Here at RegFox, our goal is to help you sell more registrations, host great events, and delight your attendees. This week’s topic: Email Marketing.

Across all the possible channels to drive sales through the roof, did you know that email ranks as the top tool by professional marketers?

It’s true. According to HubSpot’s state of marketing annual report, email provides the highest return on investment.

We’re here to share the secrets to high conversions and record registration sales using email. A great email marketing campaign will generate more registration sales, keep your registrants informed, and allow for smooth communication.

That said, capturing attention over email can be tricky. Presently, in 2022, the average email open rate hovers just under 17%. Most promotional emails sail straight past the eyes of the customer and drown in a sea of unread messages.

So, how do you ensure your emails stand out? Here’s a list of best practices to help you knock your email marketing out of the park.

Tip 1. Make Your Subject Clear

Your subject serves as a crucial communication opportunity. Many people will skim the subject line of emails to determine if they are even worth reading. Take a few minutes and consider the subject line of your email and make sure it is clear and compelling. Share the big idea of your email in the subject line and make sure to tell the customer what’s in it for them.

Avoid vague or clickbaity subjects.

✘ “Now Is The Time”

✘ “THIS Could Sabotage Your Event”

✘ “OMG I can’t believe this [MUST READ]”

Sure, clickbait might get more clicks initially, but you risk losing interest—and worse, trust! Cliché clickbait subject lines will register as noise and likely backfire.

Instead, use specific and intentional subjects.

✔  “Last Day to Buy Half-Price Registrations for the Dunder Con Conference!”

✔ “4 Steps to Weatherproofing Your Event”

✔ “What to know before coming to the event tomorrow.”

With a purposeful subject, you communicate the key takeaway and increase the odds that the right people will open it.

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Tip 2. Write a Short Body

Have you ever had the experience of scrolling through an essay-like email only to find one necessary piece of information near the bottom? It’s exhausting. Worse, if people open your email and see enough text to write a doctorate, they may turn right around and leave your email.
Huge blocks of text are one of the fastest ways to drain brain energy. Do your customers a favor and make your emails interesting and short enough to scan in 15 seconds or less. Simply put, get to the point—fast.

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To communicate the most important parts of your email, try bolding some parts of the copy and use sufficient line breaks so people can skim your email (like we all do) and get the main idea.

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Tip 3. Make the Call to Action Obvious

Before you begin writing an email, take a moment to ask yourself this question: “After reading this email, what do I want my registrants to DO?” Then, make an incredibly easy path for them to do exactly that.  

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For instance, if your goal is to upsell your registrant to a VIP experience, provide the VIP registration link.

Every email you send should have a purpose.

Consider also putting that call to action in the very first line of your email so people know exactly why they are receiving an email and the call to action. The rest of the email can be for those who want to read all the details.

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Tip 4. Don’t Edit Out Your Personality

The world is filled with boring and lifeless emails. Incorporate your first person tone and personality into your email.

If you’re organizing a musical theater summer camp, there’s no reason for your email voice to read like a legal document. Many event organizers are so concerned about being professional that they strip all the fun and personality out of their content. Nothing kills excitement faster.

You can be professional and on-brand without sounding robotic and flat. Think about how your audience likes to communicate and find a way to surprise and delight them with each email. In doing so, you will build positive anticipation and set the tone for your event.

For example, in the email about arrival details, don’t say,

✘ “Due to the high volume of people in attendance, expect traffic and be prompt.”

Instead try something like,

✔ “It’s gonna be a packed crowd, folks. We recommend you arrive early, grab your welcome gift, and start connecting with people.”

Tip 5. Be Generous with Your  Offer

Lastly, you can never go wrong by incentivizing people to subscribe to your emails. Make them an irresistible deal and be generous with your offer.

For example, you can reward subscribers by offering a raffle entry and a discount code for VIP registrations.

Never knock the power of incentives. When used purposefully and generously they can pay out dividends. If people can save money by staying in the loop, they are much more likely to stay subscribed—and happy!

Here to help you host your most successful event ever!

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