We delve into the most impactful strategies for keeping delegates engaged after a small event or meeting, exploring the best ways to create meaningful and personalised follow-ups.
It can be easy to adopt a ‘done and dusted’ mentality once your event wraps up, but a well-crafted post event engagement strategy is crucial for many reasons. Fostering deeper connections with delegates, gathering insightful feedback, building a sense of community and loyalty, and maintaining momentum to boost visibility will all be the result of a successful strategy. Planning this strategy before an event even starts is essential as without it – according to event marketing software company SplashThat – you could experience an estimated 20% drop in engagement for each day that goes by without follow-up.
For small events, meetings, or conferences, your post event engagement strategy will be easily tailored to the event’s scale, intimacy, and objectives. A smaller event’s strategy benefits from customisation that focuses on direct interactions and personalised content, whereas a larger event may rely more on automation and broader community building efforts.
Personalisation is the most significant advantage of hosting a smaller event. Customising thank you messages, social media content, and offers based on interactions during the event will add a personal touch that delegates will appreciate. Addressing the delegate by their name in a thank you message and referencing specific contributions or memorable moments that made their involvement special will show genuine appreciation and make each delegate feel valued.
With fewer delegates to engage, there’s a greater opportunity for more individualised follow-ups where you can connect directly with attendees, respond to specific concerns, and even organise small follow-up meetings or intimate networking sessions. Sharing memorable moments or achievements from the event will remind delegates of a positive experience that they had, a task that is much more manageable with a smaller audience.
Social media will undoubtedly be your best friend in crafting an effective engagement strategy, particularly for a smaller event. With a smaller audience number, it’s easier to tailor social media posts that will resonate with and be relevant to delegates, rather than making broad generalisations. Competitions and contests can be particularly useful as they will encourage participation, generate excitement, and significantly increase an event’s reach and visibility. Offering incentives or prizes will motivate delegates to engage with the brand, share their experiences, and spread the word about your event. This approach amplifies engagement, especially with a smaller group, as it encourages people to share the event with their own network through their social media platforms.
Building a close-knit community after a smaller event where delegates will have had more meaningful and in-depth interactions during the event is crucial as they will likely want to develop these networks further once the event has ended. This community will naturally foster stronger emotional connections not only between delegates, but also between the brand or organisation. Social media can play a pivotal role here, creating interactive posts that encourage delegates to engage with not only the brand, but each other as well will strengthen the sense of community.
Developing an effective post event engagement strategy isn’t just crucial from a personal perspective, it has undeniable professional impact. For a smaller group of delegates, it allows for a more detailed and comprehensive feedback process, allowing you to lay the groundwork for refining and enhancing future events. Also, being able to maintain thorough engagement post event means there’s an increased likelihood of turning discussions from the event into tangible outcomes, such as
sales leads, networking opportunities, and partnerships.