If you’ve got internet, like 4.39 billion other internet users worldwide, you know content is at your fingertips. And, thanks to social media and smart phones, you can’t escape it. You’re compelled to read about your school’s homecoming queen 20 years ago or watch a video about that goth A/V girl who became a tech millionaire.

Exaggerated a little? Maybe.

We live in a culture that doesn’t want to miss anything. FOMO. Fear of missing out. If you’re interested in a topic, a person, and can gain from it – most of us want in. We want to know more, and you better send it now.

Here’s How to Use FOMO to Drive Traffic to Events

Business owners, experts, and seekers of knowledge want the latest and the greatest information to gain a competitive edge. Customers want the inside scoop. Event managers, marketing directors, VP’s of sales and CEO’s alike want to stay ahead. They want to glean insight, and discover what’s next. Events provide a forum to do just that. Your job is to get customers to take action.

1. Hurry, you could miss out. When you’re marketing events, create a sense of urgency so that people will feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t take action. Do this by offering a limited time to buy, or creating a coupon or discount code that ends on a certain date. If your customer really wants to attend and tickets seem scarce, it may make them move the needle. You want them to feel compelled to buy, and buy now.
2. Create a contest to win VIP tickets. This works best with email opt-in. Create an email campaign to build your list and stay in touch often. Surprise and delight your audience. Take advantage of a perfect opportunity to establish brand loyalty, and give without expectation. Think about non-traditional extras, and ways to make your customers feel important like shout-outs at the event. Make it clear what your event hashtags are, and tag like crazy!
3. Host contests with your audience. Build your following and develop even deeper relationships with your users. Recognize that they’re smart, savvy and can use social media to pump you up or bring you down. First, know what they like and what they’d like to win. FOMO is about winning the prize and having an opportunity to go viral. Identify super brand advocates by hashtags and frequency, and show ’em some love. Remember, a brand is how you make someone feel. Make everyone feel valued.

There you have it. A few ideas on event marketing and FOMO.  Don’t miss out on putting these tactics in your event management strategy.

What are 3 specific ways to drive traffic to your events? We’d love for you to share.