As all events have been canceled due to COVID-19, some businesses and organizations are promoting their latest products and services through virtual events. Although the concept is not new, virtual events provide an engaging way for businesses to stay connected with their audiences despite the challenges of quarantines and social distancing.
Virtual events make it easier for brands to promote their products and services through streaming systems which can be conducted right from their headquarters or other locations. Consumers, in return, have the ability to watch these events live (or recorded in advance), from the comfort of their homes or offices. Virtual events often require different strategies to execute successfully compared to in-person events. Below we’ve outlined some points to consider when preparing for your next virtual event:
- Ensure your message provides a quick curiosity and provides a unique story.
- Distractions at home and remote, it’s important to keep audience attention.
- Use account based marketing communications tools, such as Demandbase, Terminus and Rollworks, to attract a very focused audience and execute a super niche virtual event for deeper insight and engagement.
- With these advanced platforms, a business has the ability to target the right audience without unnecessary spillage.
- If you have the capabilities, use professional video designs and production.
If you are unsure where to start, here are a couple of top virtual event ideas, depending on your objective:
To Increase Content
- Pre-recorded videos – Provide your audience access to your videos on demand. These videos should create an experience that combines brand elements and clear language with a captivating video presentation.
- Animated education content – Look to produce animated content to reduce the production costs found in traditional video while also complying with social distancing and quarantine orders. Walk attendees through a product demo or setup process with ease.
To Increase Engagement
- Virtual event panels and forums – Livestream from your office or home. Hosting an online group is a great way to engage your audience with a live Q&A session.
Although going virtual is a good alternative for businesses at the moment, the online-only format will not be a perfect substitute to seeing a product or meeting people in-person. While in-person events typically have a greater impact on consumer purchasing behavior, events are also an opportunity to build relationships with your customers, prospects, business partners and communities. It is still necessary to keep this connection with your audience even if you can’t do it face to face. To help with this new form of engaging with your audience, follow up with your attendees, provide them with a link to the recorded Q&A session. In addition, consider fielding a questionnaire or survey about attendees’ virtual event experience, to get valuable feedback for your next virtual event. Taking these concepts into consideration will help your business in the long run. This pandemic is affecting everyone in many different ways, and it helps to support each other through these hard times.
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