40% of the event marketers believe that email is one of the most effective promotional channels when it comes to marketing events. It has the power to influence, excite as well as engage the potential attendees. Such emails not only build a hype about the event but also provide all the details regarding the venue and date and time. In short, if you target your prospective attendees well, you have all the chances of getting the best response rate for your event. Here’s how you can create the perfect event template and drive maximum attendees to your event.
1. Go for proper segmentation
Your email list might be having people from all across the globe. However, it isn’t possible for everyone to attend your event. For instance, an event in the UK probably won’t have people from Australia attending it. So, if you wish to keep your event emails open, click-through and response rate high, make sure you segment it based on geolocation and send it to only those who are located nearby.
By doing so, it is ensured that the invitation went only to those people who could actually attend it and those who resided far away didn’t receive an irrelevant invitation for an event that they wouldn’t be able to attend.
2. Personalization is the key
Subscribers these days are smart enough to distinguish between an automated email and a personalized email. While automated email templates are sent to a lot of subscribers, a personalized email is sent to a particular subscriber and has a personal touch. The latter obviously adds more value to your email campaign. Therefore, you must personalize your event emails. You can do so by addressing the subscribers by their first name.
Apart from adding a human touch, it would also encourage your subscribers to open and click through it. Further, you can also leverage dynamic content blocks. It takes into account the overall profile of the recipient, including their demography, job designation etc. You can do it easily through a custom email template design layout. The relevant dynamic content blocks automatically pop up in the respective subscriber’s email.
3. Include a value proposition
A value proposition is basically a short, precise statement that chalks out the benefits you can get by using a particular product or service and why one should use it. In the case of event emails, the value proposition can explain why a recipient should attend a particular event. Once the subscriber knows what the event is all about, what are the benefits they can derive from it, their motivation will increase. As a result, it will compel them to click through your event email and buy event tickets. See how HAVENLY delivers the value proposition about its event like a pro through its email invitation.
4. Include detailed event description
After targeting the right audience through segmentation and attracting them through value proposition, the next step is backing up the whole process by including a thorough description of the event. This description will outline everything that the event would have.
From what to expect out of the event and what to do at the event to who all are coming to the event and they would get to hear, it will include it all. Do it the way SYNAPSE does it. Also, take note of how they are trying to create a sense of urgency by displaying a countdown timer.
5. Include location, time and other critical details
No matter how central your event location is and how appropriately you have placed the time slot, not every attendee is going to be able to make it. To put it in other words, when you include the details regarding time and location, you make it easy for subscribers to decide whether they are in a position to attend it or not. Therefore, if you are organizing a physical event, make sure to include details like time, location, dress code, parking details, transport information, etc.
Also, if it’s a virtual event, include relevant details such as URLs, dial-in numbers, access codes, login details, etc. In addition, you can also go the extra mile and add a link to a calendar event.
A calendar event adds to your subscriber’s preferred calendar such as Google Calendar, Outlook etc. automatically. This, in turn, helps people remember the event date and increases their chances of attending it.
6. Include testimonials and reviews
From what to expect to where to come, sure you have given all the event details to your potential attendees. However, they are going to have some natural anxiety and anticipation regarding the event. It can arise from concerns such as is it worth their time, if it’s relevant for them, if it will deliver the value you promised etc. So, to reduce the anxiety and ambiguity surrounding your event, you can include reviews and testimonials from previous attendees. It will work wonders in reassuring your subscribers that your event is worth attending.
7. Add a strong call to action
Once you are done with everything within your event email, the next step is to include a robust call to action. Remember, simply informing people about your event and hoping they will show up won’t do much. You need to go a step ahead and convince them to commit to your event. You can do so by including a prominent CTA and influencing them to buy tickets or register for the event. You can even incentivize them or offer an early bird discount to garner instant sign ups.
Wrap up
In conclusion, the event invitation email is one of the most significant ways to increase the footfall to your event. Therefore, the next time you create an event email, do include the above-mentioned elements into it. It would ensure that you get the best possible results from your invitation campaign. Further, when you have completely utilized these elements and are convinced that it has reached the right subscribers, make sure to follow up with a reminder email but, not a lot of them.
Author Bio
Kevin George is the head of Marketing at Email Uplers, which specializes in crafting responsive email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and Mailchimp templates. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.
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