Poor attendance at an event is every event manager’s nightmare since everyone wants their event to be a roaring success. Whether you’re hosting a corporate event, a seminar, or a networking expo, attendance is all that matters and the most critical success metric for every event. Here are five tried and tested ways to boost your attendance and bag an impressive turnout.

1. Leverage email marketing for direct outreach

No tool provides a more efficient outcome when reaching out to potential and existing audiences than emails. Emails meant to trigger emotions, if they are curated well, can help you boost your event’s attendance at a fraction of the cost, but it all lies in the small details that make an email potent.

Use powerful words to title your emails to spark interest and intrigue people to open the websites. Without a strong and engaging subject line, the efficacy of your email campaign may struggle to perform. Incorporate as much personalization as possible and use curiosity-peaking attachments, like USPs of the event, speaker highlights, early bird discounts, etc.

A drip campaign can be an innovative and effective way to promote your event. Reminders to RSVP before the event can help you understand how well your campaign performed. Lastly, ensure your emails are automated to churn out simultaneously and save time, making them time-efficient.

2. Promote on social media

With millions of users, new content tools, and robust marketing campaigns, social media is the most potent way to market your event without hurting your budget. In addition to your company or business page, creating a dedicated event page is key to gauging public interest in your event.

Start by picking the platform that works best for you and that you confidently house your target audience. By incorporating your audience’s views and helping them participate in the management and planning, you can make social media more engaging and interesting.

Use interactive tools, such as polls and/or quizzes, to ask people for their opinions about something. Doing so can boost involvement. Create content about the planning processes, share video logs of the setup, curate short snippets of the guest speaker’s introduction, and promote any discounts you offer.

You can even create flyers using event flyer templates from PosterMyWall and post them to your feed. The flyer can then be pinned so it is the first thing your audience sees when visiting your profile.

3. Offer time with key guests or speakers

Guest speakers act as an instant magnet for many when it comes to events, so if you have any on board, consider leveraging them to your full potential. Speakers are often the most exciting part of an event for an attendee, especially if they’re renowned and can offer valuable corporate or life advice.

With such wisdom on your panel, it would be criminal not to entice your audience with the opportunity to interact with them through an exclusive Q&A session. Make it even more fun and engaging for your attendees by holding a giveaway where a few individuals (numbers are your preference) can privately chat with the speakers for 20-30 minutes. This strategy can be a game changer when incorporated into your marketing tools, as it can help create a sense of excitement for your audience and those interested in the guest speaker panel.

4. Provide early bird discounts and group rates

Even with an affordable and justified entry fee, many may still find it exorbitant or out of budget. Facilitate such individuals by giving away discounted prices for the tickets by offering early bird discounts or group discount rates.

Early bird discounts can drive early registrations and ensure a certain number of attendees. You can run this campaign for a specific time or link it to the number of registrations. For example, the first 100 registrations get 15% off. Moreover, you can offer special group rates to encourage group and corporate sign-ups and accommodate bigger audiences.

Discounted rates can encourage individuals or groups who may be hesitant to attend due to ticket prices. Pricing can be a significant obstacle in marketing and boosting attendance, so offering price slashes can be tremendously beneficial.

5. Share social proof to build credibility

If you’ve hosted events, you likely have a lot of content from your previous adventures. However, that data isn’t just to bask in the glory of hosting a successful event in the past; it’s a potent tool to get more people to attend.

Use testimonial videos and reviews received on your past events as proof on your website, social media, and marketing content. People love to see reviews from real-life people and give more consideration to things and events when other people can vouch for them.

Sponsorships and guest speakers also act as social proof as they help signify the faith and trust other renowned entities have in you to be a part of your event, so use that to show your credibility as well.

Marketing your event does not have to break the bank. It can be done wisely with some tweaks and a few budget cuts here and there. Events with the correct agenda and speakers are already strapped for success; all you need to do is use those tools correctly in your marketing content to make the best use of it. Good luck!