How To Make A Sales Funnel For Events
Event organizers face unique challenges in attracting attendees, selling tickets, and maximizing registrations in an increasingly competitive marketplace. A well-designed sales funnel can help event professionals showcase their events, build anticipation, and convert more prospects into paid attendees. This guide will show you how to build, market, and implement a sales funnel specifically for your events.
If you're an event planner, conference organizer, or seminar host looking to increase ticket sales and attendance, there are several excellent platforms that can help you build effective event-focused sales funnels without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
The first step to making your event sales funnel is choosing the right platform. However, selecting from numerous options can be overwhelming, especially when you're busy with event logistics and planning. Keep reading this guide to see our suggested picks and a step-by-step guide to making a sales funnel for your events.
The Best Platforms For Event Sales Funnels
When choosing a platform for your event sales funnel, you need specific features that address the unique needs of event marketing. The ideal platform should include countdown timers, speaker/performer showcasing, agenda displays, and ticket processing capabilities. It should also help you build anticipation and create urgency as the event date approaches. Based on these requirements, we've ranked the top 5 platforms for event sales funnels:
1. ClickFunnels
Get started with ClickFunnels (Free Trial) ๐
ClickFunnels offers event organizers a comprehensive solution with templates specifically designed for event promotion and ticket sales. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create multi-step funnels that showcase speakers or performers, highlight event benefits, and process registrations. ClickFunnels includes built-in countdown timers and scarcity features that are essential for creating urgency around limited-time ticket offers. It provides a 14-day free trial to test all features.
2. Leadpages
Get Started with Leadpages (Free Trial) ๐
Leadpages offers user-friendly templates ideal for event lead generation and ticket sales. Its alert bars and pop-ups are effective for promoting early bird pricing, limited seating announcements, or speaker reveals. Leadpages makes it easy to create lead magnets such as “Event Preview Guides” or “Industry Reports” that provide value while capturing prospect information for event marketing.
3. Unbounce
Get started with Unbounce (Free Trial) ๐
Unbounce provides event marketers with highly customizable landing pages perfect for specific event types like conferences, workshops, or concerts. Its Smart Traffic feature automatically directs potential attendees to the landing page variant where they're most likely to convert based on their specific interests. Unbounce excels at A/B testing different event messaging and offers to optimize registration rates.
4. Instapage
Get started with Instapage (Free Trial) ๐
Instapage allows event organizers to create personalized landing pages for different audience segments or ticket tiers. Its collaboration features make it easy for event teams to work together on marketing campaigns. Instapage's heatmap analytics help identify which aspects of your event presentation most resonate with potential attendees.
5. Elementor
Get started with Elementor (Free Version Available) ๐
Elementor provides WordPress users with a flexible platform to create custom event funnels. Its countdown timers, speaker showcase elements, and agenda templates are particularly suited for event promotion. The platform's free version offers sufficient functionality for many small events, with the Pro version adding features like popup builders and form widgets for more advanced event marketing needs.
Conclusion
After evaluating multiple platforms, ClickFunnels stands out as the best choice for event organizers due to its comprehensive approach combining event showcasing, ticket processing, and urgency creation in one integrated system. While it requires a monthly investment, the potential return through increased ticket sales can quickly justify the cost.
However, if you're working with a limited budget or promoting a smaller event, Elementor's free version provides an excellent starting point with many essential features for event marketing.
Now that we have identified our top choice, let's show you how to make an event sales funnel using ClickFunnels.
How to Make a Sales Funnel for Events Using ClickFunnels
Building an effective event sales funnel involves creating excitement, demonstrating value, and making registration as seamless as possible. The following steps will guide you through making a funnel that converts prospects into registered attendees.
Step 1: Sign Up for ClickFunnels
Create your account and take advantage of the 14-day free trial to explore all features before committing.
