The Art of Eventing: Organize, Promote, and Manage with Conversational Text Messaging
Event planning has never been easier than with SMS marketing. Find out tips for using conversational texts for your next event or conference.
Event planning is an art. It requires a hefty amount of communication not only to turn a concept into a reality but also for effective promotion and management so that the event is successful.
Make the entire process easier with event text messaging, where you can easily communicate with everyone involved and promote and manage the event or conference itself — all with conversational texts.
Whether you’re just getting an event planning business off the ground or are managing internal events for a nonprofit, corporation, or small biz, these tips for organizing, promoting, and managing your event can help.
What Is Conversational Text Messaging?
Also called two-way texting or one-to-one texting, conversational text messaging allows you to have two-way conversations with your contacts. It’s as straightforward as it sounds: With conversational texting, a company sends a mass text to its customers, who can reply with questions, feedback, requests for more info, and so on.
From property management and event planning to customer service and higher education, conversational text messaging is an effective SMS marketing strategy because it increases engagement, boosts the customer or client experience, and builds long-lasting relationships with your contacts.
Check out our complete guide to conversational texting.
What Are the Benefits of Using Conversational Text Messaging for Events?
The benefits of conversational text messaging for events are increased engagement, timely event updates, user responses, improved targeting, and better ROI.
- Increased engagement. Event text messaging is one of the most engaging ways to communicate with your audience. Because of the inherently personal nature of conversational SMS marketing, contacts are more likely to read and interact with your message before, during, and after the event. Read more tips for improving customer engagement with SMS.
- Timely updates and user responses. Things can change quickly in the world of event planning (like the weather, volunteers, locations, vendors, etc.). Conversational texts allow event organizers to share important information in a timely way and get mobile user responses quickly.
- Improved targeting. Customer segmentation is an important feature of SMS marketing in general, but especially so for conversational texting. Businesses can reach out to each audience segment, like event-goers, volunteers, or vendors, with specific questions for each group. This means that your messages will be more relevant to those receiving them.
- Better ROI. When brands add personalization to their marketing channels, there’s a 500% increase in customer spending. And that can translate to your event. Personalized conversational texting brings more engagement, sales, and lifelong customers. Plus, it’s cost-effective and reaches larger audiences more quickly. Learn more about calculating ROI for SMS marketing.
How Can Conversational Text Messaging Be Used to Organize Events?
First step: Use conversational text messaging to organize your event or conference. From volunteer recruitment to answering questions, SMS for events helps event organizations run smoothly.
Recruit Volunteers
While event/conference vendors, speakers, performers, and so on should be invited via email or phone, recruiting volunteers via social media and SMS is perfectly appropriate. Market the event and your need for volunteers and provide an SMS keyword that people can text to your number. Then, they’ll get a triggered message prompting them to sign up to volunteer at the event. Conversational texting can be used to answer any questions they might have about the gig.
Gather RSVPs
Make it easy for people to RSVP or buy tickets to your event by letting them do so by text. Along with web sign-ups, event text messaging can help to seal the deal. Let your audience know that the event is on the horizon and prompt them to click a link to register and/or reply to get more info through a one-on-one conversation.
Go above and beyond by sending a ticket confirmation text once someone has signed up. Pro tip: Automate these messages so you don’t have to think about it.
Share Updates, Alerts, and Notifications
Anyone who has planned an event knows that sometimes things happen and details must be changed. How do you easily and quickly share updates with others involved in the event? With SMS for events, of course!
Notify this audience of weather alerts, location or time changes, and more by sending targeted text notifications to each group. Conversational texts allow vendors, volunteers, and others to respond with questions and get them answered quickly.
Provide Directions and Information
Once you’ve nailed down the layout of the event, who will be stationed where, entry, and parking, share all of this information with the people involved in the event quickly and easily via text. If they have further questions, they know that they can just hit “reply.”
How Can Conversational Text Messaging Be Used to Promote Events?
Next, Use conversational text messaging to promote your event by engaging your audience and getting them excited for what’s to come.
Send Out Text Message Invitations
Leverage text messaging for events and conferences to send out “save the dates” and official event invitations to your contact list. “Save the dates” should be sent as soon as the event/conference date and location are set; then, send an evite through text when you have all the other info, like vendors, speakers, performers, times, and so on.
Send text message reminders as the event gets closer to bring in more RSVPs or ticket purchases. And remember to utilize conversational text messaging for all of these messages to connect with your guests-to-be.
Offer Discounts or Promotions
A proven way to boost event attendance is by offering discounts and promotions to people who sign up for your text message list — and this doubles as a lead generation and customer growth tactic, too. You can also offer last-minute registration incentives, bring-a-friend discounts, and more. Get creative and continue the event conversation with your contacts via event/conference text messaging!
Learn how you can also use text for holiday promotions.
Drop Sneak Peeks About the Event
A little mystery is the spice of life — and event promotion. Rather than include all of the event or conference info all at once in your marketing strategy, drop sneak peeks leading up to the registration or ticket purchases going live. Depending on the event, you can reveal the speaker lineup, headlining performers, guest appearances, and more to drum up excitement. Doing so piques your audience’s interest and is a great way to promote your event or conference.
Run Contests or Giveaways
Another surefire way to use SMS for event promotion is running contests or giveaways to generate excitement. People love free things. Use text marketing to motivate them to sign up for your event for a chance to win free parking, a swag bag, a meet and greet, etc. Always give contacts the option to reply to your text messages for more information about the contest or giveaway before signing up.
How Can Conversational Text Messaging Be Used to Manage Events?
Finally, use conversational text messaging to manage your event well to keep guests coming back in the future.
Provide Directions and Event Updates for Guests
Schedule event and conference text messaging to guests at least one day before the event, including a link to detailed transportation directions by car, rideshare, or public transit. If there is an event shuttle, include the details, too. This is a prime opportunity to invite questions through two-way texting, as guests often have questions about parking, directions, and event transportation.
Make sure to send any last-minute SMS reminders or updates with information that guests need to know about, like time or location changes, bag requirements, etc.
Handle Vendor/Volunteer Questions
Vendors and volunteers need a quick way to reach event organizers during the event itself, and that’s where conversational text messaging for events and conferences comes in handy. If problems arise during the event or vendors/volunteers have questions about how to handle a situation, where to put trash — you get the idea — they can use conversational text messaging with the dedicated event management number to get their questions answered rapidly and continue creating a positive experience for guests.
Gather Guest Feedback
Gathering feedback is an important part of event management because it lets organizers know what went well and what to do better next time so that future events are everything that guests expect. Send SMS events texts to guests after the event or conference, thanking them for attending and asking them to reply with feedback. Learn more about how to send surveys via text.
Master the Art of Eventing with EZ Texting
Start your event text messaging journey with EZ Texting, your all-in-one text marketing solution. From contact management to ensure you’re targeting the right audiences to conversational texts to boost engagement, we have all the text messaging tools you need to create, promote, and manage an outstanding event.
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