E-mail, Social Lead Nonprofit Event Marketing

AccuList’s direct marketing services support both event marketers and nonprofit marketers, and, of course, there’s an overlap since many nonprofits use events for fundraising. In that arena, a recent survey of 500 nonprofits by Eventbrite, a leading event management and ticketing services provider, offers some interesting benchmarks. The "2019 Eventbrite Pulse Report" found that nonprofits use multiple event formats besides those geared exclusively to fundraising; in fact, just 32% reported hosting galas and fundraisers aimed at tapping donors. Instead, events for cause, community and educational promotion were cited by 78%, as well as networking events, training and workshops, food and drink events, and arts and entertainment events. Of course, revenue production was still seen as key to success regardless of event goal. And when it comes to event revenue, ticket sales, sponsorships and grants/donations were the top sources reported. However, while ticket sales were seen as a key revenue driver by most (75%), the portion of revenue delivered by ticketing varied widely—from 80%-100% of event revenue for just 15% to less than 20% of revenue for a larger quarter of those surveyed. This underscores the need for both diverse revenue sources and more effective marketing to deliver attendance. On that point, nonprofit event organizers said their most effective marketing tactics were e-mail (34%); word-of-mouth and referrals (24%); and social media marketing (22%). In social media, nonprofits relied most on organic posts (23%), paid Facebook ads, and video (9%). Among the tactics deemed less effective in the survey were third-party listings, search engine optimization (SEO), and display ads. Looking at the year ahead, the top 2019 challenge, cited by 73%, was reaching new attendees. And that is the kind of targeted marketing issue AccuList can help address! For more from the survey, see https://www.acculistusa.com/e-mail-social-lead-nonprofit-event-marketing/

SEO, Mail, Experiential Tactics Can Spur Events

Per the latest industry surveys, trade show and conference marketers can look forward to solid event industry growth in 2019--along with potential marketing strategy shifts in an increasingly competitive landscape. Event software firm Bizzabo's survey of over 1,000 mid- to senior-level marketers at major companies in 2018 found good news for the event industry: Most respondents (41%) consider live events to be the most critical marketing channel in achieving business outcomes (out of 9 possible channels), a 32% increase from 2017. Business execs are also doubling down on live events. Between 2017 to 2018, the number of companies organizing 20 or more events per year increased by 17%. Additionally, the vast majority of respondents (95%) believe in-person events provide attendees with a valuable opportunity to form connections in an increasingly digital world. This reflects a 12% increase compared to 2017. Meanwhile, Eventbrite, an online event management and ticketing firm, surveyed 1,200 event professionals last year to see how marketers are likely to spend in 2019. Word of mouth, an effective tactic for 63% of event marketers, is bolstered by investments in social media marketing, which 49% of event creators placed among the top three most effective drivers of ticket sales. E-mail rounded out the top marketing channels per those surveyed, with 38% of event professionals relying on it. However, with 89% of attendees using search for purchase decisions, Eventbrite foresees a necessary expansion of SEO efforts. There's definitely room for growth, with almost half (46%) of event professionals saying they aren’t using SEO. And, while e-mail is cited among the favored marketing channels, direct mail continues to turn in higher response for the 41% of event pros that use it. Eventbrite thinks the 50% who cite competition as their biggest challenge will want to reconsider the edge offered by adding mail to their arsenal. Meanwhile, experiential marketing is a hot new trend, engaging attendees by using branded experiences at an event, as part of an event, or in a pop-up activation not tied to any event. Yet Eventbrite found that close to 60% of event creators are not using experiential marketing, so innovators will have the edge. For more, see our website blog at https://www.acculistusa.com/for-2019-edge-event-pros-shouldt-overlook-direct-mail-seo-experiential-marketing/

Event Marketing Channels, Attendees Not in Sync

Where should trade show and conference marketers go fishing for potential audience? In a multi-channel world, it can be challenging to balance online, e-mail, print and social media for best results. Now a recent survey by XING Events, as reported by MarketingProfs, shows interesting gaps between where event marketers are casting their nets and where potential attendees pool to research events. According the the XING Events study, which is based on a global survey of 2,621 event attendees and 1,630 event organizers, event attendees most often learn about work-related events through word-of-mouth mention by friends and acquaintances (66%) and via e-mail newsletters (59%). Fewer event attendees (20%) report being influenced by ads for print and online professional publishing. Online search has more impact when the audience is already aware of the event; for example, 49% say they use online search to find details about trade shows or conferences they already have heard about (via word-of-mouth, e-mail or print). Just 22% learn about an event by doing keyword searches. However, an even smaller portion (16%) of event attendees report that they use social media to research events. Event marketers don't exactly mirror attendees' preferences. About 89% of surveyed event organizers say they market their events through their own websites, culling search traffic. Some 76% say they market through e-mail newsletters, which is in line with attendee activity. The surprise is that 73% of event pros say they promote via social media even though it is not where most of the audience is currently looking for event information. And about 47% use traditional print channels. Despite its current lower usage among event attendees, social media is the marketing channel that most event marketers (65%) plan to grow in future. For more on the survey, see our blog post at http://www.acculistusa.com/survey-mismatches-in-event-marketing-channels-attendee-interest/

Online Review Turns Customers Into Advertisers

With customers the most influential source of brand advertising today, marketers need to embrace online review to feed the customer relationships and loyalty that create brand advocates, urges Trustpilot CMO Jan Vels Jensen in a recent imediaconnection blog post. A Nielsen survey finding that 84% of respondents said word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family were more trustworthy than brand advertising should be a wake-up call to marketers about the value of customer voices. Creating an online review community shows consumers the human side of the brand before they make a purchase and allows companies to build trust and social proof, says Jensen. Brands can generate 40% additional revenue each year and lift sales by 18% by highlighting customer voices and incorporating online reviews into their advertising strategies, according to his data. Online reviews have also been shown to increase conversion rates, prevent basket abandonment and encourage repeat purchases and brand advocacy, he adds. And when customers are alerted to online reviews, it affects click-through rates on paid and organic search. Read the complete post at
http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2014/07/14/how-to-give-the-loudest-voice-to-your-best-advertisers-your-customers/