Event marketing has become one of the best strategies for businesses to promote their brand, bring people together, and – importantly – gather leads. However, especially when your expertise is not in event marketing, planning an event can pose many challenges and be a grueling process. Looking for assistance to ensure your event attracts its targeted crowd and goes off without a hitch? Look no further; chatbots have your back, every step of the way.

The first benefit of using chatbots in your event marketing strategy is monetary. Chatbots can cut customer service budgets by 25%, willing and able to respond to event prospects and attendees’ questions 24/7. Instead of wasting precious planning time answering questions like “how much are tickets” and “what time does the event end”, chatbots can be programmed to reply to all of those FAQs quickly and efficiently. So, not only do chatbots eliminate the need for on-call customer service representatives, but they also free up time to spend coordinating the actual event.

Another advantage of using chatbots in your event marketing strategy is their ability to work across social networks. You can choose to house your bot on the website’s event page, Facebook Messenger, and other social media platforms. Pro tip: these are not mutually exclusive! People will find your event through the different channels it is promoted on, and a chatbot can help with any and all of them. Additionally, chatbots can be programmed to send out SMS welcome messages and encourage people to reach out with any questions or concerns. Having an easy to reach and quick to respond chatbot assistant will help turn leads into attendees, and attendees into excited attendees.

Conversations with chatbots can also provide valuable information for your business. Bots can easily acquire and store users’ email addresses and (if enabled) demographic data, creating a quality list of leads and target personas for future digital marketing campaigns. Chatbots can also be programmed to send out invitations, collect RSVPs, and disseminate important event information as necessary. These communications help drive event awareness and inherently promote your brand. 

Other useful functions of chatbots in event marketing include the capabilities to converse with users in multiple languages and collect feedback. Although you or your team may not be able to communicate directly with a consumer in their native language, a chatbot can speak in whatever language you tell it to! In terms of feedback, your bot can ask questions about any part of the event registration process, providing insightful information that can be leveraged to improve customer experience. 

Feedback can also be collected by chatbots after the event. Not only does this provide an opportunity to stretch the event’s life cycle by reminding attendees about their experience with your brand, but it also gives you the perfect opportunity to learn from their experiences. Attendees often feel appreciated when their opinions are valued, making this a win win activation. Surveys and polls are the most common methods used to gauge customer satisfaction and provide invaluable feedback, which can be used to guide the next event. 

Using chatbots to streamline your event planning strategy provides endless opportunities to organize your business, both within and outside of the event marketing sector. Using bots for business is becoming the norm due to their unparalleled efficiency and expansive applications. Our advice? Take advantage of the awesome technology out there to better your business and outshine your competitors.