How to Increase Event Attendance with Targeted Marketing

"Events don't work for us." I hear this a lot, and when I dig into the why, I find a few common themes: ❌ Company A just spent lots of $$$ on a booth at a big industry show and failed to realize that their target persona is not actually the one that visits the booth & they have no plan on how to get meetings with the decision-maker ❌ Company B is doing smaller in-person dinners but they aren't putting the right people in the room; ex: CMOs don't want to go to a 'CMO dinner' w/a bunch of AEs or mktg managers (no offense) ❌ Company C is doing virtual wine nights or cooking classes but when you join the event, it's just an extended sales pitch, not a chance to chat w/peers facing similar challenges ❌ Company D doesn't have any process in place for pre-event and post-event communication, and the event is disorganized If you want events to 'work for you,' do this instead: ✅ Rethink large events - instead of having a booth, would you get more ROI out of renting out nearby restaurant space and setting up a lounge for meetings or even hosting a workshop? ✅ Get the right people in the room at the event: from your side & the attendee's side. If you're hosting a CMO dinner - fill the room with CMOs! ✅ Stop pitch slapping! Instead, invite your customers to attend the dinner, virtual event, etc, and if they are happy customers, trust me, they will naturally end up doing the talking for you. ✅ If it's in person, make it easy for people to get there & find the event. Bonus points if you send a car to pick them up & bring them to the event! ✅ Focus on creating unique & memorable experiences instead of the same fancy steak dinner (not that I don't love a great steak).... more on ideas for unique events in a follow-up post ✅ Communicate consistently beforehand to attendees so the no-show rate is low & customize your follow-up post-event When done right, events will accelerate pipeline, bring in a renewal early, lead to a larger expansion, and build brand awareness 💥

Before you spend another dollar on an “event lead list,” read this. 1️⃣ It’s not the real attendee list. Those vendors aren’t working with the event organizer. 2️⃣ At best, those lists are 60–70% accurate—and that’s being generous. 3️⃣ If you’ve got a tool like ZoomInfo and someone with the bandwidth to pull clean, targeted data, you might not need to outsource at all. So ask yourself: Can we handle this in-house, or do we need to outsource it? If you’re outsourcing, the key is asking the right questions because not all of these vendor lists are created equally. 👉 Where are they getting the targeted companies from? At minimum, they should be scraping the event website: speakers, sponsors, and featured brands from the current year—and ideally 1–3 years back for trend data. 👉 What databases are they using to enrich the information? Push for names. You want to hear at least 2–3 reliable data providers like ZoomInfo, Linkedin Sales Navigator Premium, etc.—not vague answers. 👉 Are they layering in geo-targeting to identify companies that are likely to attend based on HQ or field presence? If not, you're probably getting a bloated list and/or are missing a huge opportunity to target individuals who don't require travel. 👉 Will they add good-fit titles based on your ICP? Ask how they’re mapping titles and personas—ideally, they’re using job functions and seniority bands, not just keywords. 👉 How are they validating that these people are actually attending? Are they tracking social engagement, registration page traffic, speaker promo posts, or digital signals that indicate attendance? And if you’re leaning in-house and want a peek at the playbook I use? I might be feeling generous. DM me. 😉

