Boosting attendee engagement is a top priority for most event planners, but it can be a challenging goal—especially for hybrid and virtual events where online guests are easily distracted. Fortunately, there are plenty of emerging technologies and trends that organizers can use to keep guests actively engaged.
We’ll zero in on one effective avenue you can explore to better engage guests: using SMS, or text messages. In this article, we’ll discuss why texts work so well at events and three strategies you can use to leverage them.
Nearly seven out of 10 (68.7%) of event professionals believe that using technology to improve guests’ experiences is a trend that’s here to stay, so it’s worthwhile to get up to speed on top event texting strategies now.
Why use text messages for events?
From a marketing standpoint, text messages are highly effective at getting recipients’ attention and encouraging them to take action. Mogli’s SMS marketing guide explains the top reasons why texts work.
- Texts have high open and click-through rates. With an average 98% open rate and 19% click-through rate, text messages are much more likely to be read by your guests than emails and social media posts. If you want recipients to take action, such as registering early or taking a survey, texts are often your best bet.
- They’re easy for your team to send. Texts are much shorter than emails and don’t require visual design elements to be successful. This makes them quick and easy for team members to share with attendees, especially if you use an SMS app to automate the process.
- Texts are quick and easy for guests to read. The speed and brevity of texts are beneficial on both ends—when guests don’t have to spend time scrolling through an email or long web page to find information, they’ll be more satisfied with your event communications.
Because of these benefits, texts can break through the noise and successfully get guests’ attention before, during and after events. Once you have their attention, use the following strategies to encourage them to engage.
1. Use texts to ramp up excitement
According to Elevate Nonprofit’s event planning guide, you should aim to have seven to 10 touchpoints with each potential guest before your event to encourage them to attend. This could include an email invitation, social media posts, direct mail messages and multiple text messages.
Specifically, try using texts to get guests more excited about your upcoming event. Consider incorporating the following SMS messages into your event marketing strategy.
- Short reminder texts such as “The deadline to register for February’s conference is coming soon! Don’t forget to RSVP here before this Friday.”
- Countdowns such as “T minus three days until the annual Top Innovators Gala. Have your outfit picked out yet? Follow along with our countdown on Instagram.”
- Exciting event teasers such as “Visit our website for a sneak peek of next weekend’s auction items! Spoiler alert: We’ve got Mets tickets!”
Don’t be afraid to get creative, and make sure to include links to your other marketing channels. Additionally, create a content calendar ahead of time that includes all of your cross-channel promotion plans to avoid overwhelming guests with too many touchpoints in a short time.
2. Incorporate texts into the event itself
After guests arrive or log in to your event, you can use texts to hold their attention and encourage them to participate in all of your activities. You might do via the following.
- Sending welcome texts. Welcoming guests is key for setting the tone of your event on a positive note, and it’s especially crucial for first-time attendees and new members of your nonprofit or association. For large conferences and events with online attendees, sending a quick “Welcome in!” text will make guests feel included from the moment they arrive.
- Letting guests text in questions for speakers. If your event includes a Q&A session, interactive webinar or panel discussion, invite guests to send in their questions and comments via text. This puts less pressure on guests to raise their hands or get in line for a microphone, encouraging more people to actively participate in ways they’re comfortable with.
- Encouraging guests to donate via text. For fundraising events, you want to use every tool at your disposal to earn donations. By using an SMS app with text-to-donate capabilities, you can give guests the opportunity to quickly and easily give using their phones.
Texts also work well for reminding guests about upcoming sessions or activities they might be interested in and alerting attendees of closing times. Segment your audience ahead of time to increase the chances that these texts will resonate with individual attendees. For example, you might create a group of all the registered guests who work in the technology sector and send them reminders about a panel discussion on AI that starts in 30 minutes.
3. Create SMS post-event surveys
Even after the event, text messages can help you engage guests and make them want to stay involved with your organization long-term.
By using an SMS app to create intuitive post-event surveys that guests can take directly in their messaging apps, you’ll make it easy for them to share their opinions about the event. Asking for feedback shows guests you care about their experiences, reminds them of how much they enjoyed the event and keeps you in contact with guests for longer. Plus, it provides you with actionable data you can use to improve future event.
In your text surveys, ask questions, such as the following.
- On a scale of one to 10, how much did you enjoy the event?
- Do you plan to attend the event again next year?
- What was your favorite session or activity?
- In your experience, was the event accessible to people of all professional backgrounds?
- Is there anything we can do in the future to improve the guest experience?
If you use an app that integrates with your CRM to create these surveys, guests’ response data can automatically flow into your database for future use. For example, Salesforce users should look for a Salesforce SMS app to easily leverage automation features and streamline feedback collection. Just be mindful of your event’s budget as you evaluate your options for text marketing apps.
With the right text messaging strategies, you’ll make events more enjoyable for your guests and improve your relationships with them. Every text you send opens the door for one-to-one conversations that make guests feel personally connected to your organization, so be ready to respond and start cultivating meaningful interactions!
