Mini-Websites Boost Event Attendance
for Microsoft Business Solutions

Event marketers should strongly consider multi-channel marketing to promote their events.
A direct mail invitation plus a mini-Website is a perfect example of effective multi-channel
marketing. The primary benefits of creating a stand alone “mini-Website” for your next
event are two-fold. First, it promotes the event specifics, including dates, locations,
agenda, contact information, etc. Second, it provides a quick and easy way for the
invitees to register for the event and for you to manage registrations.

Microsoft Business Solutions, Fargo, North Dakota, has made the mini-Website concept a primary part of promoting its Customer Briefing events. Each event marketing effort combines direct mail and the Web in an effort to increase customer briefing attendance.

Twice a year, Microsoft Business Solutions holds a customer briefing event in about 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. The event is designed to help customers learn more about the Microsoft Business Solutions products they already own. In addition, the company shares new capabilities and upcoming strategies with attendees.

Review the Fall 2002 Customer Briefing mini-site

How Does It Work?

Generally, the direct mail invitation and the mini-Website can be developed simultaneously, once the theme, photography and copy concepts are identified and approved.

The mini-Website is launched and tested approximately a week before the invitation is mailed. For the Customer Briefing events, the site includes a home page that is consistent in look and feel to the invitation postcard. With just one click, the visitor can link to the list of locations, agenda, prize and contact information. Daughter windows present directions to each individual event location. A simple registration form collects the necessary data from attendees and a thank-you page provides confirmation and options.

Automated follow-up e-mails integrate personal information and event specifics to serve as a confirmation and then a reminder for each registrant.

The Results

Like most event campaigns, the primary objective for the Customer Briefing events is to generate attendance. By combining a stand alone mini-Website, designed specifically for the event, with a direct mail postcard invitation, Johnson Direct has generated the following results for Microsoft Business Solutions:

• Increased registrations compared to previous invitation
• Reduced cost of invitation compared to previous invitation
• Created a themed and “catchy” print invitation to grab the attention of customers
• Created an urgent call-to-action for customers to register online
• Automated registration process

Multi-channel marketing is proven to increase response rates. In fact, according to an AMR Research survey of marketers who integrate traditional and interactive efforts:

• 62% reported an increase of 5-10 percentage points in their response rate
• 16% saw an increase of 11 percentage points or more

A final statistic: when direct mail and e-mail campaigns are coordinated so that e-mail is sent before and after the direct mail piece, the response rate of the direct mail campaign alone is DOUBLED.

Back to Marketing Know-how