Updated Oct 3rd, 2023 by AddEvent
Imagine hosting an event where you don’t have to worry about running out of chairs if too many people show up. Imagine attracting new attendees that can instantly join your event just seconds before it starts. Or, even after it has already begun. Imagine something like your RSVP form being shared across social media platforms and email inboxes.
Online events take away a lot of the stress that comes with hosting physical events. Counting chairs, setting up projectors, printing worksheets, and hiring caterers are all nonfactors when you host an event that your audience can attend from the comfort of their own computers. While putting the logistics of a physical event aside, you can invest your time and energy into creating an incredible experience for your participants.
When it comes to online events, you may be wondering why you should care about RSVP features in the first place. What’s the point of obsessing over your attendance numbers if you don’t even need to worry about the number of chairs to set up? Well, collecting a list of attendees is the bare minimum feature that RSVP tools can be used for. In fact, when used to their full potential, these tools can be one of the best ways to attract new followers and grow your brand or business. Here are some great ways to use RSVP technology to explode attendance at your next online event.
There is nothing worse than filling out a boring RSVP form that makes the paperwork at the doctor’s office seem fun in comparison. While RSVPs are practical in nature, don’t be afraid to turn them into so much more than lists of questions and static registries of who’s attending your event and who’s not. Instead, embed your RSVPs into thoughtful and engaging landing pages that your audience actually wants to engage with. Or, create custom surveys within your RSVP forms that give you crucial information about your audience and allows you to prepare for a better event.
Even if you’re sending your RSVP forms to a list of seasoned followers, try to wow them as though it’s the first time they’re discovering and exploring your work. How can you best represent your brand? What would make your audience excited to click “yes” and actually show up to your event? How can you incorporate videos, infographics, and actionable resources that turn your landing page into something that has inherent value before, during, and after your event?
If you host your RSVP form on a page that offers legitimate value to viewers, they will be more eager to share it on their social media platforms and in their favorite online communities. When this happens, something that could have been a boring RSVP form has turned into an effective lead magnet. This is the benefit of viewing your RSVPs as marketing tools instead of as administrative tools. Think about the shareability factor of your landing page and you will see the attendance rates to your associated event increase.
Imagine you’re a financial advisor hosting a webinar for parents looking to get out of debt. You create an amazing landing page for your upcoming webinar that not only effectively teases the information you’ll be presenting, but also offers increasing levels of bonus content for every 100 people who RSVP. This bonus content catches your audience’s attention and you notice your RSVP rates increase. Parents are sharing your event in their support groups; other financial advisors are alerting their email lists; bloggers start linking to you in their posts as a valuable resource. Suddenly, your audience is clambering to grow your webinar numbers so that they can benefit from all of the knowledge you have to offer.
Given that online events don’t have as many attendance constraints and logistics as physical events do, get creative about how you can encourage your audience to become your street team and spread the word about your upcoming event. 9 out of 10 Americans use the Internet on a regular basis, which means you are at a big disadvantage if you aren’t utilizing its power. Here are a few ideas to increase engagement with your RSVP form’s landing page:
Use a marketing mindset when you consider the design of your RSVP form and you’ll not only increase attendance to your online event, you’ll also nurture your relationship with the attendees you already have. If one of your participants takes the time to share your RSVP form, you can bet they received value from it and are now more engaged with your topic and future event.
AddEvent can help skyrocket attendance to your next online event with easy to use RSVP forms that integrate seamlessly with your landing pages and email marketing software. Forget stale forms that bring back memories of the doctor’s office. With AddEvent you can use RSVP technology as a valuable marketing asset that’s indispensable for your business.