Events Part I: The Key to Successful Text Messaging at Events

Reprinted from resdida.com

I have led and have been on teams running a lot of events and have to admit that I thrive a little bit on the chaos and excitement. There are tons of people, tons to do to make sure venue, food, much to take care of it’s hard to imagine implementing a mobile component too. Yet when implemented well, mobile can save staff time, increase attendance, provide real time results and improve audience engagement.

I’ve been onsite with a number of our clients as well and have learned what it takes to achieve results. The smallest of adjustments to process and careful planning are the difference between a mere 10% adoption and a solid 90+% adoption. These figures are also true for diverse audiences in terms of age and tech savvy. Over the next five weeks, I will go in-depth on all aspects of best practices for using text messaging at events. They will be released weekly and will be labeled Events Parts II through VI. A general overview of each is outlined below.

Part II: The Steps to a Successful Text Messaging Program

What does a successful text messaging program for events look like? True, success is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but it’s generally based on empirical measures like percentage of participation and the level of activity (number of messages exchanged). You will see other intangible benefits in audience behavior like timely and larger response to announcements for sessions announced and expressed appreciation. To achieve greater participation and activity, it is critical to include certain elements in the event process, like signage, advertising, announcements, and assistance at registration. There are certain techniques that when deployed before and during the event can make a huge difference to success, and I will go through these in great depth in Part II next week.

Part III: Using Text Messaging to Save Staff Time

How can a text messaging service save staff time? Firstly, it is automated, so you can schedule key announcements days, weeks, or even months before. If you know there will be cocktails on the 23rd floor at 6pm… schedule a blast reminder so you don’t need to worry about catching everyone at 5:45pm. It is also a great customer service platform. Participants will write you back with questions and important information regarding operations. For example, one event we worked with set up an “Ask a Question” service. Took less than a minute to set up, provided great experience for participants who could stay in session and was fast for staff to answer. Look for Part III, which will cover leveraging text messaging to save time for event staff.

Part IV: Using Text Messaging as Marketing to Increase Event Attendance

How can a text messaging service increase attendance? It works just like traditional marketing but arrives in the palm of their hand with a much higher open rate. Create an event information channel or an organization information channel (or both) in advance. Let folks subscribe to receive key information. Post instructions for mobile channels on posters, in newsletters and online to encourage folks to subscribe. Once you have your mobile audience you can begin to engage them with relevant topics, registration information, coupons and incentives to forward invites to friends. Best of all, you can keep the channel active throughout the year as a great way to promote products, events and donation opportunities. Don’t forget to check back, because Part IV will cover event promotion via text message in great detail.

Part V: Using Text Messaging for Real-time Voting and Live Ratings

How do you get real-time results with a text messaging platform? To me, there is nothing more thrilling than seeing our Resdida MOBILIZE platform return results from live voting. There are actually a couple of ways to collect real-time information from the audience using MOBILIZE. Ask yourself: Do I need just a vote or a numeric score? In either case, you can set up a real-time audience poll in less than three minutes and see the results anywhere in the world where an Internet connection is available. You can even check results on your smart phone. Check out Part V to learn more.

Part VI: Engaging your Audience with Text Messaging

How can a text messaging platform improve audience engagement? Above, I mentioned the event channel which is a great way to keep the audience informed and moving along the schedule as planned. However, it’s also possible to engage the audience in session with quick polls and in session questions. In addition, you can mimic the “Like” concept found on social media platforms to help guide content and speaker choices. This is ideal for the “un-conference” experience. Look forward to Part VI to learn more about this in depth.

Whether you have a conference, “un-conference”, film festival, fast pitch, workshop, or any type of event, implementing a mobile text messaging component for your event can provide a better experience for everyone involved from staff to speakers and participants. It’s a powerful technology. It’s affordable. It’s underused. Resdida is here to help you understand your options and be successful. Shoot us an email to learn more and be sure to check out our upcoming posts on the topic.