receive any materials (decks, movies, etc.) that were discussed or presented during the event in their email inboxes.
9. Utilize social media
After the event, make sure to post relevant material on all of your social media accounts to keep guests interested and the memories of the event vivid. By sharing visual content on all social media platforms, you may encourage visitors to recall how much fun they had. Images of speakers and attendees from the event’s day make great social media post examples after a gathering. You can post video highlights and video snippets in addition to event photos. In order for them to see and disseminate this information, if you recognize them, kindly tag them in the images.
It’s essential to interact with your audience during your event in order to build a relationship with them and show them that you value them. Retweet their comments on your material and respond to their tweets to be proactive. You may also run a contest on social media to keep visitors interested. It might entail a contest for the best hash tagged photo that was shot at the event. The participant with the most votes or likes can win a prize, such as a gift card or a discount on your services. It’s a wise idea to hold a contest because it promotes user-generated content, in which attendees advertise your event on your behalf.
10. Invite them to another occasion
Do you have a forthcoming event that is comparable to the one they attended? This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the buzz that your most recent event generated and to drive interest in your forthcoming one. How to maintain contact with attendees after your event is over is up to you and your staff to determine. If you maintain their interest in your brand, you will have a better opportunity of piqueing their interest, igniting conversations, and expanding your customer base. Additionally, you’ll learn vital information that you otherwise would not have, such as how to enhance your events even more in the future.
Contact us to learn more about how Thedigitalants can help you integrate virtual events in your B2B marketing strategy.