In the present day, you need exceptional marketing strategies to launch a successful virtual event. With the high competition in the virtual event space, you must stand out to:
- Drive conversions
- Attract audience’s interest
- Boost attendance for your upcoming virtual event
Remember, all virtual events happen online on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Zoom. You get to connect with your audience through voice calls or video chats. There’s also a growing market trend of specialized virtual event platforms like webinars and conferencing.
Thus, depending on your purpose, you can host the event in any of the following ways:
- Invite-only webinars
- Publicly hosted live streams
- Online conferences that require paid passes
- Informal social media events, for example, live-tweeting or open forum sessions.
One great advantage of hosting a virtual event is that it’s relatively inexpensive. You don’t have to rent out some physical space. Virtual events statistics reveal that 84% of organizations discovered virtual events as much cheaper than in-person ones.
Besides, you can also engage a global audience while at the comfort of your couch. The same virtual events statistics indicate that 80% of event organizers have reached a wider audience by hosting virtual events.
Hosting a virtual event should never be an overwhelming task. Our article below will look at some fantastic virtual event marketing ideas that perhaps you never knew about. Once you grasp these ideas, they’ll help you ensure that your online event is always compelling, leaving everyone yearning for more.
Let’s delve in.
1. Maximize the Use of Technology
Marketing teams can only create a smooth and successful event when things are well-planned. Through proper organization and communication, stakeholders can ensure that all aspects of the marketing plan are met.
In today’s technologically-influenced world, there are many tools that can be used to smoothen planning. One of these tools is the association management software (AMS). These kinds of software help organizations streamline all tasks that should be accomplished.
This technology provides an avenue for the team to conduct meetings, layout future plans, and track progress. In marketing virtual events, this tool is essential as it keeps everyone on track with what needs to be accomplished to make the event successful.
Other helpful features:
- Broadcast emails
- Automated registration
- Organized member directory
- Progress reports
- Calendar
- Mobile app availability
Related reading; Marketing Trends to keep an eye on in 2022.
2. Launch Email Marketing
Email marketing is a remarkable tool for virtual event marketing. This explains why 76% of marketers affirm that email is the most effective strategy to drive online event registrations. Indeed, many people use email — usually, you can’t register for an online event without one.
When sending the pre-event emails, you should not think that one reminder will be enough. Instead, you need to send several reminders because email messages are easy to miss. So, if one misses a specific reminder, they’re likely to read others.
It’s recommended that you send at least three email reminders before your event.
They also help to assure the registrants that the event is still on.
Most virtual event attendees might also join sessions directly through the email links provided on the event day. They’re also likely to follow up with leads through post-event emails. This makes email your primary focus area for promotions and conversions.
For an effective email marketing strategy, use it alongside social media marketing such as LinkedIn. This will benefit your subsequent online events and beyond.
Below are essential tips you should consider for both pre-event and post-event.
Pre-Event Email Reminder Tips:
- Send a week and a day before the event
- Send on the day and at the start of the event
- Send to those who registered and haven’t signed in yet
After the event, you don’t want your attendees to leave and lose touch. Instead, you want to keep engaging them and get them into your sales pipe. Let’s see what you should do post-event.
Post-Event Email Reminder Tips:
- Send a thank-you email to all subscribers
- Follow up with a post-event survey
- Send invites for future webinars or upcoming events
- Ask for reviews politely to post on your site’s registration pages
- Keep your audience up-to-date and connected with your brand through email leads, product updates, and ongoing blogs
Remember that it usually takes several points of contact with a potential lead to close a sale. So, the longer you manage to keep your lead engaged with your brand and your content, the more likely you’ll close the deal.
Also, setting up automatic email notifications enables your participants to receive email alerts as soon as they register for the event.
3. Utilize the Event ‘Register Now’ Button
It helps to ensure that the “Register Now” button is visible. You can also add multiple registration buttons, perhaps one at the top and another at the page’s bottom.
Also, try to test different event registration pages. Find out if a red, green, or blue-colored registration button is more effective. It may sound simple, but minor wording or color twists in your call-to-action can make a huge difference in converting clients.
Some virtual event platforms make use of an event registration page builder. It allows for:
- Automatic email notification configuration
- Fully-brandable customization
Thus, you can create eye-catching registration pages and buttons by including your company’s logo and brand colors.
Related Reading; 4 Practical Ways Event Marketing can grow your Business.
4. Make Good Use of the Event Page to Help in Conversion
Did you know that your event page is very fundamental? It’s the primary source of every important information your guests will ever need to know to attend your event.
Therefore, ensure you make your event page impressive to your audience. It should inspire the audience to sign up for the event.
Ask yourself: do the targeted audience have a particular problem? If yes, ensure you highlight on the page how your event can fix the issue.
Show the people that your virtual event will give them the solution they want. And that, it will explain to them everything they need to know. Make sure you illustrate this most creatively and honestly possible.
Some important things you can include on the event page are:
- Pictures
- The event date
- A well-formulated blurb describing your event
- Videos perhaps from previous events
- Details about guest speakers
- Some social proof or customer reviews
Additionally, it’s important to create shareable buttons on your social media posts. It helps to spread the word quickly about the event.
- Use the Art of Narrative to Create Your Event
The narratives are engaging. They make people enjoy and identify more with the brand. Indeed, people are likely to join events that tell a story through their agenda.
The power of a narrative is that it can inform, entertain, and persuade. It also helps to forge deep and lasting connections.
So, how should you come up with a narrative?
- Start by planning your event narrative
- Reflect your narrative in the agenda
- Select and organize your session content appropriately
Remember that all great events have:
- A subjective agenda
- Relevant content
- Immersive session experience.
Key Takeaways
We have discovered timely virtual event marketing ideas that will benefit you in many ways. The technology available to us today provides an ocean of beneficial services.
As you promote your virtual event, keep in mind that you need to maintain regular communication with multiple segments of your audience. They include your associates, invitees, confirmed registrants, and presenters.
Keeping prospective clients engaged is the best way to maintain long-term loyal clients. Once your audiences are too satisfied with your brand, they’re likely to inform their social circles about your product or service. This is a plus for you in terms of continuous marketing growth.