When you have a content-rich conference program, slicing and dicing information under different topic themes will result in open-friendly emails. Pair that content with concise and engaging subject lines and you will significantly boost opens, clicks, and shares.
Next time you create the email plan for your meeting, consider adding some of these segments to your list:
- Empty Cart- Most meeting software can run a report of incomplete registrations. These folks were interested enough to start a registration so they are hot prospects. Some may have registered under different emails but a few may think they completed the process. If a prospect dropped out due to a pricing issue you have the opportunity to communicate your meeting’s value proposition. Follow up on these weekly, even if you don’t convert them to registration you can provide an excellent customer service touch point.
- Special Interests- For meetings that offer professional credits for a range of accreditors, consider what makes each of those groups distinctive and target the benefits message to that uniqueness. Identify what different audiences can take away from each session. For example, trade events bring together retailers, exhibitors, and service suppliers who can benefit from the same trend presentation, but each audience will apply the information differently to their businesses.
- Past attendees- In some professions, such as nursing, staff have to rotate to attend conferences to ensure that work is covered. Understand your profession’s cycle so that you know how many years to go back to when it comes to marketing to past attendees.
- Career Path- Professionals in the first stages of their career will appreciate having content specific to their needs and more veteran professionals will appreciate the same.
- Geo-target- As you get closer in to the meeting, focus on the geographic area where people can easily get to your meeting with a short drive or train ride. Promote the convenience of travel and accessibility to content they won’t find at local meetings. This is also the audience most likely to take advantage of one day registrations.
The key to making these segmented emails work is drafting a subject line that clearly communicates how the information is curated. You also need to be able to manipulate your lists, so review your meeting platform for standard reports and consider creating a few customized ones. When setting up registration, add drop-down boxes that collect demographic specific to your field such as certifications, specialties, job title, etc.
Finally, segmented emails don’t always require complete rewrites for each new audience. Swap out a photo, session, or single line of copy that will ring true with the audience and you’ve made the message completely new.
