TedX Event Sees 5x Return On Ad Spend Using Messenger Bot

Tech icon Bill Gates once famously declared that "Content is king," but the rapid rise of Messaging as a Platform (MaaP) is changing the way some nonprofits approach annual event marketing.

TedX events bring people together to share ideas via video and speakers, and the 2017 TedXMileHigh event in Denver was one of the brand's largest gatherings to date, with more than 5,100 attendees.

Organizers sought a creative new way to keep attendees' digital attention before, during and after the event, and turned to professional chatbot builder Carrie Gottschalk to develop a solution.

"Messenger bots are a great way to connect with your audience organically at events, to provide value for the day through an interactive digital schedule," Gottschalk said.

TedXMileHigh attendees who subscribed to the bot before the event were able to receive valuable updates about the programming and speaker list prior to arrival.

At the live event, attendees were greeted by a sign featuring a QR code that they could scan. Twelve percent of the audience — 566 people —signed up for the bot on the spot, with only five unsubscribers.

Following the event, TedXMileHigh used an ad spend of $1,535 to grow its total chatbot following to 901 people.

Then, the bot served a ticket sales push for the following year. The message had an 80% open rate, a 34% click-through rate, and ended up selling 106 tickets, generating $7,740 in revenue — a return of more than 5x from its ad spend.

According to MailChimp, the average email open rate for nonprofits is about 24%, with an average click-through rate of 2.57%.

"Due to the sensitive nature of messages being sent to a mobile chat device, it is important that (the bot) provides value, asks questions, and does not just market to people," Gottschalk said. "People interact in chat and conversations much quicker than email."

According to BI Intelligence, about 80% of businesses will leverage chatbots by 2020.