10 Post-Event Engagement Ideas to Keep The Guests Involved

Getting people to attend your event is arguably the hardest part — but you did it!

Now that it’s over, it sure looks tempting just to send those automated “thank-you” emails and call it a day, right?

Wrong!

This is the best time possible to capitalize on the momentum you’ve gained with the event. 

Post-event marketing revolves around this particular moment, when the guests are still full of impressions, and the leads warmer than ever. 

However, they are getting cold fast, so preparing a post-event engagement strategy in advance is paramount to extracting as much benefit from the event as possible. 

What is post-event marketing?

Post-event marketing is a series of promotional actions that help reach the event's goals when it has finished. It extends the event hype, re-targets the no-shows, and generates good PR and brand interest.

Some of the usual post-event engagement and marketing activities include emailing, creating post-event surveys and collecting answers, contacting the guests, and producing and distributing event-related content and materials.

A good post-event strategy can’t be an afterthought. It is built into event marketing as a whole and developed in advance. For example, if you decide to publish event clips after it’s over, you need to arrange filming and plan the budget for content creation and distribution.

“But the event is over — why should I keep marketing it to people who have already attended it?”

There are tons of good reasons to double down on your efforts post-event:

1. You’re not only targeting the attendees

In fact, a large part of post-event marketing consists of reaching the people who haven’t attended in the first place. 

Social media posts, word of mouth, testimonials, and similar content work well to convey the event atmosphere to the absentees.

Highlighting all the fun and benefits the attendees had creates FOMO (fear of missing out) for the no-shows, and gets them to reserve their tickets in time for the following event.

At the same time, you’ll generate interest in audiences who weren’t aware of you before — for an effective brand awareness boost.

2. A lead-nurturing and relationship-building opportunity

Cold messaging and lukewarm online exchange can’t hold a candle to the post-event outreach. 

Post-event messaging is deepened, contextualized, and happens in a critical moment when you can guide the warm leads down the funnel.

3. A goldmine of fresh, authentic content

Your webinar, online workshop/course/lecture, seminar, or any other event provides you with an opportunity to generate plenty of useful content:

• YouTube videos;
• Instagram Reels;
• TikTok clips;
• PR news and articles;
• Blogs;
• Evergreen content;
• Case studies;
• Interviews.

Post-event marketing delivers the content while it’s still hot and relevant! It’s not only powered by good SEO but with recency as well.

Post-event engagement strategy: The Masterpost

We’ve gathered all the post-event engagement and marketing tactics.

Take a pick, and build a custom post-event marketing strategy that will keep your audience engaged!

1. Host a networking afterparty

Networking afterparties help you end the event on a high note.

For live events, a brief afterparty is a great opportunity for guests to refresh, unwind, and network with industry professionals. 

Afterparties in virtual space are quite challenging, though. With no appetizers and refreshments, most will rush to leave the call and get on with their day. The solution is to make the afterparty as valuable as the main event and give the attendees something to stay equally as excited about. 

As an example, you can organize a raffle: the 3 lucky winners you randomly select get to present their pain points, and you can brainstorm the solution in front of a live audience at the networking event.

2. Collect the event data for audience segmentation

To create a post-event marketing strategy (and learn how to market the next event), you need to collect the event data and understand how your audience responds to your efforts.

Here's what to track before and during the event:

• Audience interaction with event adds — Clicks, impressions, shares, and comments: see what performs the best and repeat in the next cycle;
• Sales and registration data — Uncover the most successful days, when you sold the most tickets, and analyze what provoked the success;
• Event engagement — During the event, measure when they were involved the most, and take notes of their activities, and engagement highs and lows.

The data will help you categorize the post-event marketing campaign and adapt messaging for each group.

3. Send post-event emails to all attendees

Keep the conversation going!

