Are Your Event Invitations Being Ignored?

I recently received an invitation to an event which – due to its lack of information, polish and professionalism – made me question if I was the intended recipient. While many mistakes were obvious to me as the reader, essential yet missing components may not have been so obvious to the sender.

Keep these tips in mind to construct an informative, professional and compelling event invitation:

• Start with a solid subject line.
  Your subject needs to be clear and distinctive as to what the invite is in reference to. While “Free Seminar” may seem enticing, it doesn’t give the recipient any idea as to what the seminar is about, or any incentive to open it. The subject needs to compel the recipient to open the invite in the first place. 
• Be professional.
  A professionally-designed invitation helps to build the necessary trust to get a person to attend the event.
  • When delivering the invitation, never email a large list of recipients from your regular email program. Displaying everyone’s CC’d email addresses to each other will not win any favors.
  • Featuring unlicensed images snagged off the Internet could get you in hot water.
  • Be sure to use a professional email marketing program to manage everything – from the mailing list to design layout. They are quite inexpensive, easy-to-use, and have a lot of built-in professional templates, which will guard against your invite being perceived as junk mail. If you don’t have a program, Constant Contact is good one to try for free.

• Ignite your audience’s curiosity.There is essential information that should be provided on any invite. Be sure to give the reader an idea about:
  • The topics to be covered
  • The problems to be solved
  • And most importantly – the value they will receive by attending

Additionally, be thorough in providing when the event takes place, where it is, and how to get there. In the end, the invite should leave potential attendees knowing that the seminar, meeting or event will be valuable for them to attend.

• Let the reader “learn more.”Even if your invite includes everything the reader would need to know to make an informed decision of whether or not to attend, give them more. Consider setting up a landing page on your website or blog with further information, which should include things like:
  • What the venue is like
  • Whether beverages, refreshments, or a meal will be served; and if so, any cost involved and payment methods accepted
  • A map with directions
  • Parking information
  • Local points of interest

• Make it personal. There may be an assumption that the recipient – because he or she is on your mailing list – knows or is familiar with you. That may or may not be the case – don’t forget your invite may be forwarded to someone who doesn’t know you at all. Headshots accompanied by mini bios or links to the bio pages of event speakers, presenters and/or VIPs will make the invite more engaging. Let them see your smiling face.
• Call to action. Your reader should know what he or she should do next. If you do not adequately engage the reader, they won’t be invested in attending and the event is likely to be put on the back burner and possibly forgotten. That is why requiring registration is highly recommended – preferably in the form of a link to register online. If registration isn’t requested, consider providing a downloadable handout, accessed before the event, to entice and engage them ahead of time.
• Contact. Help make registering for your event as easy as possible by providing a landing page with all the pertinent information for the event. Simply providing a phone number and email address will set up hurdles that some people may not be willing to jump. Online information and registration pages allow your invitees the chance to explore on their own with no pressure. Making your landing page on a blog is also a great way to showcase your expertise.

When designing an event invitation, take a step back to look at it through the eyes of your recipient, of your target audience, of a person who may want to participate. Realize that your audience is busy. Asking them to attend an event – or to even read an invitation in the first place – takes up their valuable time, so make it worth their while.

We’ve written several articles about using blogging and social media to foster referrals.

Feel free to check them out at phoneBlogger.net/Blog.

We’d love to hear your feedback –

you can comment or ask questions in the “Leave a Reply” section below!

Mark Bullock
Telephone: (631) 754-0800
Email: Mark@phoneBlogger.net
Website:phoneBlogger.net