Zoom, Slack, and working from home have taken on new importance, as people around the world switch to working remotely. At this time, virtual events have become the new norm.
Companies and individuals have to think outside of the box and find ways to keep their businesses engaged during times of social distancing. Whether it’s a webinar, teleconference, or live stream, organizing virtual events is a crucial way to keep your business running and connected while staying safe during the COVID-19 crisis.
Give Your Attendees Plenty of Notice
Even though people are working from home, schedules quickly get filled with meetings and deadlines. When organizing virtual events, it’s essential to let your audience know the basics ahead of time: who, what, when, where, and why. You can use event promotion channels like social media, email, and even paid search to market your events.
Related POST: 5 Event Promotion Channels You Can’t Overlook
Make it as easy as possible for those interested to attend. You can create a Facebook event or have an easy, one-click event sign-up in your email marketing campaigns.
Who is Your Event For?
Because of social distancing, many different types of in-person events have had to get a digital makeover. Many virtual events are occurring right now, so it’s essential to narrow down your audience and tailor your approach. Make sure it’s obvious who would benefit the most from attending. If you’re trying to attract younger customers, you can do an Instagram Live event. If your event is more formal and needs audience participation, a webinar using a remote working tool like Zoom would be best.
What is Your Event?
Your audience needs to have a clear idea of what your virtual event will be about. Is this a new product launch, Q&A with the founder, or masterclass with a well-known guest? Let your attendees know beforehand. Know the event hosts, know if there will be any sponsors, plan for audience participation if necessary, and prepare to handle giveaways if any are involved.
Record and reuse content from your virtual event whenever possible to make the most out of your hard work. Repost small clips on social media or record the entire event for YouTube or your website.
When Is the Event?
Timing is critical for a virtual event. Is this a one-off event, or will it be recurring? Using the right event management tools can make remote collaboration across different teams and individuals easier.
Related post: 7 Event Management Tools We Love
You can spread out your content by breaking your virtual events into smaller bits and spreading them out throughout the week or month instead of having one long event.
Where is the Virtual Event?
How can your audience attend? If you’re hosting a webinar, make sure your attendees have the meeting code, ID, password, and any other crucial log-in info. If your hosts or attendees need to download software ahead of time, give them instructions and advance notice. Do a test run with your hosts before the meeting to avoid any issues with video, audio, graphics, or presentation.
Why Should Someone Attend?
The most critical element of your virtual event marketing is explaining why your audience should attend. What makes your event different, unique, and special? What will attendees be getting out of it? Some events can be just for entertainment (concerts and giveaways), while others have a specific agenda (revealing new products or cross-brand promotions).
Virtual events allow businesses to interact with employees, customers, shareholders, and other business partners online with valuable face-to-face time, presentations, product launches, and meetings. There are many different types of virtual events. Digital marketing tools like email and social media help to spread the word about the event and can even repurpose some of the content, such as highlights and clips from the virtual event to share with followers. Marketing and organizing virtual events requires strategy, tools, and extra time as many team members are currently working remotely. If you would like help with marketing virtual events, contact us today. The team at Ironmark is ready and able to help with your marketing and event promotion needs.
