Hints and Tips for Online Invitations

Today, PartyLite launched online email invitations for our hosts. I have been using these for the past month and have the following hints and tips.

1. Read the instructions before setting up your first host. This is a professional service and you need to know how it works before sending it out.
2. When you get the booking, offer your new host the option of email and postcard invitations in addition to facebook and SMS.
3. Explain clearly that the set-up is completely private; you will never have access to the email addresses she enters.
4. Write a confirmation email to your new host and reiterate your two available options to assist her in inviting guests.
5. Test the system once with a friend as the host so you can see what happens on the host side and explain it more clearly for other clients.
6. Make the benefits all about THEM not you. DON'T say, "It's cool because I can see how many people you've invited." DO say, "It's cool because the emails are beautiful, you can see who has responded, and you can send out reminders automatically a few days before."
7. Give your hosts incentives to use the online email invitations. For example, if they invite 25 people using e-invites let them know you'll buy them a box of tealights.
8. Encourage them to use the online email invitations as just one of their invitation methods. Personally, I use email, facebook, SMS, and postcards for every show. Not necesarily for every person, but different people get different invites.

I hope these hints help you. Let me know what successes and suggestions you have with online invitations. Happy selling!