Events are a fantastic way to engage with your audience, but the relationship doesn't end when the event is over. In fact, post-event communication is often where the real magic happens!
Recently, E.L.I.T.E. user Kelly Biggs (Principal Owner of WSI Biggs) shared a great tutorial on how to generate a dedicated contact list straight from your event registrants. While you can easily email attendees directly through the Event dashboard, saving those registrants as a specific Contact List opens up a whole new world of marketing opportunities.
If you aren't already separating your event registrants into their own lists, here is why you should start:
1. The Power of the Post-Event Follow-Up
Creating a dedicated list allows you to seamlessly plug your attendees into your regular email marketing flow. As Community member KenCountess points out, always sending a short follow-up email after someone registers or attends is a fantastic way to stay "top of mind." You can use this list to send out post-event surveys, share slides or recordings, or offer an exclusive discount code as a thank-you for attending.
2. Segmenting for Future Engagement
If someone took the time to attend your event, they are a highly engaged contact! By saving them to a specific list (e.g., "Spring Gala 2024 Attendees"), you know exactly who to target when you host a similar event next year. They are much more likely to convert than a general newsletter subscriber.
3. Take it a Step Further: Use Tags!
Creating a list is great, but combining it with Contact Tags makes your database incredibly organized. Community member DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth strongly encourages taking this proactive step. Once you have your event list, apply a Tag to those contacts to note specific details—like what tier of ticket they bought, or if they were a "no-show." Tags allow you to hyper-segment your messaging down the road based on their specific needs.
How to Do It
Turning registrants into a list is quick and easy:
Navigate to your Events tab and click on your active or past event.
Go to the Reporting or Registrants section.
Select the registrants you wish to group together.
Use the Actions menu to add them directly to a new or existing Contact List.
Pro Tip: Don't forget to segment out your "Yes" RSVPs from your "No" or "Maybe" RSVPs so you can tailor your messaging accordingly!
A huge thank you to Kelly for inspiring this tip. How do you handle your post-event communications? Let us know in the comments below!
