Have you taken painstaking efforts to line up speakers, put together an agenda, create slides – and now nobody is RSVPing to your association meeting? That can be super frustrating.

Organizing a worthwhile event is only half the battle; marketing and promoting the meeting can be just as important for attracting attendees to your happening.

Here are 3 big mistakes you may be making during your event promotions.

People Don’t understand the Value or Benefit of Attending

Does your invitation copy just have a list of times and speakers? Or does it lay out the value attendees will gain from attending?

People want to know what they will gain by showing up. Point out any new skills they will learn. Tell them about industry experts they may rub elbows with. Mention any resources they will walk away with, such as speaker slides, templates, or copies of a book.

With just a simple switch to your tone, you can attract registrants by telling them what they will receive instead of what you will be providing. The wording differences are subtle, yet have a powerful impact.

You’re Not Making it Easy to RSVP

Gone are the days of sending in a handwritten form and a check. Attendees want an easy to use online sign up.

Steer clear of incredibly long registration forms; ask for the least amount of information required. A simple name, address, and company should be enough.

Keeping the RSVP fast will capture those people on the spot. Upon seeing a long registration, it is all too common for people to tell themselves they will come back when they have more time – and then never do.

In addition, collecting registration fees online at the time of registration will keep down the number no-shows.

You’re Only Sending One Invitation

Another common reaction potential attendees have is to receive an email invitation far in advance and assume they have plenty of time to RSVP. That email invitation gets buried in a stuffed inbox and maybe even deleted.

Send multiple invitations to keep the meeting top of mind for people. Increase the frequency of the reminders the closer it gets to the meeting.

Are you making these three mistakes with your event registration process? Luckily, they can easily be resolved.

By using effective invitation copy, an online registration tool (such as membership management software), and sending multiple invitations you should see an increase in the number of RSVPs to your association meetings and events.