Improve Events:
Post Event Follow Up Feedback

You’ve just wrapped up an incredible event that had your attendees buzzing with excitement, both in-person and online. The venue is empty, the mics are silent, and the last attendee has headed home with a brain full of knowledge and inspiration. But guess what? Your job isn’t over – in fact, some would argue that the real work is just beginning. Time to put on your superhero cape and get ready for some post-event magic!

While the main event itself is undoubtedly important, the key to turning one-time attendees into loyal, lifelong fans of your brand lies in the critical post-event follow up phase. This is your golden opportunity to cement the positive experience you’ve just provided and leverage it into something much more powerful and enduring. And if you play your cards right, you might even get a standing ovation (or at least a few enthusiastic virtual high fives).

Why Post-Event Follow Up Matters

Before diving into specific tactics, let’s examine the core reasons why post-event follow up is so essential:

Reinforcing the Value You Provided
Your event delivered huge value to your attendees – but with the daily grind ready to consume their attention again, that impact can quickly fade. By reaching out and reminding them of the key lessons, connections, and experiences they gained, you’re helping to lock in the value and make it stick. It’s like giving their brains a giant hug and saying, “Hey, remember all that awesome stuff you learned? Don’t let it go!”

Building Real Relationships
In our increasingly digital world, authentic human connections are more precious than ever. Following up after an event is your chance to show attendees that you genuinely care about them and their success beyond just filling seats. The more personal and thoughtful your outreach, the deeper the bonds you’ll form. Who knows, you might even become their new BFF (Best Follow-upper Forever).

Gathering Priceless Insights
Want to know how to make your next event even better? The secret lies in the follow up. Proactively seeking feedback from your attendees is the ultimate way to gain a clear understanding of what worked, what didn’t, and what you can improve for next time. You may uncover blind spots or opportunities you never even considered. Plus, it’s a great excuse to reach out and say, “Hey, remember me? The one who threw that amazing event you loved so much?”

Creating FOMO for Future Events
When you share the glowing feedback, powerful insights, and exciting moments from your event with the wider world (especially those who didn’t attend), you’re generating major FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). They’ll be scrambling to make sure they don’t miss out on your next amazing experience! It’s like being the cool kid in school that everyone wants to sit with at lunch.

Now that we’ve established the immense power of post-event follow up, let’s get tactical. What are the most effective ways to approach it?

Key Elements of Effective Post-Event Follow Up

Speed & Specificity
Don’t let too much time pass before you reach out to attendees – aim to send your first follow up message within 24-48 hours while the experience is still fresh. And rather than generic email blasts, segment your messaging based on factors like attendee type, participation level, interests, etc. This allows you to craft highly relevant, targeted communications. Because let’s face it, no one likes feeling like just another name on a list.

Sincere Gratitude
Never underestimate the impact of a heartfelt “thank you.” Express your genuine appreciation for your attendees’ time, energy, and contributions. Highlight specific moments or insights they shared. Maybe even include a personal photo or video message from you or your team. When gratitude is authentic, it fosters affection and loyalty. Plus, it’s just good manners!

Irresistible Incentives
Want to guarantee your follow-up outreach gets noticed and acted upon? Sweeten the deal with exclusive attendee perks like discounts, bonus content, early access to future events or offerings, and referral rewards. Make them feel like the VIPs they are! After all, who doesn’t love a good deal or feeling like part of the “in” crowd?

Strong Calls-to-Action
Don’t leave your attendees hanging – give them crystal clear direction on what you want them to do next. Maybe it’s filling out a feedback survey, sharing their top takeaways on social media, scheduling a one-on-one consult with you, or registering for your next event. Make your CTAs compelling and impossible to miss. And if all else fails, just tell them there’s free pizza involved. Works every time.

Multi-Channel Touch Points
Don’t limit your follow up to a single channel or medium. Reinforce your message by connecting across email, social media, video, phone, text, direct mail, and more. The more touch points you create, the harder it is for attendees to forget about you. Just be careful not to overdo it and become a nuisance! No one likes a clingy event host.

Ongoing Engagement
Your follow up shouldn’t be a “one and done” deal. To truly maximize the lifetime value of your attendees, make an ongoing effort to keep them engaged with your brand in between events too. Share relevant content, create exclusive communities, offer valuable resources, and show your support for their endeavors. Become an indispensable part of their world! Just remember to invite them to your birthday party too.

Real-World Success Stories

To help illustrate the incredible business benefits of post-event follow up, let’s look at a few real-world success stories:

Ultimately, the key to powerful post-event follow up is to treat it not as an obligation, but as an incredible opportunity. An opportunity to surprise and delight your attendees, to make them feel seen and appreciated, and to strengthen the kind of emotional connection that drives long-term loyalty and evangelism. And if you’re really lucky, maybe even score a few virtual hugs and high fives along the way!

