Organizing and hosting a successful event takes a lot of
time, energy, and patience. It also takes a lot of effort. So, it wouldn’t be
right to skip such an important step as post-event follow-up. And to be honest,
post-event follow-up is a step that can make or break your whole event.
Before we go into details why post-event follow-up and
engagement are so important for your event. Let’s first discuss what exactly is
post-event follow-up.
What is post-event follow-up and engagement?
Post-event follow-up is the last step in every event
organization process. Once the hard part is done and you say goodbye to your
last guest, you still have one more job.
And that job is to reach out to your attendees, clients,
partners, sponsors, and event speakers the day after the event.
In addition to being a polite gesture, a post-event
follow-up is a strategic action that offers measurable advantages.
The importance and advantages of post-event follow-up
We can confidently say that this last step is essential to
organizing a successful event. Post-event follow-ups provide a chance to
evaluate what went well and identify areas for improvement in future
events.
In today's fast-paced environment, it's easy to think the
work ends when the event does, but ongoing engagement is crucial for the
sustained success of any business.
Some of the advantages of post-event follow-up include a
stronger brand, better connections, and valuable feedback amongst other things.
Engaging your attendees after the event will help keep your
brand at the forefront and open doors for cross-selling, upselling, referrals,
and repeat business. It will also help strengthen connections with your event
community.
Most importantly, follow-up and engagement will help you
gather feedback and information about the success of your event. Through that
feedback, you’ll be able to see what worked well and what you need to improve
for future events.
Easy Post-Event Engagement Ideas
Don’t let all your hard work go to waste after hosting a
successful event. Instead, use these easy post-event engagement ideas.
Send 'thank yous'
Make your attendees feel appreciated and valued even after
the event. They have taken time out of their busy schedules to assist with your
event, so the least you can do is tell them thanks.
There are countless ways to express your gratitude and say
thank you. You can send out thank you emails, or text messages, or go the
old-fashioned way and send out handwritten notes. Whichever option you go for,
rest assured that it won’t go unnoticed.
In the world of business, expressing gratitude can
significantly strengthen customer loyalty, boost employee engagement and
motivation, and attract potential clients.
A simple thank you is a small gesture that will not only
leave a positive impression but also encourage them to share favorable feedback
about your brand.
Create a post-event page, blog, or blog
Experts from Veritas Events suggest
creating some sort of post-event page. This is a great strategy that will let
your attendees relive the experience or see what they’ve missed.
For instance, blogs and vlogs are very popular post-event
marketing resources. They can feature a recap video of the event, photos,
tweets and hashtags, music playlist, memes, testimonials, and thank you
messages to everyone who attended.
Just ensure that every part of the event is showcased from
speakers, food and drinks, to the entertainment.
Create a post-event survey
If you’re looking for something simple yet effective, a
post-event survey is the right choice for you. Once you create it, simply send
it within 12 hours after the event to all your attendees and ask them to fill
it out.
This survey should tell you if the attendees liked the
event, what worked and what didn’t, if they enjoyed the food, and so much more.
The results you get will offer valuable insights, and provide data on what
worked effectively and areas that need improvement.
All this will help you make your next event even better.
Organize a post-event networking event
It can also be a good idea to set up a smaller online
follow-up event where attendees can return after the event. The point of this
setup is to let your attendees mingle and get to know each other better.
You can set up a temporary forum with a moderator to
initiate discussions related to the event. Here the attendees will share a
common interest, and a networking event fosters a sense of community where
conversations about your company or the industry can stay active and relevant.
Show appreciation to your guests by offering something in return
If you feel like a simple thank you isn’t enough, you can
offer them something of actual value. For instance, it can be a discount code.
In addition to a thank you note, you can send a gift as
well. However, this gift can be sent well after the event to show that you
haven’t forgotten them.
When your next event approaches, consider sending a
personalized invitation or offering an exclusive early bird deal.
Let your guests know that this special offer is a token of
appreciation for their attendance at your previous event.
Share relevant content
A great way to engage with your guests is by sending content
that corresponds with the event. If you don’t already have materials prepared,
consider creating content before or after the event to serve as a meaningful
follow-up.
Additionally, if any content were presented or referenced
during the event, attendees would also appreciate receiving those resources in their inbox.
Host a social media contest
You wouldn’t want your attendees to experience post-event
blues, so the fun must continue even after the event. Give your
guests something to look forward to with a small post-event contest.
This approach turns entries into user-generated content that
promotes your brand through post-event engagement.
Conclusion
If your goal is to enhance the impact of your events,
post-event engagement is essential. And as you can see there are many different
ways to engage your attendees.
Post-event engagement can boost brand awareness, foster
customer loyalty, and drive business growth. Don’t let your events conclude
with the closing ceremony; instead, leverage them as a launchpad for continued
engagement and relationship-building with your audience.
