Virtual and online events are becoming more commonplace in the modern era. They allow businesses to reach a global audience with hundreds of people in different places at different times. Planning, promoting, and hosting a virtual event requires the same attention to detail as real-life events. However, not every in-person event will translate well into a virtual format. Below are two specific event advertising strategies that will ensure your online program won’t get lost in the digital shuffle.
At this point, you should know your brand style, what your audience is looking for and how you fulfil it. Now it’s time to start getting your marketing plan in place. First things first, do you have a budget? Fortunately, you will be surprised what you can accomplish without a large budget behind your virtual event with these channels.
Website: If your site has a high traffic volume, how can you position your virtual event to get the most eyeballs from your existing audience? You can also make use of the “Event Marketing” learning centre page to promote your conference that is coming up.
Webinars: In a virtual event, the interaction between the attendees and hosts or employers is made possible with the help of webinars. They are an excellent way to share information about your products and services. They enable you to interact with your intended audience, tell them what you stand for and answer their questions to help them connect with your brand. Use webinars to position your company as a thought leader, generate leads for your business, and to gain feedback from participants.
Social media: Which social platforms are your audience most active on? That’s where you should be posting about your event! Make sure you create a hashtag to increase your reach. Keeping up a consistent schedule of social posts and interacting with your audience is a great way to build relationships and trust with your potential customers. Based on your marketing timeline and plan, start sharing your event on social media. You can always kick things off with a date/time/location announcement.
Partnerships: What other organizations do you have relationships with that share a similar audience to yours? Tapping into partners is a great way to promote without a budget. Try reaching out and offer cross-promotional opportunities, special discounts, or even speaking opportunities to get your event in front of relevant audiences.
This page is the place where everyone goes to learn about your event. Use a simple tool like Cvent Flex to make it stand out and entice people to sign up by including eye-catching graphics, professional pictures and engaging clips of keynote speakers, workshop leaders, and performers. Your web presence should be styled based on your branding and include the following:
Key information: Include the event name, dates, location (even if virtual), and call-to-action, above the fold.
Agenda: The event agenda should be in the top navigation so that it is easily accessible. Attendee will need this to decide if they are going to register.
Pricing: Pricing should be visible, and all pricing tiers should be transparent.
What to expect: Tell your audience what to expect with your event. What is the format? What platform is it on? What will they get out of it? People want to know what they’re getting into.
Other information: Also include speaker bios and sponsor to increase attendees’ excitement.
Remember to include all of the essential details, so your event page is a one-stop-shop for information and attendee actions.
There is nothing more heartbreaking than pouring your soul into an event only to have no attendees. The outreach for a virtual event is vastly different from a live one. Make sure you have all the above bases covered to ensure you get the web traffic and exposure you desire.