Step 2: Define Your Event Strategy
Before building your funnel:
- Clarify your event's unique value proposition and key benefits
- Identify your target attendee profiles and what they seek from your event
- Establish your ticket tiers and pricing strategy
- Determine early bird deadlines and special offer timing
- Gather speaker/performer information and testimonials from past events
- This clarity will guide your funnel design and promotional messaging
Step 3: Make Your Event Teaser Landing Page
- Add a compelling headline highlighting the transformative nature of your event
- Include event dates, location, and a prominent countdown timer
- Add a sizzle reel video or highlight montage from previous events
- Feature key speakers, performers, or activities with brief descriptions
- Include testimonials from past attendees highlighting specific benefits
- Offer a valuable lead magnet (event preview, speaker interviews, etc.)
- Create a simple form to capture basic information and interests
- Add social proof like past attendance numbers or notable participants
Step 4: Design Your Lead Magnet Delivery Page
After prospects submit their information:
- Thank them for their interest in your event
- Provide immediate access to your promised resource
- Include additional event highlights and unique features
- Add a preview of exclusive content or experiences
- Feature an early bird or special registration offer
- Make it easy to register directly from this page
- Include a countdown timer for limited-time offers
Step 5: Build Your Registration Page
Create a conversion-optimized ticket sales page:
- Include a comprehensive event description and key benefits
- Feature the full speaker/performer lineup with credentials
- Show the complete agenda or event schedule
- Display different ticket tiers with clear value distinctions
- Implement scarcity indicators for limited seating or early bird pricing
- Add an FAQ section addressing common questions
- Include a mobile-friendly registration form
- Feature secure payment processing with multiple options
Step 6: Make Your Order Bump and Upsell System
Increase average transaction value:
- Offer VIP upgrades during the registration process
- Add pre-event workshops or exclusive sessions
- Include merchandise, recordings, or materials packages
- Provide group registration discounts
- Offer accommodation or transportation packages if applicable
- Make adding these extras a simple one-click process
Step 7: Design Your Confirmation and Attendance Preparation Page
After registration:
- Provide clear confirmation of successful registration
- Include essential event logistics (directions, parking, accommodations)
- Add preparation recommendations and what to bring
- Feature a countdown to the event to build anticipation
- Include social sharing options to promote to colleagues or friends
- Offer networking opportunities with other confirmed attendees
- Provide a calendar invitation or reminder setup
Step 8: Implement Follow-up Sequences
Set up automated email campaigns for registrants:
- Immediate confirmation and receipt
- Event preparation materials and logistics
- Speaker/performer spotlights and interviews
- Countdown reminders with increasing frequency
- Last-minute instructions and excitement building
- Mobile check-in or ticket access information
- Post-event surveys and next-event announcements
Step 9: Develop Abandoned Cart Recovery
Create systems for recovering lost registrations:
- Exit-intent popups with special incentives
- Abandoned registration email sequences
- Last-chance reminders before price increases
- Personalized outreach for high-value incomplete registrations
- Social proof notifications about others who've registered
- Limited-time discount codes for fence-sitters
Step 10: Make Segmented Marketing Funnels
Create separate paths for different attendee types:
- First-time vs. returning attendees
- Various industry segments or interest areas
- Different budget levels and decision-making processes
- Early birds vs. last-minute decision makers
- Local vs. traveling attendees
- Each with tailored messaging and specific benefits
Step 11: Build Your Referral and Group Registration System
Leverage existing registrants to increase attendance:
- Attendee referral programs with incentives
- Team or group registration discounts
- Content sharing tools for promoting to colleagues
- Ambassador programs for industry influencers
- Company or organization bulk purchase options
- Tracking and reward systems for referral sources
Step 12: Measure, Track, and Optimize
Monitor key metrics to continuously improve performance:
- Lead capture conversion rates by traffic source
- Email open and click rates for event content
- Registration page visit-to-purchase ratio
- Upsell and add-on acceptance percentages
- Abandoned cart recovery success
- Attendee acquisition cost by marketing channel
- Lifetime value of repeat attendees
By following these steps with ClickFunnels, event organizers can make an effective sales funnel that builds excitement, showcases event value, streamlines the registration process, and maximizes attendance. This systematic approach not only increases ticket sales but also improves attendee experience from the very first touch point.