Advertisement
- Listen to your attendees. Go on site to the event, talk to people about what they did and didn't like. Evaluations, of course, are also invaluable. It sounds simplistic, but it's the foundation on which everything is built.
- Take a tip from forward-thinking speakers who survey their audience ahead of time to tailor the program to what they need.
- Use your registration process to capture as much information about attendees as possible, including demographics, personal information, and even their hobbies.
- Play around with different pricing levels and incentives for different segments. Which segments of your constituency will be down? Members? Students? Non-members? Once you know that, you'll have a place to begin targeted marketing.
- Track who signs up for various sessions and use the information to create a personalized list of individual member interests. Then market to that group when a similar program comes up in the future.
- Make your message clear and concise, state the return on investment, and include incentives and testimonials.
- List the level of education each session will provide: Is it aimed at those who are new to your organization, or is it for long-term members?
- Make sure your promotional materials stress results for attendees, not what your organization wants to accomplish.
- Make sure your message has emotional appeal, promotes the benefits of attending, and includes a call to action.
- Stress limited availability to motivate quick response, and include a bonus value for those who act quickly. And don't forget to include phone, fax, Web site, e-mail, and snail mail addresses.
- Sepia tones and satin finishes are popular choices for print mail these days.
- Use serif typefaces for blocks of text. Commonly used typefaces for text include Times Roman and Palatino; Helvetica and Avant Garde are popular for headlines.
