The BusyEvent Blog

16 Things to Drive Traffic To Your Event #eventprofs #tradeshows #mpi #assnchat

Each of the three phases of an event are both strategic and tactical puzzles to solve.  We deploy tools and solutions that address all three phases and in this blog post, we address the first phase of pre-event tactics; “Getting People To Your Event!”

The ExhibitGroup/Giltspur is one of those really smart, really creative and really cool companies, in the events industry.  However, what makes them a company worth following via Twitter, is the items they share on their blog.

Their recent post, The Top 10 Things You Can Do NOW To Drive Traffic To Your Event (PDF Download) is another one of those articles that everyone should be reading.

Using their list as a starting point, we’ve included their 10 items and added a few of our own.

1. Search for your online audience. Use tools like Google Alerts, Twitter Scoop, TweepSearch, Twilert and perform general searches with keywords representing your target.
2. Reach out to past participants; ask them where they congregate online and if they will share your event information within their circles.
3. Look for similar/competitors’ events to find your potential audience. This is also an opportunity to gain perspective on effective and non-effective communication with your audience. See what they do, and do it better.
4. Look to relevant tradeshow/event websites and magazines within your industry and connect with their communities.
5. Ask your speakers and sponsors to promote your event or tradeshow within their networks. Link to their online presence from your own if they mention your event or tradeshow.
6. List your events with online community calendars. BONUS TIP:  Look for a registration system that does this automatically for you.
7. Promote your event on Facebook, LinkedIn and create a hashtag on Twitter.
8. BONUS TIP: Promote your blog and other communications using RSS aggregators like Feedburner.
9. BONUS TIP:  Sponsor weekly ‘topic’ chats using the event hash tag by your event speakers and other subject matter experts coming to the event.  Kind of like the #eventprofs weekly chat.
10. Create an event RSVP page and . . .
11. BONUS TIP: Promote and publicize your event attendees. . . in addition to your exhibitors and sponsors . . . with integrated links to their LinkedIn, Facebook, web site, blog and Twitter feeds.
12. BONUS TIP:  Make sure your registration system is easy to use and if you’re going to utilize an events social network like Event Bookmarking, Crowdvine, Pathable, EventVue or some of the others, make it easy to participate in that community.
13. Ask team members that will be working at the event or tradeshow to leverage their own online profiles and begin engaging with potential attendees and prospects.
14. BONUS TIP: Make special ‘people features’ that promote and publicize the ‘every day worker’ of the event.  In addition to your speakers, make sure your attendees know who to ask for help, by face, in advance of the event.
15. Research the name of your event and make sure it’s unique so that people can easily find it.
16. Create customer profiles to gain a deeper understanding of the online usage patterns of your potential audience: This will help you identify where to focus your online marketing efforts.

And I’m sure we’ve missed more than a few . . . care to share?  Add a comment and/or join the chat on #eventprofs on Twitter.

OK, so now that you’ve got your audience . . . what next?

That’s what our next blog post will be all about: You’re Events Sold Out . . . Now What?

Be sure to follow BusyEvent on Twitter or via our RSS Feed to know what we’re discussing next.