A ton of effort has gone into planning your event. You’ve settled on a theme, finalized a time and place, recruited some awesome speakers, gotten your invite list together and worked out all of your messaging. Your designer has created an awesome registration page. You’re all set to go. But what about your event confirmation page--the page your guests will hit after they register and perhaps pay? Oh, yeah, you can't just throw a thank you message on a template for that and move on to launching your campaign.
Wait, what?
With so much effort focused on getting people to sign up for your event in the first place, it’s easy to overlook the experience of some very important people--the ones who’ve actually signed up for your event.
This is an important moment in your relationship--they’ve decided to take the next step with your business. They like you! They really like you! With all the competition out there for their time and attention, that’s a really big deal.
Your event confirmation page should not just confirm their registration. It should confirm and celebrate their decision, build anticipation for the event, and at least make an attempt to continue the conversation. Anything less is a missed opportunity to better know your customer or prospect, build brand loyalty and deepen the relationship. Thank you should be just the beginning. Here are some tips to help you unlock the power of your event confirmation page:
Tell ‘em how you really feel
It’s hard work getting people to an event, and no matter how many years you’ve been in the biz there’s still a little bit of anxiety when you send that campaign out into the void: Will anybody even come? Thank you is nice, but how excited are you really? Channel your excitement, and let them know--in a way that aligns with your brand--that their presence means a lot.
Repeat the 411
Your confirmation page should repeat all the event details--the title, speakers, day, date and time and how to attend, whether virtual or in person. This should be a seamless experience--all the event information from the signup page should match up exactly, so make sure to proofread carefully. It’s amazing how often there’s an information disconnect between the registration page and event confirmation page, and that creates confusion. When you confirm exactly what they’ve signed up for, they’ll feel comfortable and confident that they are in good hands--the very feeling you want them to have throughout their relationship with you.
Provide extra help
The signup page isn’t the place to go into logistical details, but you can on the confirmation page. For virtual events, that could include login info, the ability to add the event to their calendar, and any software they need to download ahead of time. For an in person event, it could include a map, directions, parking info, nearest airport, etc.
Create a branded experience
Make sure that the visual experience is also seamless. Your confirmation page should have the same colors, graphical elements and visual imagery as the registration page. It should not look like they suddenly landed on some other website.
Help them remember
Sending reminders is a nice touch, and also helps cut down on no shows. If you plan to send reminders, let attendees know when you will do so. An option to create a calendar hold is also nice.
Build anticipation
Event no shows are always an issue, so look for a way to increase anticipation and make your event a “can’t miss.” If you have photographs from a previous edition of the event, include a few. For a more personal connection, consider making a short video with the webinar host or guest, thanking them for registering, sharing why they’re excited to be hosting the event and reconfirming the event objective. Or, show a short video from a previous event, or a testimonial from a previous attendee.
Make it social
Ask them to follow you on your social media channels. Consider adding a widget to help them create a social post telling their connections they’ve just signed up to attend your event.
Sweeten the deal
Add an element of surprise and delight by giving them a little something, such as a discount code to share with a friend or colleague, a gift card for a cup of coffee to enjoy during a webinar, or at a live event venue.
Keep educating
Offer them another resource that supports the theme of the event and is appropriate to their stage in the customer journey--perhaps a link to a blog post, or something they can download immediately. As Colin Loughran writes on the Unbounce blog, “Unless you’ve got a very special reason you need to deliver a file only via email, provide a download link on the thank you page itself.” The idea is to provide instant gratification, sans form fill or waiting. After all, you’re friends now.
Keep getting to know them
Add a poll to get to know them better, and to collect interesting data you might be able to share during the event. Or, ask a question. Make it an open ended one, such as “What is the most important thing you’re hoping to learn in the webinar?” or “What business problem is keeping you up at night?” Their answers can help you make sure your event content meets their needs; provide seed questions for a Q&A period, and provide clues to other content you could provide to help them on their journey.
Let them get to know you
Expose other aspects of your offering, such as ancillary products and services; training and educational resources, and other events they may want to attend.
Make an offer
Invite them to sign up for your newsletter, or subscribe to your podcast. Invite them to chat with a representative, sign up or a demo, or request a free consultation.
By going beyond the basics, you can increase the effectiveness of your confirmation page no matter what business you are in. Think like a hospitality professional about what you can do on the page to make your attendees feel welcomed and appreciated. Think about how you can help them. Think about what else they might need to know, and what you’d like to know about them. Think about your business goals, and what some wins would be for you in that area, and then develop your content. Be creative with it and have fun.
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