Follow Up To Get Quality Event Feedback
The use of a follow up email as a means of communication between event participants and organizers is not only happening more often, but the content of this type of email has also been changing in recent years. 2013 was the year when follow up emails became a standard at events - with 2014 seeing an increase in the number that people send to begin with - however, it wasn't until 2015 when people really flocked to this type of communication for feedback for its utility.
Of course, at first there was some trepidation about sending out follow-up emails after an event because they were viewed as "spammy," but now many are embracing them because they often help to improve on past mistakes or show that you're interested in continuing conversations. For example, at the beginning of 2018, a good amount of events were sending out follow-up emails to their attendees and this was certainly beneficial.
As a result, we've joined in on the trend and have put together some guidelines for how to craft a follow up email that ensures that it has an impact on the people you're communicating with.
First things first - what type of information should be collected through a follow up email?
If you're just getting started with using follow up emails after an event, then it's critical that you answer these three questions:
1. What did your participant(s) tell you about his or her experience after attending your event? 2. What was their biggest takeaway or what do they wish you'd focused on during the event? 3. What would they recommend to others who are considering your type of event?
This information is key to understanding what kind of follow up email to send out and how it will be read by your participants. For some people, an email that asks for their feedback is not going to make them feel valued, but instead make them feel like you provide less value as a person or organization. This can especially happen when people are asked to fill out surveys that have already been taken at other events.
At the same time, if you had a fantastic event and it was full of people who were happy with it, then it's probably not going to make much sense for you to ask for their feedback. You can either use a survey form that has a specific purpose or simply show them on social media.
It's also important to consider the fact that different people may appreciate different types of follow up messages. For example, some want more information while others don't so you need to decide how much information they want, how each person will react and what kind of feedback would be most helpful.
In terms of the content, what kind of information should be included in your follow up email?
At the end of the day, the primary goal of a follow up email is to get more information from your participants and make them feel that they are valued members of your community. To make this happen, it's important to craft an email that encourages feedback. Here are a few suggestions for how to do so:
1. Keep it short and sweet - Once you decide on what you're going to say, then you need ot make sure that everything falls into place in terms of length and content. It's critical that anything you include isn't too long or complicated because it will just cause people to ignore it or delete it.
2. Be very specific - Just as you want to be as brief as possible in terms of length, you need to be as specific as possible with your needs and expectations. This gives people a clear idea of what you want and will help them to focus on completing their tasks.
3. Let them know that you're listening - After all, the idea behind a follow up email is that it's meant to make people feel like they're being heard. Make sure that they know that you're paying attention and how much value others have gained from what they have said in the past.
4. Focus on the positive - Don't just focus on what you feel has gone wrong with your past events. Instead, make sure that you highlight all of the good feedback that your participants have had in the past and what they're expecting to gain from attending future events.
5. Give them a chance to respond - Some people may not want to comment on their feedback and you need to respect their decision. You can give them a way of responding or let them tell you if they want to share their thoughts or ideas in another format.
6. Keep it constructive - Nobody wants to get criticized for how they've done something and that's why it's important that you always focus on providing positive feedback over negative input.
Conclusion
With the introduction of email follow up in the event planning community, people are now starting to see the benefits of sending out follow up emails. This is why we've decided to add our own suggestions of how to craft effective follow up emails that will make a positive impact on your future events.
We hope that you've enjoyed reading our guide and we'll be back next time with more information regarding this trend! Thanks for reading this post!
Stay tuned for more articles coming soon! For all of your event planning needs, please contact us here at EventCue.com or visit our website here .
To access all of our blog posts, click here .