Actionable strategies, tools, and expert tips needed to skyrocket your event attendance. How to drive event engagement, boost conversions, and ensure the success of your next event.
Nothing is more frustrating than increasing web traffic and getting very few conversions. When planning an event, it’s only natural to worry about attendance and wonder if you can improve your registration process. This blog looks at how you can increase online event registration and reduce bounce rates.
One of the worst statistics for marketers and event planners is the number of people who visited their site and left. A bounce rate measures how many people only look at one website page without taking further action. This marketing metric helps teams measure what percentage of their visitors don’t align with the website’s message.
Bounce rates won’t affect your Google ranking (or SEO). However, a high bounce rate could be an indicator that something is wrong with your site, your marketing strategy, or your registration process.
You can’t avoid all bounces. In fact, many of your visitors will hop off your page without performing any additional actions. Many visitors don’t convert on their first interaction but could return later to reconsider.
So, what’s a good bounce rate for your organization?
The truth is: there is no perfect bounce rate. Bounce rates can vary dramatically by organization type or industry. Semrush notes that the average bounce rate can range from 26% – 70%. Blogs and landing pages tend to have higher bounce rates.
The bounce rate measures visitor engagement; how does your audience respond to your call to action (CTA)? Your goals for this metric should differ based on your industry, where traffic is coming from, and what you are asking visitors to do.
If your bounce rate seems high, you may want to evaluate your event registration strategies.
There are several reasons why people might leave a page without navigating to an additional page or registering for an event. Here are some of the reasons your audience might leave your site:
“How can I improve my event registration?” You might have a great event in the works, but it will be a flop if attendance is too low. Here are four event registration strategies to help you optimize your event registration process so it’s easier for your visitors to follow through with registration.
Getting directed to another site for registration can be a jarring experience, making your audience wonder if they are in the right place or if the checkout is secure. Plus, if you push your visitors to another site to register, you risk them not coming back.
Embedded events keep your visitors right on your site. When any visitor clicks on an event, use a simple popup to help them complete the registration. Learn more about the benefits of embedded event registration and how to get started in our recent guide.
Take away extra steps during registration to make the process as seamless as possible. People are easily distracted; the more hoops they have to jump through, the more likely they are to abandon checkout.
You can set your forms to automatically populate with any information you have so that your guest has fewer fields to fill out. Embedding your events is another way to reduce that friction and make the registration process easier to complete. Also, support a friction-free experience and don’t require your guests to create an account during the checkout process.
Clarify your dates, package details, and costs upfront to avoid cart abandonment. People don’t like hidden costs or going through the checkout process just to understand pricing. 55% of people say they’ve abandoned a transaction because they were surprised by the cost at checkout.
Showcase your pricing upfront to help people make an informed decision without jumping through any hoops. Include any taxes or additional fees in your price so people aren’t surprised by extra costs during registration.
Impulse buys are a key part of a strong sales strategy. Over 87% of US shoppers make impulse buys each year. People tend to make faster decisions when they find a good deal or opportunity. Create scarcity around your offerings by setting a deadline or a limited quantity of special deals.
You can help people make a decision faster by incentivizing early registration. Encourage your visitors by offering special deals, limited numbers of premium tickets, early bird packages, and more.
Are you trying to convert more of your audience? These event registration tips will help you increase registration and attendance.
Know whom you are targeting and what is important to them. It’s much easier to convince people to attend your event if the event is designed to meet their needs or interests. Don’t assume you know what people are after — take the time to actually ask them.
What will your registrants get after signing up? Promote the benefits of getting on the list by promising things like event reminders and supportive resources.
People can’t register if they don’t know about your event. In order to spread the word, you need to target the right people in the right spaces. Promote your event wherever your target audience is likely to see it, like on key social media platforms, on your website, through guest posts, and more.
You can leverage your existing contacts list to increase event registrations. Don’t treat every contact the same — instead, segment your list so you can effectively personalize your message based on their interests and prior history with your organization.
Hone your event planning process by understanding what went right and wrong after each event. Survey your attendees to find out how you can improve or better meet their needs with your next event.
Find out where your audience is coming from and what channels bring in the best attendees. Metrics that clarify outreach can help you better target your audience in the future.
Make sure your tools aren’t confusing or difficult to use. Simplify the registration process by using an all-in-one tool that handles your setup, contact management, marketing, ticketing, and reporting.
Are you looking for an industry-leading platform to create successful events? We can help! Use Brushfire solutions to support your event registration strategies and boost event attendance. Our innovative tools and top-notch customer support are second to none. Learn more about our solutions by requesting a free demo from our team!
