Six Tips For Marketing Your Virtual Event
- The cheapest promotions work the best.
- Promote one virtual event at a time.
- Give enough notice of the event.
- Think differently about when to hold virtual events.
- Focus on the content, not the technology.
- Promise what you'll deliver and deliver what you promise.
The Cheapest Promotions Work The Best
Blast email and prominent exposure on your website seem to have the best response rate, and they are also the fastest and least expensive methods of promotion.
Sending a short "teaser" email with a hyperlink to a full web brochure generally works best for most clients. The best teasers contain the title, speakers' names, event date and time, two or three key benefits and a hyperlink to the complete event description. Your prospects can instantly get to information on the full benefits and features that only a brochure can deliver and can register immediately while their interest is high.
Some organizations are turning back to a judicious mix (and repetition) of faxed promotions and emails. While being careful to follow the latest regulations related to faxes, many virtual event sponsors are finding renewed attention to faxed promotions amidst a barrage of emails.
Promote One Virtual Event At A Time
Email and blast fax are inexpensive enough that you don't need to combine several virtual events into one promotion. With direct mail or other printed promotional copy, clients may succumb to the natural temptation to decrease marketing costs by putting two, three or even four events on one brochure. Unless the events are a series on a single topic (i.e., part 1, 2 and 3 on topic X), we have seen that this is a mistake. It usually waters down the response on all of the events
If at all possible, when marketing electronically, do a stand-alone promotion rather than burying the notice of your virtual event within an e-newsletter or email containing other information. A stand-alone promotion will get much more attention. Remember, though, you do need to promote the event actively. Don't wait for people to find the information on your website.
Give Enough Notice Of The Event
Unless it is a hot topic, you should give your target audience about four to six weeks' notice before the date of the virtual event. Many organizations promote effectively by using different media a few weeks apart. For example, they may send a fax five weeks out followed by an email a few weeks later and a final email reminder a few days before the program. Many people will still register at the very last minute, but they do want to know about it far enough out so they can pencil it in, before their calendars fill up.
Think Differently About When To Hold Virtual Events
Scheduling events in this medium can be counter-intuitive. The best time of the day, day of the week and time of the year may all be different in this format than they are for face-to-face seminars. We have found, for example, that events on Mondays and Fridays have very good attendance. Summer months, and even holiday weeks (i.e., the week between Christmas and New Year's) have worked very well for a number of our clients. When people don't have to leave the office to attend, scheduling can be much more flexible.
Focus On The Content, Not The Technology
No matter how you promote, use the real estate in your promotion to focus on the features and benefits of why this is a must-attend event. The audience does not care about how it works. They just want to know that it is delivered to their offices (or wherever they want) and is, therefore, convenient. In other words, do not let your enthusiasm with the technology carry over to the promotion. The technology is just the delivery mechanism.
Promise What You'll Deliver And Deliver What You Promise
One of the most frequent complaints we see on evaluations is that the content did not match what was advertised. Often sponsors may attempt to increase the audience size at the expense of audience satisfaction. In other words, they may promote the event in general terms, thinking it will attract more registrants. This strategy may produce a result that is the opposite of what was intended - it may dissuade people from registering because potential attendees cannot determine whether or not the event is appropriate for them. And it can often cause disappointment among those who do attend.
The virtual event medium allows organizations to develop topics for a narrow segment of their audience; see document discussing topic selection. Sponsors can target these "niche" topics directly at the intended audience: "This is an introduction/overview for people who have been in this field less than one year." "This advanced-level virtual event is designed for professionals who have been practicing for at least ten years." "This event will appeal to CFOs, senior level accountants and finance officers."
By providing specific information about the event (who should attend, outline or agenda, list of specific outcomes or benefits of attending), registrants can make a more informed decision about attending and will be more satisfied with the event.
