While digital marketing tools allow marketers to speak to specific audience segments, they don’t always get through to VIP prospects with personalized messages, mdg’s KC Coerr said. But there are exceptions, and in a pinch, you can create an effective email strategy to grow attendance.

Coerr provides the example of an event she marketed several years ago — free to attendees but requiring that they be qualified first. “Registration was tracking well behind our benchmarks,” she said. “I personally emailed every registrant, letting them know that seats were limited, but we were allowing them the opportunity to offer three of their qualified peers a seat. I customized each email with the registrant’s name and organization and I provided details around the qualifications.”

By employing the “scarcity principle,” Coerr created the perception that this was an exclusive, limited opportunity. “We ended up with a standing-room-only crowd,” she said, “with a significant percentage of attendance driven through these referrals — and it was all done pretty much at the last minute through email.”

The most successful marketing campaigns use “a healthy mix of varied tactics to ensure all audience segments are reached in the way that makes the most sense to them,” Coerr said. And, as her example shows, what makes the most sense in a given situation.