Designing a Compelling Events Page: 4 Effective Strategies
Designing a Compelling Events Page: 4 Effective Strategies
By: Ira Horowitz
If you want attendees at your association’s events, a compelling Events page on your website is a must. Whether you’re planning a networking event, fundraising event, webinar, or other event, the Events page is one of the most important marketing assets in your toolbox and can make or break your event marketing strategy.
The Events page on your nonprofit website is where members will go to see what’s coming up and determine whether or not to register for an upcoming event. A poorly-designed or difficult-to-use Events page can send visitors bouncing. No one wants to puzzle through a poor user experience.
On the other hand, a sleek, informative, and easy-to-use Events page can increase event registrations substantially, letting members know about exciting details about upcoming events and encouraging action.
In this guide, we’ll cover the four strategies that it takes to create a compelling Events page and increase your association’s event registrations. Let’s get started!
1. Hone the visual look of the page.
The visual look of the Events page sets the tone for the event. The photos, videos, and other visuals that you use have the power to get visitors to the page excited about the event and engage your members. Visuals help to put a picture in the user’s head about what the event will be like and can influence their feelings toward attending.
You can include these visuals on your Events pages to grab your visitors’ attention and keep it:
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A banner or hero image that sets the tone of the event, giving a great first impression for potential attendees
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Photos from previous events can help break up text, add interest to the page, and allow potential attendees to envision themselves at the event
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A brief teaser video helps convey key details of the event in an interactive way, giving potential attendees a taste of what the event itself will be like
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Call-to-action buttons that draw attention to the action that you want visitors to take after reading the page content. Typically, that will be something along the lines of “Register Now!” or “Save Your Seat.”
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A visual schedule or agenda helps highlight all of the activities that the event will include and encourages participation
No matter what visual elements you decide to include, make sure the layout and visuals on the page are consistent with your association’s website and overall organizational branding. Consistent website design helps tie the event to your organization and helps elicit the trust of members and potential attendees.
2. Provide clear and concise information about the event.
Sharing information about the event to encourage registration is the whole purpose of an Events page. Make sure that you’re sharing event details in a clear and concise way during the event planning process, and that you’re not leaving any questions unanswered.
Answer these questions on every association event page that you create:
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When will the event take place (date and time)?
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Where will the event take place? (Include travel and parking details!)
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What are the registration costs and deadlines?
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Is there a schedule or agenda for the event?
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Is there sponsorship or partner information to share?
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What is the dress code?
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Is it a members-only event or are guests invited?
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What other details would be important for guests to know before registering?
An FAQ section on the Events page can be a nice way to answer miscellaneous questions outside of the standard who, what, where, when, and why details.
And, to be sure that you have all of your bases covered, share your contact information and encourage visitors to reach out to you with further questions about the event.
3. Offer a quick and easy registration process.
To encourage registrations, the process to register should be simple and frustration-free. A complicated process can lose attendees along the way. According to Insiteful, 81% of people will abandon a form after starting to fill it out, getting frustrated by a long or complicated process.
Having the right form or registration tool on your Events page is key to reaching your registration goals. Follow these tips to simplify and streamline your event registration form:
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Only ask for essential information. This saves visitors time and effort in the registration process. For example, if you don’t plan on calling registrants, do not ask for a phone number.
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Include clear error messages. Don’t make visitors guess why their form submission did not go through. Instead, use a tool that highlights incorrect fields so that visitors know what went wrong so they can easily correct it.
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Ensure the form is mobile friendly. Many potential attendees will be completing the registration process on their phone — make it as easy as possible for these folks!
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Include easy opt-in options to make the most of registrations. For example, you might include simple checkbox add-ons like the option to register as a member of the association, purchase something from your online store, or subscribe to a publication.
Creating a simple and easy registration process is key to a successful event. Once your process is in place, be sure to test it a few times yourself — both on a mobile device and on a desktop — to smooth out all of the possible hang ups for your members.
4. Include social proof to encourage more registrations.
Social proof is a powerful force to be reckoned with and can encourage even more registrations for your association’s events. When potential attendees see how other members enjoyed themselves or saw benefits from attending previous events, they’ll want to experience the event for themselves. Plus, these instances of social proof can help build up your association’s credibility in the process.
To tap into the power of social proof on your Events page, consider including these elements on the page:
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Videos or photo galleries from past events
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Speaker or performer credentials
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Registration numbers and past attendee counts
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Testimonials from previous event attendees
Quotes, photos, videos, and statistics are all excellent inclusions to show the value of an event with social proof.
Getting your Events page right is key to the ultimate success of your association’s next event. The Events page serves as the hub of your digital strategy for the event, encourages more registrations, and prepares members for the upcoming occasion.
If you’re unsure about creating the page in-house, working with a web design company can help you assess and improve your visitors’ experiences, ensure high-quality and branded visuals, add optimizations to follow best practices and boost registrations, and accomplish other goals your association may have.
With powerful visuals, clear event information, an easy registration process, and convincing social proof, your association will be primed for success. Good luck!
