What fun is an event if nobody shows up? If you want to boost your event attendance numbers, you need to spread the word. While you can hit the various social media platforms or distribute flyers, one of the most effective ways to promote your event is with an email marketing campaign.
Email marketing is so effective for promoting events that 78% of event creators say it’s the single most effective marketing tactic in their arsenal. And of those who track metrics, 45% of event ticket sales can be attributed to email on average! If you want a great turnout, here are six email marketing strategies to promote your event.
Start your campaign early
When it comes to event promotion, timing is everything. You want to make sure people know your event is coming with enough time to mark it on their calendars and fit it into their busy schedules. That’s why it’s important to start your campaign early with an announcement email.
Your announcement email should introduce your event and provide people with all the details they need. Include essential information like the date, time, and location so your readers can mark their calendars.
While the event details are important, the primary goal of your announcement campaign should be to make people want to attend. Promote your event with plenty of stunning graphics, photos, videos, animations, and creative text that makes your event seem like the must-see social engagement of the year!
Most marketers start promoting their events via email about six months before the gates open. After your announcement email, continue to send regular teaser emails providing more and more details that will make it impossible for readers to resist coming!
Use a professional layout
Your event email is a representation of your company, so it has to look good. You can’t just send a plain-text email and hope it gets your point across. Event emails need to look as interesting as the event itself! It’s always best to use a professional layout to make the best impression.
You’re busy planning an event and likely don’t have time to design the perfect event promotion email. But that’s okay; you don’t need professional-level design skills to create a professional-level email layout. There are thousands of event promotion email templates available online to save you time and energy.
All you need to do is choose the template that best fits your event and company, add your event information, and you’re ready to send. It takes only a few minutes to transform your email from average to amazing!
Write a catchy subject line
Because most people receive so many emails every day, they don’t possibly have time to read them all. The only thing that determines whether an email gets read or sent straight to the trash is the subject line.
Your event promotion email subject line is arguably the most important part of the entire email. It has to be interesting enough to stand out from the dozens of other emails in a person’s inbox and catchy enough to entice someone to read it. It’s a big task!
The best email subject lines are straight to the point. Tell readers exactly why they should open your email at the beginning of the subject line. For example, consider this subject line: “Do you like costume parties? Well, you’re invited to one!” It’s perfectly fine, but the offer, “you’re invited,” is at the end. Depending on what email platform the reader uses, they might only see “Do you like…” — which isn’t very inspiring.
Instead, showcase the offer up front. “YOU’RE INVITED | Costume party this weekend!” Not only will the capital letters hopefully stand out from the other emails in the reader’s inbox, but it also tells them exactly what they’re going to find when they open the email, which will boost your email open rates.
Depending on your email marketing platform, you may also be able to A/B test different subject lines to find which strategies work best for your business.
Exclusive offers
Everyone likes a deal. One of the most effective ways to get people to come to your event is by providing an exclusive, email-only offer.
For example, you could send an event promotion email that says something like, “Use the code GOINGTOHAVEFUN when you purchase your event tickets for 15% off your order.”
Of course, your offer doesn’t have to be a discount. It could be something like a free gift at the event, entry to a VIP section, or anything else you can think of. If it entices more people to come to your event, it’s a good offer!
Providing an exclusive offer is also a great way to encourage people to share your email with their friends and family. They’ll want the people they know to get in on the great deal too, so they’ll forward your email to everyone and boost your attendance that much more!
Allow readers to ask questions
Your emails won’t have all the answers about your event. People might have a few questions before they commit to going. Make sure they can ask!
The best way to answer questions through an event promotion email is to either embed a contact form or include a link to a contact form on your website. Allowing people to reply to emails is a sure-fire way to overflow your inbox and miss potentially important questions.
Many businesses choose to create a landing page on their website that’s dedicated to frequently asked questions. If someone has a question, they can simply visit the page through a link in your event email and find the answers they need without interrupting your busy day.
Send a few reminder emails
Announcing your event a few months early is a great way to put it on attendees’ radar, but there’s one problem: people tend to forget. You’ll have to remind people about your event as the date gets closer.
Send out reminder emails at regular intervals to (obviously) remind attendees about your event and get them even more excited to come. Usually, one email per week is plenty. You can’t — and shouldn’t — put every single detail on your announcement email, so use your reminder emails to provide bits of information as you go. Think of it like a teaser trailer to the real event. Make it more and more exciting until your readers just can’t wait!
If your event lasts over several dates, there are plenty of event schedule email templates you can use to include all your event dates. That way, readers can see all the dates at once and choose the one that best suits their schedules.
Promote your event with a winning email marketing campaign
Every event needs an invitation that’s as exciting as the event itself. When it comes to promoting your upcoming event, create an email marketing campaign that’ll entice anyone who opens it to attend.
Remember to start early, use a professional email layout, write a catchy subject line that’ll stand out from the crowd, provide an exclusive offer, and give readers a platform to ask questions. Follow those steps, and you’re sure to fill the guestlist at your next event.
If you’re looking for some inspiration to get started, there are thousands of free email templates available online to browse through. Choose one that best fits your event and business, update the information, and you’re ready to start promoting! Make this event one everyone will remember.
Also Read: Advantage of Online Marketing for Brand Building?
