Events present a prime opportunity for marketers to solicit customers and prospective customers for their email addresses. At the intersection of event marketing and email marketing is the all-important opt-in list. But it’s not as simple as putting out a clipboard and a few pens – not if you want to get anything meaningful out of this effort.
Opting in is the linchpin at the center of an email marketing campaign. Given that you could face hefty fines for sending unsolicited emails, it makes sense to take advantage of events to personally connect with customers for their permission. (Read more: CAN-SPAM Act compliance FAQs) So you’re already doing the right thing by having a sign-up sheet, but what other important steps could you be missing?
4 Do’s and Don’ts for Collecting Email Addresses at an Event
DO: Have a plan in place well ahead of your event.
It’s easy enough to print out a few sign-up sheets at the last minute. But the physical form is possibly the least important part of this tactic. Who will be responsible for encouraging sign-ups? What will you do or say to incentivize customers to sign up? How will you follow up with these customers post-event? Who is responsible for that follow-up? Don’t assume it will all fall into place naturally – answering these questions in advance is critical.
DON’T: Ask for more information than you need.
In this digital age, consumers are acutely aware of companies collecting their data at every turn. Not everyone is so keen to provide it, even when you ask them nicely. The more information you try to collect on a sign-up sheet, the more likely you are to give your customers a reason to pause and reconsider. Keep your solicitation short and to the point. For example, if your purpose is to follow up with a survey, make that clear.
DO: Store information in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool.
When it comes to organizing your customer data post-event, don’t settle for a simple Excel spreadsheet. There is a wealth of CRM software out there, from the simple to the amazingly robust. All of them will do a better job of allowing precise data analysis than you could do manually. Many of them even integrate with some of the most common email marketing providers, or have email capabilities built in.
DON’T: Lose momentum and enthusiasm after the event.
Among the many post-event debriefing and follow-up steps, it’s easy for the email sign-up list to slip down the priority list. Don’t let this happen – start immediately. Ideally, if you’ve followed Step One in this list, you already have messaging prepared that you can fire off immediately after the event. At the very least, you should have decided who is charged with this responsibility. Hold them accountable for taking timely action.
Integrating event marketing with other channels is smart.
Just make sure you’re going about it with intentional effort, not as a last-minute add-on. And when in doubt, the experts at Center-Force are ready and equipped to help with everything that goes into event planning. Contact us to find out more.
