Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
If your firm uses event marketing, then it is critical to evaluate the success of your efforts. I recommend asking attendees to fill out an evaluation form at the conclusion of each event. This feedback will help you make necessary tweaks to improve future events and collect valuable contact information from attendees. The following tips will help you create a useful event evaluation form.
The basics
Collect contact information for every attendee after each event you host so you can follow up after the event. Below is some standard information to collect:
- Attendee's first and last name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Address (optional)
Evaluation forms commonly ask attendees to rate different aspects of the event, which can help you establish the degree to which each aspect contributed to the event’s success or failure. For example, attendees are asked to rate statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 (strongly disagree) being the lowest score and 5 (strongly agree) being the highest score.
Below are common statements used to evaluate an event:
- The presentation increased my subject knowledge.
- The presentation was relevant and worthwhile.
- The presentation was appropriate for my level of knowledge.
- The time allotted for the presentation was adequate.
- The amount of information presented was adequate.
- The presenters were effective at delivering the material.
- The presentation met my expectations.
- The facilities were comfortable and satisfactory.
- The location was convenient.
- The time and day of the presentation was convenient.
- The use of technology was effective.
- The food provided was satisfactory.
- The audio and video materials were effective.
- The handouts were satisfactory.
- There was ample time for questions and discussion.
Supplemental information
Beyond evaluating the individual event, it is good practice to plant the seed for future events. Ask your attendees if they plan on attending future events and if they would likely bring a guest. Also ask for ideas for future events or how you can improve the event next time. This type of open-ended question can generate ideas that may not have occurred to you on your own.
Below are four supplemental questions to include on your evaluation form to gather this type of information:
- How likely are you to attend one of our future presentations?
- How likely are you to invite a guest to a future presentation?
- What topic(s) would you like to see in future presentations?
- Do you have additional comments about today's presentation?
Call to action
Whether you are hosting a public seminar or a social event, the goal is to bring in more business. The evaluation form can help with this if you provide a clear call to action. At the bottom of your evaluation form, include a box for attendees to check that says, "I would like to schedule a consultation to discuss my personal situation." Adding this one sentence makes it simple for your attendees to tell you that they are interested in your services.
Email opt-in
Collecting email addresses from attendees enables you to continue marketing to them in the future. While collecting email addresses is an important part of an event-marketing strategy, make sure that you are asking people to opt-in to receive your emails. One way to do this is to include a statement at the bottom of your evaluation form indicating that, by providing an email address on this form, the attendee is agreeing to receive future email communication from you.
An evaluation form should be short and easy to fill out. Limiting the length of the evaluation form to one page increases the likelihood of attendees completing the form. While you may have an inclination to ask qualifying demographic questions such as net worth, be careful not to ask for information that would deter someone from filling out the form. Focus on gathering the information required to help you improve future events and follow up with attendees after the event.
Kristen Luke is the CEO and President of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm specializing in outsourced marketing department services to Registered Investment Advisors and fee-only financial planning firms. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.
Read more articles by Kristen Luke
