EVENTS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC

COVID-19 has caused a seismic shift in the way people meet and collaborate. While some businesses initially lost momentum, many innovated and flexed, shifting from in-person business models to remote and virtual meetings. The new, global push for virtual meetings and streamed events allows even the smallest business to market to enormous online audiences. These virtual events are pivotal to growth. Yet communicating to large, dispersed audiences online can be a daunting task.

EVENT-BASED MARKETING

SMS texting can help organizations of any size with lead generation, fundraising, newsletter subscription, customer engagement and subscriber growth. You can help market your upcoming live events to new and long-term subscribers with the following methods:

Fundraising Promotions. Partner with a nonprofit or community organization and donate a portion of proceeds from event tickets or subscription costs to a cause your brand supports. Sponsored events are more likely to get engagement and clickthrough on SMS alerts.

Rewards and Discounts. Cross-promote your event with discounts or member rewards programs exclusive to attendees. Be creative, and consider offering rewards to existing members or customers – their continued engagement with your brand is critical to your long-term success.

Itinerary and Speaker Information. Both before and after registration, send updates to subscribers about the webinar or streaming event. This can include talking points, speaker bios, itinerary of events, or simulcast options.

REGISTRATIONS AND REMINDERS

If you have tried hosting a virtual event before, you know that it is frustrating trying to keep logistics organized and maintain excitement in the leadup to the event. iZigg Mobile’s texting platform lets you maintain excitement and engagement for your upcoming event from the moment your registrant signs up. Have attendees opt-in to text messages when they RSVP so that you can follow up with donation instructions, payment reminders, or streaming links. Subscribers can even receive automated reminders based on whether or not they click an iZigg shortened URL to register!

Automated Registration Response: Already have a list of subscribers to invite to your live event? Make registration seamless and instant with iZigg shortened URLs!  How does it work?

• Create a page on your website with event information and a “Thank You for Registering” message. 
• Use the iZigg URL shortener to send a text inviting contacts to register instantly by clicking your URL.
• Then program an automated campaign to thank those who clicked to “register.” 
• Follow up with automated texts containing event reminders and attendee information.

INTERACTIVE CONTENT

The possibilities here are endless. Imagine an influential speaker or highly-placed member of your organization sending an individual text message to each attendee, or incorporating live meters that track attendee or fundraising goals. Using iZigg Mobile, your organization can access all of these features:

MMS Media: Use multimedia messaging service (MMS) to send longer messages, reminders in character-based messages, or images and videos. Multimedia content is more engaging and exciting for attendees and prospects, and can help maintain excitement before, during, and after the event.

Automation: Save time and labor by letting our system work for you. iZigg’s automated drip campaigns automatically filter your messages to send relevant content to people who really want it. This can include messages from specific speakers to the registrants for their seminars, or follow-up links to regional or language-specific content based on subscriber data.

Text-to-Screen: Using the text-to-screen feature, you can have people text in during a live event and display their responses to everyone at the event! Text-to-Screen encourages attendees to remain engaged, and motivates them to ask questions, leave comments, or even donate to sponsors or nonprofit partners.

POST-EVENT FOLLOW-UP

Even when your event is online, scheduling conflicts can still prevent attendees from making it to your live event. Even when scheduling allows, Zoom fatigue and online meeting fatigue can contribute to webinars underperforming. This is where iZigg’s software really shines. Our SMS platform allows you to continue the conversation with attendees who missed your event. Provided you informed registrants they would receive promotional content, you can push promotions and event-related materials to contacts after the event is over.

Cross-Platform Promotion: Text a link to replay or on-demand event videos to non-attendees, or send links to related online or social media content to all registrants. Don’t forget to follow-up with reminders about upcoming events if applicable!

Continue Donation or Subscription Options: Monetize events with reminders to purchase follow-up products or subscriptions. You can also attach links in order to allow attendees to donate directly to partner nonprofits or sponsoring brands.

Education and Inspiration: Was your event related to education or personal development? Maintain momentum after the event is over. Use iZigg Mobile to send MMS content incorporating quotes, video, and images from the event itself, or with next steps and follow-up exercises.

DATA CAPTURE

This is by far the most useful feature for meeting organizers. You can use our features to collect advanced data that will be useful for future promotions and live events. Ask questions like: 

“What other causes are you interested in?”

“How would you rate the event?”

Understanding the impact of your event can help you improve attendance and impact in the future. Simply send out a follow-up poll or survey to begin receiving responses and feedback within minutes! SMS marketing is a valuable tool for organizations that depend on virtual events for their continued growth.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Follow the practices above to improve client engagement and watch satisfaction rates soar! And check out our other articles for more advice on specific industries and use cases.