When you shift your perspective and embrace post-event follow up as the beginning of the real journey rather than the end, you open up a world of possibilities for turning momentary impact into lasting, transformational value. So don’t just wrap up your event and move on – capitalize on the momentum you’ve worked so hard to build and use it to catapult your brand to new heights. Your attendees will thank you, your business will thank you, and we promise: the extra effort you put into the follow up won’t just pay off – it will pay dividends. Plus, it’s a great excuse to break out that fancy pen you’ve been saving for a special occasion.

Putting Your Post-Event Follow Up into Action: A Step-by-Step Playbook

So you’re bought into the immense value of post-event follow up – now what? How do you actually put these principles into practice and execute an effective follow up campaign? Never fear, we’ve got you covered with this step-by-step playbook (cape not included, but highly recommended):

Step 1: Define Your Goals

Before diving into tactical execution, get clear on what you want to achieve with your post-event follow up.

Is it gathering feedback, driving social shares, booking sales appointments, promoting your next event, or all of the above?

Having specific, measurable goals will keep your efforts focused and impactful. Plus, it’ll give you something to brag about at your next team meeting.

Step 2: Segment Your Audience

Not all attendees are created equal, so don’t treat them that way in your follow up. Segment your list based on key criteria like:

• Attendee type (speaker, VIP, general admission, etc.)
• Participation level (highly engaged vs. more passive)
• Interests/topics (based on sessions attended, questions asked, etc.)
• Industry/role (to tailor messaging and offers)

The more targeted your outreach, the more personal and high-impact it will feel. And the less likely you are to accidentally send a vegan a coupon for a steakhouse.

Step 3: Craft Your Messaging

With your segments defined, it’s time to create your core follow up messaging. This should include:

Focus on making your copy engaging, concise, and benefit-focused. Show them what’s in it for THEM to engage with you further! And don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through – a little humor goes a long way.

Step 4: Choose Your Channels

Based on where your particular audience is most active and engaged, select the channels you’ll use for your follow up campaign. This could include:

Aim to create multiple touchpoints to reinforce your message without overwhelming them. And if all else fails, carrier pigeons are always an option.

Step 5: Execute and Optimize

With your strategy locked and loaded, it’s go-time.

Launch your follow up campaign, closely monitor performance, and optimize as you go. A/B test different subject lines, calls-to-action, and incentives to see what resonates best. Double down on what’s working and ditch what’s not. And if you accidentally send out a typo-ridden email, just pretend it was intentional and call it “quirky.”

Step 6: Analyze and Iterate

Once your campaign has run its course, dive into the data. Look at key metrics like:

Use these insights to inform and improve your future follow up efforts. Continuously refine your approach based on more experience and data. And don’t forget to celebrate your wins along the way – you deserve it!

Tools and Resources to Power Your Post-Event Follow Up

To help you execute your follow up efforts with maximum efficiency and impact, here are some of our favorite tools and resources:

Remember, the tools are there to enhance and streamline your post-event follow up – but the real magic comes from the human touch you bring to every interaction. And maybe a few well-placed GIFs.

Post-Event Follow Up in Action: An Example Campaign

Let’s bring this to life with an example of what a successful post-event follow up campaign might look like:

The specifics of your campaign will vary based on your unique context and goals, but hopefully this gives you a tangible sense of how to string together multiple touchpoints into a cohesive attendee experience. And if all else fails, just send them a basket of puppies. Guaranteed engagement.

New to Events? Get a Pro to Do It

If you’re new to events and feeling overwhelmed by post-event follow up, don’t worry – we’ve got your back! The best way to ensure a great post-event experience is to bring in experienced event professionals.

Hiring pros like We & Goliath or  to handle your event, including the post-event follow up, can be a game-changer, especially if you’re just starting out or have a lot on your plate. They’ll take care of everything from crafting email copy to segmenting your audience to analyzing results.

Plus, it’s nice to have someone else do the heavy lifting so you can relax and bask in the glory of a job well done. You deserve a break after planning and executing an amazing event!

But how do you find the right event pro? Here are a few tips:

Bringing in a pro to handle your post-event follow up is a smart move if you want to take your attendee experience to the next level. It’s an investment in the long-term success of your events and brand.

The Real Reward of Post-Event Follow Up

Effective post-event follow up is about more than just driving conversions or gathering feedback. It’s about treating your attendees as cherished guests and building emotional equity that transforms fans into lifelong evangelists for your brand. It’s about forming lasting friendships.

The events may come and go, but the relationships you forge through thoughtful follow up can last a lifetime. In our increasingly noisy digital world, that kind of authentic human connection is a rare and precious gift. Cherish it and nurture it.

As you embark on your post-event follow up journey, keep sight of the bigger picture. The metrics and tactical details matter, but they serve a grander vision – a business built on trust, loyalty, and mutual care. And maybe a few inside jokes and shared memories too.

When you lead with integrity and heart-centeredness, you won’t just create successful events – you’ll build a brand that your attendees are proud to be part of for the long haul. That’s the real reward of post-event follow up done right.

Your attendees are waiting to hear from you. Choose your words wisely, because as Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Make them feel like rockstars and watch the magic unfold.

Happy following up, event heroes! May your open rates be high, your feedback glowing, and your attendee relationships cherished. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have some thank-you notes to write and bad puns to craft. Until next time!