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If there’s one thing that any event can’t go without, it’s the guests. This is why sending the perfect event invitation is essential for event organisers. Your guests won’t show up if they don’t see your email invitation. But how do you make sure people actually show up?
The first thing you should consider is picking the right medium to interact with customers. With an average open rate of 98% and a response rate of around 50%, WhatsApp is an option you simply have to consider. Sending your customers event invitations via WhatsApp is a great way to tell customers about your events as well as to get them to RSVP.
In this article, I’ll show you how to send WhatsApp event invitations and reminders as well as share some short and sweet samples you can use for your events.
The benefits of sending WhatsApp invites messages and reminders
- WhatsApp allows brands to create a more personal touch with their customers. Your messages are received in between chats from friends and family, resulting in higher open rates and more click-throughs. Your customers are more likely to respond when they receive invitations via WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp enables quick and easy communication, which makes it a great tool for event organisers to use. You can quickly send out event updates, answer customer queries, and provide event information in real time.
- WhatsApp is conversational by nature. You can use emojis, GIFs and stickers to make your messages more human.
- Your customers are used to being on WhatsApp. And your competitors aren’t. That gives you a great chance to stand out from the competition.
- WhatsApp marketing is a low-cost marketing alternative in terms of marketing expenses. It comes with fixed costs regardless of when you send out a campaign or a broadcast. This means that you have better control over your spending, whether it's during peak seasons or competitive periods. On the other hand, running ad campaigns for Facebook marketing during peak hours or peak seasons can result in much higher costs. This is because you’re competing against many other businesses that are trying to tap into the same time period, so you have to bid higher to get your ad campaign seen.
How to send a WhatsApp event invitation message or reminder
You can send your event invitations or reminders to your customers as bulk messages via the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API.
A bulk message is a message that is sent from a single WhatsApp Business user to multiple phone numbers at the same time. All receivers of the message will see it coming in as a private message.
Difference between the WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API?
❌ With the WhatsApp Business app, you can only send a bulk message to a maximum number of 256 contacts at a time.
✅ With WhatsApp Business API, you can send a bulk message to up to at least 1000 recipients per day.
❌ With the WhatsApp Business app, customers need to have you saved as a contact in order for you to be able to send them a bulk message.
✅ With the API, you can reach customers who don’t have you saved as a contact.
The API doesn’t come with an interface, which is why you’ll need to use a solution like a Trengo to access it.
When sending a bulk message via the API, you have to use template messages. These messages have to be approved by WhatsApp before you can send them out.
Once you’re on the platform and you have successfully requested your WhatsApp Business message templates, you can take the following steps:
- In the sidebar menu, click on the broadcast icon.
- Next, click on ‘New Broadcast’.
- Fill out the fields as explained in the sections below.
You need to fill out the following information:
- The internal name for your message
- From which number you’ll send the message
- Which template you’ll use
- Which recipients will receive the message
- When the message should be delivered
How to set up a WhatsApp event RSVP automation
You now know how to send an invitation on WhatsApp, but how do you get people to RSVP?
You can ask guests to confirm their attendance by putting “yes” and “no” buttons at the end of the message. In order to do that, you can set a rule on Trengo that when customers click on the “yes” button, it will automatically be labelled as RSVP. This way you will be able to measure how many guests will attend your event.
Using this automation tool makes event management simple for the hosts and event organisers.
Here’s a WhatsApp event invitation message you can use:
“Dear [name],
We’re hosting a [workshop name] on [date], from [start time] to [end time]. Top experts such as [highlight names] will help you reach your business goals.
Here’s what you can expect:
[Key learning#1] [Key learning#2] [Key learning#3]
We hope to see you there!
Please let us know if you’ll attend our workshop.
You can RSVP here easily:
Yes or No”
Collect RSVPs on WhatsApp via a QR code
Last year, we organized an event called WhatsApp Commerce at Trengo. We served our guests small chocolates with our branded QR codes on them. 🍫
When attendees scanned the QR code that is attached to it, they started a conversation with our WhatsApp Business account with a message ready to be sent. All they had to do was to hit ‘send’ to sign up for the newsletter.
You can also collect RSVPs by sending out your event flyers with a QR code on them.
With this QR code, guests could easily start a WhatsApp conversation and respond to your invitation with a single scan.
6 ready-to-use WhatsApp event invitation templates
When you send the event invitation, your guests will ask the question: “What’s in it for me?”. You need to provide the answer to that question in the message. Make sure to include your event’s unique selling points.
You can make your event invitations more personalised while including all the essential information. With placeholders such as [customer name], [venue], and [date], you can personalise your messages.
Need some inspiration? You can use one of these WhatsApp event invitation samples.
1. “We’re launching our new product line and we want you to be there 🤩 From [time] to [time] on [date], come by the store on [address] and see our new line of products. You may win a free [product]! Hope to see you there!”
2. “Hey [name]! It’s been a while. We have some exciting news! 🥁
We’ll host a Virtual Happy Hour with our community members on [time]. What are the world’s leading brands planning for 2023 and beyond? Hear the latest news from our founders and thought leaders in the industry.
Featuring presentations from:
[Speaker#1] [Speaker#2] [Speaker#3]
RVSP now: [link]”
3. “Hi [name]! We know these messages are typically about what’s going on at [company name], but this message is all about you. 😍
We wouldn’t be here today without you, so we decided to celebrate our customers at a special event. We’ll get together at [venue] on [date and time].
Aside from a chance to mix and mingle, you’ll also enjoy: [benefits]
Reserve your spot here: [link]”
4. “Howdy [name]! We are celebrating our 30th anniversary this weekend and we're inviting our community to a party to celebrate! 🎉🎉🎉 All weekend long, you can stop by from [time] to [time] to get great deals and exclusive gifts as a thank-you for keeping us around all these years! We can’t wait to see you there!”
5. “[Name], you don’t want to miss this! 🎸
[Music Festival] pre-sale starts now for our VIP members!
Check out some of the amazing artists playing this year:
[artist1] [artist2] [artist3]
Click here to buy your ticket now: [link]”
6. “Top suggestions for you this week.
Check out a few highlights based on your interests.
➡️ Social Media Strategies Summit [date] [venue]
Save your spot [link]
➡️ Global Virtual MarTech Summit [date]
Save your spot [link]
➡️ Lead Generation World London [date] [venue]
Save your spot [link]
See all upcoming events to get more ideas and suggestions.[link]"
Start using WhatsApp event invitation messages for your business
WhatsApp event invitations help you increase engagement and provide more personalised communication with your audience. It is a cost-effective marketing strategy that can help you promote your events successfully.
With Trengo, you can tailor and template your event invitations, automate the flow and broadcast them to your entire target audience on WhatsApp. Thanks to a large number of active users and high open rates, WhatsApp is the right place to drive engagement and create memorable experiences with your guests.
Ready to start sending high-converting invitations?
