Despite the recent growth of content and social media marketing, email marketing remains the centerpiece of event marketing strategies. It’s still an incredibly lucrative marketing channel, providing a return of $38 for every $1 spent.

However, an effective email marketing campaign depends on your ability to connect with the right potential attendees at the right times. As with all email campaigns, there are best practices to keep in mind. Segmenting lists, personalizing subject lines, and using a tool to check an email address are all essential to running a successful campaign, regardless of your industry.

Following these guidelines will help event marketers find success. They will allow you to reach out to your target audience, catch their attention, and eventually increase your bottom line by improving conversion and increasing registrations. These tips can be the difference between a successful event marketing campaign and a failed one.

Three Strategies to Avoid for your Event Marketing

Many event marketers – even those with extensive experience – can make simple mistakes that have a noticeable effect on their success. Avoiding these common errors is the first step toward improving your email marketing strategies.

1. Don’t Buy Email Lists. 

There’s an old logic behind the idea of paying (or renting) email lists. Assuming you achieve the average open rate of around 25%, a list of 10,000 emails will provide you with 2500 possible customers. Unsolicited emails, however, are much less likely to be opened and are typically regarded as spam.

2. Don’t send generic emails. 

Email is such a commonly used form of communication that your recipients are likely used to emails that follow a given template. In order to attract their attention, you’ll need to stand out from the crowd with a personal approach and a strong pitch that showcases your value. Think instead of “Hey There”, you say “Hey Jane”. 

3. Don’t forget to follow up.

It’s common for recipients to see an email they’re interested in without acting on it, and following up can remind them of your event. It’s recommended that you send at least a second email within roughly a week of the first one to maintain a high level of interest and engagement. Pro tip: we recommend an email sequence of at least 3 to five emails over a few weeks to capture and convert effectively.

Five Event Marketing Strategies to Implement

As you cut out some of your less productive event marketing practices, you can replace them with new ones to provide your audience (and future registrants) with a more compelling message.

There are many ways to successfully market an event through email, but these simple tips will help you get started:

1. Make it easy to navigate on all devices. 

Many recipients will likely view your email on a smartphone or tablet. However, message that’s difficult to read or view on a mobile device will reach a significantly smaller audience. In fact, an email with poor mobile optimization will likely be deleted in under three seconds.

2. Edit and proofread.

Once you send an email, you can’t take it back. That’s why it’s so important to thoroughly proofread every message. Typos, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors come off as unprofessional and off-putting to your audience.

3. Use all the tools available to you.

You can send a message through your email marketing system, through your mobile event app, or even send a message through SMS or text.

4. Keep track of your data.

All marketing strategies need to be consistently updated, and analyzing your metrics is only half the battle. By finding out what aspects of your approach are working and which ones can be improved, you can put yourself in a position to stay ahead of the competition

5. Don’t Make Email Your Only Channel.

Use social media, use paid advertising, use influencer marketing…the possibilities are endless. Start with your strategic plan in mind and capitalize on the marketing spaces your attendees frequent.

Email marketing services have made it easier than ever to stay on top of your event marketing strategies. While the best marketers are continually analyzing and revising their existing tactics, starting with these simple guidelines can put you in a better position to market your next event and those in the future.