Post-event emails are a staple of every post-event engagement strategy, and may serve multiple purposes:

1. Thank-you emails — Sent immediately after the event to express gratitude for their attendance.
2. Post-event evaluation — Ask for their feedback with a post-event survey: learn how satisfied they are, what they liked, and what they’d like to see at the next time.
3. Sharing event content — Photos, videos, speaker notes, quotes, and materials they can use at their convenience, and share on socials.
4. Digital credentials — Sending custom, verifiable certificates and badges as a proof of presence/participation and acquired skills/knowledge.
5. Reminder for the upcoming event — If it’s a recurring event, remind the attendees to save the date in advance.

4. Awarding guests with custom digital credentials

Certifying the event attendees with digital credentials is one of the post-event engagement strategies with the highest payoff.

More than mere event keepsakes, certificates and badges provide a strong incentive for people to show up. They’re a verifiable proof of presence and a guarantee of guests’ newly acquired knowledge and skills.

Digital credentials can be used in multiple ways:

1. Guests can create a social media post about the event and attach the certificate as proof of accomplishment.
2. LinkedIn’s Licenses&certifications section is a perfect place to attach a badge to, as a more permanent guarantee of skills and knowledge.
3. Badges and certificates can be attached to their resumes, motivational letters, blogs, and online profiles, enhancing their professional presence online.
4. Attendees receive a new badge for their Open Badge Backpack, and an opportunity to showcase their accomplishments to potential employers and educational institutions.

Good to know: 10 Creative Ways to Use Open Badges 

Best of all — your name is present wherever guests’ credentials are. Certificates and badges continue to work in your favor long after you’ve issued them.

If you’re hosting a Zoom event, you can automate the credential delivery to Zoom webinar attendees and have them shipped the moment your event is done.

Here’s a selection of free, pre-made certificate templates ideal for post-event marketing:

• Certificates of Attendance
• Course Certificates
• Webinar Certificates
• Workshop Certificates
• Certificates of Completion

Need something different? Visit our free template library or create free credentials from scratch!

5. Message the no-shows, too

Remember to follow up with people who reserved their spots, but never showed up at the event.

Let the no-shows know they were missed and attach some event materials, so they can still taste the atmosphere.

You can also create a form and ask why they haven’t come. Maybe you’ve picked the working hours of your target group, or scheduled the event during national holidays? Use the opportunity to learn if there’s something you can do to have more people show up next time.

6. Share event content on social media

Hosting an event will leave you with ample amount of content you can use for social media posts:

• Video content can be trimmed and shared on Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or uploaded whole;
• Images and visuals can be published on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn - carousel posts perform great;
• Select memorable quotes, goofs, create memes, infographics, case studies, or eBook content;
• Look into content repurposing and write articles, blogs, and interviews with the help of video content.

If you’ve made use from tip No3, you can use digital credentials to create a social media marketing campaign.

Be sure to tag the participants and come up with a clever event hashtag, for additional exposure to wide audience: user-generated content is a lifesaver for your reach!

7. Personal follow-up with leads

Events are the most powerful lead generators! 

Mobilize your sales team and reach out to the most promising warm leads before the dust settles and their impressions are still fresh. Use this opportunity to get closer to them, clear away their doubts, and convert with ease.

Adjust your messaging to their spot in the sales funnel: while some are now open to direct pitches, others will respond better if you take things slow and target them with an email campaign.

8. Repurpose the event landing page

It would be a shame if your event landing page went to waste after all the work you put into it. It’s worth converting into a long-standing resource, especially with the SEO value it carries.

Here are a couple of ideas for what to include to make it count post-event:

• Change the CTA button and event copy to advertise your next event;
• Update the (next) event information: date, time, venue, etc;
• Create a photo gallery from the past event;
• Create an action-packed, well-produced event video and display it prominently on the page;
• Attach social proof and quotes from satisfied guests.

9. Provide exclusive offers for attendees

Goodie bags, company merch, discounts, or free access to valuable resources and content: now's the time to deliver the incentives that attracted people to the event.

With your event theme in mind, the best idea is to create a one-time offer that exhudes exclusivity, and be sure others know the offer is reserved for guests only!

10. Start creating buzz for the next event

With some concentrated effort, all the previous steps can serve as an intro for your next event.

Use the post-event hype to show all the benefits the future attendees will reap by purchasing a ticket and showing up!

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