From visitor of your event to ambassador: turn your visitors into ambassadors. In this article I take a closer look at the why and how.
Almost every brand has them: brand ambassadors. Just think of the hysteria on the first day of sales of a new iPhone or full cinemas after the release of the next Star Wars film. Numerous articles have been published and webinars presented on this topic in recent years. Is it hype? A marketing term? No, I don’t believe that.
Why you want to turn visitors to your event into ambassadors
Although I now call them in an event context; the main reasons why you want ambassadors for your brand or event are the same:
- 80% of your future revenue will come from 20% of your existing customers
- Marketing costs are on average 85% lower than when you recruit ‘cold’ visitors
- The percentage of no-shows is reduced
- You can use ambassadors for your marketing.
It is in your best interest to make ambassadors of the visitors of your event as well.
Turn your visitors into ambassadors. But how?
From visitor of your event to ambassador: it is important that the expectations that the visitor has beforehand are met – or better still: exceeded.
The way in which you achieve this is first and foremost dependent on the type of event. If you are organizing a knowledge event, ensure a strong substantive program that meets the specific needs of each guest, for example by means of break-out sessions or round table discussions. If the starting point of your event is that visitors can network with each other, facilitate (and stimulate!) this by, for example, using tools such as the Networkapp.
In addition, a strong customer journey is crucial. In other words: all communications that someone sees about your event must be correct. In any communication, keep in mind:
- A consistent tone-of-voice (salutation, address, etc.)
- A consistent branding (colors, logos, etc.)
- Personal content (title and content)
- Relevant content (content).
For example, it is not logical that a registered visitor receives a reminder to register. Or that an unregistered relationship sees information about access to the Networkapp. At a paying event, also think about the payment options you offer. Not every employee can pay via a business credit card. And Bancontact is very common in Belgium, but iDEAL is used in the Netherlands.
How do I know if a visitor is an ambassador?
The easiest way: ask! Send a short survey immediately after the event. By asking closed questions, the threshold for visitors is low and you can easily draw conclusions.
A variant of the standard survey is an NPS measurement. In the thank you email you send after the event, ask how participants experienced your event on a scale of 1 to 10. Have each grade refer to another survey, where you ask additional questions based on the rating. For example, you can ask someone who gives an insufficient grade about his expectations, while you have someone who is enthusiastic pre-register for the next edition.
Whichever way you ask visitors about their experience: always use feedback when organizing the next event. Did I mention to always use feedback when organizing a next event? Always. So always! This way you better meet the wishes of visitors and they feel heard. The result: you turn your visitor into an ambassador!