Looking to increase your #virtualevent sign ups? Here is a tip and it comes from Jay Schwedelson's podcast, #DoThisNotThat: Create a special offer that is highlighted in your email's #subjectline. Using your internal goal for the number of registrants you'd like to have attend, offer BONUS content to drive speed to event registration (#highered examples below). Why is this important? When Jay and his team monitored tactics built this way, they saw 30% lifts in registration when compared to the standard promotional messages. So I crafted a few ideas to help you think it through: Examples: 1. The first 25 registrants receive a free application fee waiver Look, we all know schools give out more fee waivers than parents give candy at Halloween.... But not all applicants know that. If someone registers immediately after that email, you know you have someone who is interested enough to apply. That said, this also means you need to focus your content and invites to inquiries that have NOT applied. Seems simple, but the number of times we see filters set up to grab all prospective students would amaze you... 2. Free 1:1 Career Transition interview for the FIRST 10 registrants to next week's Open House I recognize two key things with this example. Yes, it is a long subject line. I had the idea and typed it up in 3 minutes. If you like the concept, take 10-15 minutes to clean it up. Second, this tactic requires a major time commitment to meet with the prospects. Some will say they would LOVE an opp to meet with them, some struggle with availability and conflicting priorities. I would have the career center team train an admissions staff member on how to conduct the interview providing key questions and keep it to 10-15 minute appointments. If a prospect has really good and tough questions, then I would offer an additional time slot with a career staff member to help them(you will need to barter for their time - because they are very busy colleagues!). I would also encourage you to offer time slots that occur AFTER the event, and in the time you spend with a prospect, take 3-5 minutes to ask if they attended your event. If they, did get feedback; and if they didn't, ask what they would have wanted to know (your trade to the prospect for the value you are offering them). 3. (To be used with the invite for a Dual Enrollment Information Session) ONLY 10 spots left to claim the "Parent's Guide to Leverage Dual Enrollment for College Acceptance" Yes, another long one (This is shorter than what I used in the video!). Play around and find a shorter version. Parents are too often overlooked, and connecting with them over dual enrollment gives them a very direct and important reason to connect with you and to listen to you. You can build a relationship with them around the time they are really starting to consider their child's options for college. #admissions #enrollmentmarketing #emchat #CRM #emailmarketing

Why do people ask me… “Hey, can you help get some people to this event?” Anyone in b2b events knows it’s one thing to organize an event, and another to get people there. And I’ll tell you what… many times this text is from people / companies with tens of thousands in their contact database. They need help because email blasts rarely do it these days. The event headliner, Obama or Bush, doesn’t even do it. It’s often the one to one that makes the difference. Big corporate hates this. They spend tons of money on lists, automated systems and campaigns, why won’t people just RSVP to cool events? Because the number one reason a person, any person, even a business person, attends an event is because of who they know that will be there. That’s the secret above all else. As much as people like networking (which there’s plenty of business leaders who don’t), they really like connecting with people they know. That’s why people ask, and I can help, get attendees. Because I know the people in my CRM. Even if just a couple things about them, and talk to them every once in awhile. The event invitation comes across as inviting them to meetup with someone they know. Also, a great event inviter can make even cold outreach feel like they’ll be meeting up with someone they already know. That’s why people pay me to do it. Not because I have some magical wand, but because people I invite have a tendency to show up. Get someone like that on your sales / marketing team. Doesn’t have to be a big title, but someone who when they invite people, they come. And if you don’t have that someone. Ask me to help.

Are you starting to plot our your agenda for your fall conference? We've seen the metrics..... and audience acquisition is the hardest part. You have to balance incredible speakers with the right experiences and above all, WHO ELSE will be there. That's the #1 driver right now. Metrics and KPIs are great, but don't forget the real magic of events: THE PEOPLE. Shift the focus from just numbers to meaningful connections. It's not just getting butts in seats - what will those people DO once they get there beyond just "sit and get" your content? It takes partnership between the event team, the content team, and the leadership team to pull this off. Try adding: → Interactive Formats: Ditch the lineup of traditional keynotes. Punctuate your content with an opening session, but then think workshops, roundtables, and real-time brainstorming. → Personalization: Make every attendee feel like a VIP (we call it "massclusivity"). Use reg data to create tailored sessions and customized networking. → Emotional ROI (a.k.a. ROE): Measure the emotional impact and aim for positive vibes that make your event unforgettable. Aim to design in elements that drive hope, motivation, acceptance, active participation, and adventure. → Case in Point: Zennection We incorporated the idea of Zennection at our last Club Ichi gathering by focusing on deep, meaningful connections through group activities and interactive discussions. The result? Sky-high attendee satisfaction and engagement. 2H 2024 is all about *human-centric* events. It's your turn now: Let’s create spaces where conversations thrive and connections flourish. Welcome to the Age of Connection. #eventdesign #humancentric #peoplefirst 📷: Reality Break Escapes | RBE Team Events