Best Email Marketing Tool for an In-Person Event Host
As a community builder and seasoned in-person event host, I know there are SO. MANY. MOVING. PARTS. when it comes to planning, communicating and executing an incredible experience for your attendees. From pre-launch excitement, to mid launch hype, to purchase point details and post event recaps - the ability to communicate easily and in a way that is aligned with my brand is essential. Tech can be an overwhelming beast to take on as an entrepreneur or small business owner and it’s easy to get caught up in trying to navigate what may be the right options for you and the current season of your business. What I have found personally is that simplification is key. If something is overly complicated, I simply won’t use it. So, when selecting my communication tool the solution I went with was a total no brainer for me.
We are all about streamlined processes and open communication around here which is why Flodesk is one of my no-brainer top tools when it comes to nurturing my community, informing them about upcoming event opportunities and keeping them in the loop both pre and post events. Not only do I find the platform extremely user friendly (which of course is a plus), but it has everything that I need for an on-brand, smooth communication process with my community.
In this blog, I’m breaking down the ways that I personally use Flodesk as an in person event host to create the most seamless experience for my community.
Brand Consistency: I actually did a rebrand earlier this year and had to go through all of the places to ensure that things were all updated with the new brand kit. Some places were more challenging than others to update efficiently but the ability to quickly and easily update my brand assets within the Flodesk platform was a breath of fresh air.
As an experiential brand hosting tons of in person events, it was essential that the visual representation of my brand was consistent in all of the places. I was able to update assets like my brand colors, logo, font files etc in just a few minutes to ensure that it was aligned with my new brand identity. By far the most seamless of all of my experiences!
Subscriber Segmentation: I host a monthly event series under my brand, The Table™ and each and every one has different communication patterns, details and follow up items that need to be conveyed to attendees. From the front end marketing of the events, to post purchase details and recap communication - having the ability to quickly and easily segment my audience into associated groups based on events is a non-negotiable. I use subscriber segmentation in a few different ways like opt-in forms to associated segments, post purchase automations from Kajabi to Flodesk with Zapier and interest lists. This functionality is extremely easy to navigate and ensures that I am able to communicate clearly and effectively with my community.
Opt-In Forms: Speaking of opt-in forms, this is something that I utilize very frequently as an in-person event host. Some of the most common uses are for email subscribers wanting to gain first dibs access to any upcoming event announcements, waitlists for specific upcoming events, lead generation for future events through lead magnet delivery or opt-ins coming from speaking engagements or podcast interviews. I especially like to segment out different audiences coming from specific speaking opportunities or guesting on podcasts so that I can easily track that volume and the ROI on my time and energy in those different arenas. When I create an opt-in form, generally speaking it has one of three paths that are triggered via the form.
The subscriber receives a deliverable item from me in the form of a lead magnet (i.e. a PDF, training video, checklist, worksheet, etc.)
The subscriber is added to a waitlist and starts to receive nurture emails through my regular email programming
The subscriber is placed into a workflow with a pre-created and automated drip sequence (like a welcome sequence for example)
Use of Flodesk’s opt-in forms not only makes it extremely easy for my ideal client to tell me what it is that they are interested in hearing about from me but also allows me on the back end to manage that opt-in in a multitude of different ways.
Templates: One of the big draws for me to Flodesk specifically was the ability to utilize their already pre-created templates to make creating visually intriguing emails less overwhelming. The platform is already equipped with templates for different purposes that you are able to customize to match your own personal brand requirements while having the ease of use with quick color swaps, drag and drop additions of media and more. Earlier this year, Flodesk added in a new feature Template Sharing. This new tool not only allows Flodesk users to create and share their own templates like some other design platforms do BUT it also allows the ability for creators to sell those templates to their email subscribers. This was a huge draw for many creatives who were design savvy and new that they could take some additional burden off of their ideal client but having a low cost digital product to offer them even as a lead gen tool to grow their email list. The ability to create what I need once and then just duplicate, modify and send makes the amount of time I am needing to spend on the design side of my emails decrease dramatically.
Workflows: Last but certainly not least, I can’t neglect to mention the power of workflows. Again, ease of use is the name of the game with Flodesk. The simple click-to-add functionality when designing workflows makes it incredibly intuitive to tell the platform exactly what you want the end user experience to feel like. Starting with identifying the initial trigger for the workflow, you are then able to customize options like a time delay before the next step, email automation, taking action based on conditions and more. I am able to create a unique user experience for each and every offer and event that I have customized to the needs of that specific item and have everything take place behind the scenes without real time human touch - which when you have as many moving parts as I do is a MUST.
I hope you found this roundup helpful and if you are new to email marketing or looking for something new that is extremely user friendly to use - Flodesk is your new bestie. You can even snag 50% off your first year for the first 12 months with this link. And the best part is - it’s an incredible affordable flat rate that doesn’t increase as your list does!
