Streamlining Audience Acquisition For Your Event: Overcoming Obstacles In The Funnel

Whether it’s a product launch, a workshop or an industry conference, streamlining the audience acquisition is always a struggle.  It’s like fishing in a vast ocean. You cast your line, hoping for the right catch, but the waters are filled with distractions and of course there are competing baits!

As a matter of fact, 52% of event planners say getting audience is their biggest challenge.⁽¹⁾ But before you think this is particularly about physical or virtual event modes, hear us out.

People, especially senior professionals, are becoming less interested in attending in-person events. The primary reasons are packed schedules, travel fatigue, and the convenience of virtual attendance. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s is willing to attend virtual events either. With so many online meetings happening in the last few years, ‘webinar fatigue’ is real. So clearly, the issue is much more than event formats.

Read on to discover the primary reasons/ challenges that hinder you from reaching your audience acquisition goals. We have also shared some important tips for attracting event attendees.

Challenges in Streamlining Audience Acquisition For Your Event

1. Identifying the Right Audience Segments

The first step in audience acquisition is defining the correct audience. This is often the first challenge as well. Quite a lot of companies cast a wide net, leading to wasted resources on attendees who aren’t relevant.

Tips:

• You must understand the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your target audience.
• Based on the above information, create detailed buyer personas.
• If you have conducted events in past, analyze past event attendees and refine your targeting strategy.

2. Creating a Pull Factor for Your Event

A pull factor is what draws people in—it’s the unique value. Whether it’s an innovative area of discussion, renowned keynote speaker, exclusive insights/ study, unique networking opportunities, or even your brand credibility, attendees need a solid reason to choose your event over others. A good pull factor essentially sell itself.

Tips:

• Identify the USP’s your event.
• Secure renowned industry experts or influential figures as speakers.
• Emphasize the chance for attendees to network with industry leaders, peers, or potential clients.
• Share success stories, testimonials, or statistics from previous events.

3. Reaching out through Right Channels

Coming to one of the most important audience acquisition strategies! You must incorporate a multi-channel strategy to improve the chances of enhancing event visibility and reaching your audience on their preferred platforms.

Tips to Overcome:

• Go for tele calling, emails, social media campaigns, SMS, WhatsApp outreach, and digital ads. Another underrated way is influencer partnership, where you collaborate with industry influencers who can promote your event to their audience.
• Analyze which channels are giving you the best results for your target audience and then allocate resources accordingly.
• Monitor engagement metrics of each platform and refine your strategy continuously.

Read our recent case study on how we leveraged a multi-channel approach to get 150 speaking proposals and 700+ attendees for one of the biggest all-women cybersecurity conferences.

4. Competing for Attention

Did you know that in 2020, India’s events and exhibition market generated $3.3 billion in revenue. It’s projected to reach over $6.7 billion by 2026?⁽²⁾ Seeing the event industry closely, this growth doesn’t surprise us. With countless in-person and virtual events happening daily, potential attendees are overwhelmed with invites, making it tough for your event to stand out.

Tips (and Examples):

• Make your marketing materials eye-catching

For instance, if you’re hosting an event on AI Innovations, use futuristic imagery of AI applications in your marketing collaterals, such as robots, data visualizations, or industry-specific AI use cases.

• Highlight the unique aspects/ benefits of your event

Let’s carry the same example forward; you can say in your messaging, “Hear from top industry experts, witness live demonstrations of AI in action, and gain insights on how AI can streamline your operations.”

• Use personalized messaging to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

You can say, “As someone leading digital transformation efforts in ABC Company, attending our AI Innovations event will help you stay ahead of the curve.”

• Create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers or early-bird registration discounts. This is an old yet one of the most powerful event marketing tactics.

You can say, “Register before (Date) to secure your spot and enjoy a 20% early-bird discount.

5. Having the Right Database

Not having an updated and accurate database can significantly hinder your event audience acquisition efforts. By database, we mean contact details of the potential attendees, and their company size, location, industry etc.  A robust database enables you to segment your audience based on relevant criteria and offer personalized messaging.

Tips to Overcome:

• Invest in building and maintaining a database of leads segmented by relevant criteria such as industry, role, and geographical location.
• Outsource audience acquisition services to a company that has an updated and segmented database.

6. Engaging Unresponsive Prospects

Navigating the audience acquisition funnel can be tricky, especially when you have a wish list of specific individuals to reach out to and they do not show interest. For instance, you’re organizing an exclusive event on AI Innovations and have identified a wishlist of top executives like CTOs or CEOs of leading tech firms.

Tips to Overcome:

• Analyze the reasons for disengagement (email opens, click-through rates, website traffic) to understand why they’re not responding.
• Experiment with different messaging and offers like VIP access or one-on-one sessions.
• Offer valuable content to capture their interest. This could be a free eBook, an industry report, or a sneak peek of your event’s insights. If possible, tailor this content specifically to their business needs.

7. Audience Drop-Off

Even if you are able to draw the attention of your target audience towards your event, audience drop-off could be a common issue. Often, potential attendees either register but don’t show up for the event or disengage midway through. Several factors can contribute to this, including scheduling conflicts, lack of interest in the event content, or simply forgetting about the event.

Tips to Overcome:

• During the time of registration, try to address any potential barriers, such as time slots or accessibility issues, by offering on-demand content or flexible attending options.
• Use a variety of communication methods, including email, SMS, and social media, to keep attendees informed and excited.
• Implement a follow-up strategy that includes reminders and countdowns.
• Provide exclusive content or sneak peeks to maintain interest leading up to the event.
• Engage attendees with interactive content such as polls or quizzes.

Doing it Yourself vs. Hiring Professionals: What’s Best for Your Event?

While it may be tempting to get audience for your event yourself, the benefits of hiring a professional agency far outweigh the challenges.

• A vast network of industry contacts: Professional agencies have established relationships with industry influencers, which can help you tap into new audiences and increase attendance.
• Updated database: Agencies that offer audience acquisition services often maintain large and updated databases that include details of delegates across various demographics.
• Dedicated teams for each channel: They have specialized teams focused on different channels, such as tele calling, digital marketing, email campaigns, and social media. This means they utilize the most effective strategies for each platform.
• Diverse industry experience: With experience in diverse industries, professional agencies understand the specific nuances and trends that impact audience engagement.
• Creative expertise: Agencies often have in-house creative teams that can design compelling marketing materials that attract your prospects.
• Tried and tested strategies: With a track record of success in audience acquisition, they know the right channels, timings and approaches!

Conclusion

Successfully streamlining audience acquisition for your event requires a multifaceted approach and ability to addresses the various challenges at each stage of the customer acquisition funnel. By identifying the right audience segments, leveraging multiple outreach channels, and creating compelling marketing messaging, you can enhance your chances of attracting the ideal attendees. Engaging unresponsive and disengaged prospects with tailored content would further help.

While we have shared with you some practical funnel optimization techniques through this blog, we want to offer a pro tip that our long-standing event management industry experience! – Consider hybrid events, which combine the best of in-person and virtual experiences. This format will allow you to reach a broader audience by accommodating both those who prefer attending in person and those who opt for online participation.

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