Irresistible Event Registrations: How To Overcome Objections About Credibility

You've been working hard to build your credibility, and you finally have a chance to get in front of your target audience. In a perfect world, you'd be able to sell the virtues of your event idea without much resistance from attendees. Now, it's time for you to give them something irresistible - registration information!

In this blog post, we'll teach you how to overcome objections about credibility so that people will be more likely to sign up for whatever it is that you're marketing. You'll learn what objections are most likely going hit and how they can be avoided with pre-registration marketing techniques like drip campaigns or buying unused attendee names.

You'll also learn how to use registration forms and post-purchase surveys to keep people interested in your event long after everyone has arrived.

"How To Overcome Objections About Credibility" originally appeared on Event Pro Blog. This post is free for personal use. Please link to us if sharing on other platforms.

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posted by Lisa Rae , 04/20/2016 Tweet

Event professionals are constantly trying to improve their event marketing strategies in order to grow attendance and revenue. One of the most popular ways is to create a pre-registration campaign, which has been gaining traction over the last few years. According to Eventbrite, a leader in the event technology industry, "Pre-registration campaigns are one of the best ways for organizers to boost attendance and drive awareness for their events."

While many have benefited from this strategy, you may have noticed that it can be difficult to get your target audience to respond.

Why are people so reluctant to pre-register?

Even though they have the opportunity to reduce their risk of purchasing an event, some attendees may be hesitant to do so, because of a number of legitimate concerns. In this article, we'll discuss and hopefully remove some of these objections.

Let's start by considering why people might not want to pre-register for your event.

When you pre-register, you put yourself in a situation where you're able to charge twice as much as the other attendees (those who show up on the day of your event). This is a huge advantage if you're hosting an event that costs between $20 and $200 per person.

You may worry that people will think twice before they give you their credit card information. This is especially true if they're attending a free event, or where the registration form isn't as prominently displayed as it could be.

What's more, many attendees assume that pre-registration is going to be a sales-driven process, where you'll try to convince them to upgrade their package and spend more money. This may not be the best approach for your organization or the type of event you're hosting.

To pre-register, you'll likely have to ask for their email address and name. Some people are uncomfortable giving out this kind of personal information.

Finally, some people might have a work or personal schedule that doesn't allow them to register for your event any earlier than the actual date or time.

You may think that foregoing pre-registration altogether is a better alternative. After all, this will eliminate most of these objections from the start. However, it may not be worth losing out on the benefits that come with pre-registration and drip campaigns. As Eventbrite states, "Pre-registration generates up to 12 times more revenue than event signups on the day of event."

If you want to utilize this strategy in a way that won't create credibility issues for your event and organization, you should plan ahead in order to keep your attendees' concerns at bay. This might include using drip campaigns to keep people on the website.

Another way that you can help your event succeed is by using registration forms. By creating a form, you're putting your attendees in an immediate emotional state of vulnerability. It's only natural for them to feel a sense of concern about how the first few minutes of their day will go, so they should be thankful that you're giving them an opportunity to reserve their spot.

This will also give you the chance to collect some valuable information about your audience, such as their name and email address. You may find out that they've had similar experiences at other events in the past and are thus more prepared to attend yours than other attendees may be.

By using a simple registration form, you'll also be able to control your message. You can either ask for a credit card upfront or provide an option where they can pay via check or PayPal. By providing these options, you're removing any barriers that might prevent them from purchasing your event right away.

One of the most important things that you can do to resolve any credibility issues before they even occur is to follow up with your attendees after the event has taken place.

When it comes to events, the best time to follow up is within 78 hours of the original purchase. The longer it takes you to reach out, the less likely people are going to respond. Furthermore, the longer it takes you to reach out, the more likely they are going to consider not making a purchase.

If you're hosting an event that's not super expensive and that people are willing to attend, you should aim for doing this in the first 48 hours , regardless of how many people will be there. Pay close attention to emails sent after this time period and see if there are any complaints about your event going forward. While these complaints might not mean anything in terms of future attendance, they can be a good motivator for improving your next event marketing campaign.

Creating an effective pre-registration campaign is only half the battle. To be able to secure your reservation, you're going to need to create a drip campaign.

What is a drip campaign?

A drip campaign is a promotional strategy where you send visitors back to your website repeatedly over time. This helps ensure that as many people as possible become aware of your event and eventually purchase their tickets. Here are some of the best ways to conduct a successful drip campaign:

1) Send a follow-up email two weeks after the event's conclusion. If anyone has not yet purchased tickets for your event, they are most likely still considering whether they will actually attend (many conferences offer refunds in the early "sign up" stages). Be sure to send an email that reminds them of the date and time of your event and how much they might be missing out on. You can also send a link that allows them to enter their email address so they can receive future notifications.

2) Send a follow-up email at least one week before the event. This is a good time to remind those who still haven't purchased tickets about any discounts or promotions you're offering. For example, if the price was previously $20 for early birds, remind your audience that this deal has now ended and the new price for everyone else is $25. This will motivate people who procrastinated on their purchase decision to take action sooner rather than later.

Conclusion

Pre-registration and drip campaigns can be incredibly effective for attracting attendees to your event. However, it's important to remember that people don't want to feel like your event is a trial or a sales pitch.

A good pre-registration campaign will enable you to collect valuable information about your audience from the very first interaction with the website. If you can use this information to build rapport with your audience and keep them on the website, they should be more receptive to wanting to attend your event in the future.

Once they've pre-registered and are ready for checkout, you should send them back again for some final reminders about their attendance.