The COVID-19 pandemic as we are well aware has greatly affected every economic sector across the globe. In this article, we will focus specifically on the events industry. Physical events that are hosted on a global scale spends the most amount of money - from registration, physical attendance, event materials and more. Then came the pandemic, unfortunately resulting in cancellations or postponements for all these annual events.
However, with a swift and efficient strategy as well as by pivoting through the challenges confined to a physical space, events can still take place. How you may ask? By turning them into virtual events.
Many sectors have started to utilize digital platforms for business, transactions, education and also communication - what once was an annual event can now be transformed into a virtual event too. Not only is it a safe option for both organizers and attendees during this pandemic, but it also is a cost effective method to host a successful event online.
Advantages of Hosting Virtual Events
Aside from physical safety, here are more reasons why it is beneficial to host your events online:
What will you need to host a virtual event?
During the COVID-19 lockdown mid last year, we were privileged to have assisted our client to “relocate” their annual physical event to digital platforms which consisted of website development, content creation, social media management, EDM development and management as well as PPC advertising. Based on this experience and latest addition to our ever-growing portfolio, let us break down what you will need to host a successful virtual event:
People may or may not have heard about your company and your annual events, nevertheless what do you think will be the first thing they will search for when they come across your virtual event? That’s right, it is your website. It is important to set up your website so your audience will know that your event is legitimate. Your website will also need to display important information regarding the event such as ticket prices, topics covered, guest speakers, contact information and more.
This is an absolute essential step as your audience will be able to register their details and complete payments with ease through a single online page. This digital registration page will replace physical registration, instead of having your attendees register through means of physical forms, your attendees will be able to register online, anytime and anywhere, even from the comfort of their own homes. One of the many advantages of this page is that you will be able to export all the data that the page captures and in return you will have a database of attendees as well as their ticket purchases information.
The latest advancement of technology has paved the way for an array of virtual meeting platforms for you to choose to host your events. Some well known ones are Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Do choose the platform that best supplies to your needs such as screen sharing capabilities, call controls and more.
Now that you have your website set up and people are slowly starting to register, how do you keep your attendees up to date with the latest news, promotions and relevant insights? You set up social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or other social platforms that best suit your target audience.
Once you have set up these social media channels, you will have to create content that is relevant to your upcoming events such as highlights on guest speakers, agenda of the event, topic highlights, relevant articles that link to the nature of your event, ticket information, FAQs and more. It can be in a form of short visual postings, videos, articles or others. Keep in mind that creating relevant and engaging content will also help to keep your audience interested in the upcoming event that you will be hosting and a loyal audience that will stay connected with you even after the event is over.
Another method to keep your audience up to date, to highlight personalised content regarding the event or to remind them of your ticket promotions is by email marketing. From the registration page in which you have gathered information from interested audiences, you can use this database to blast EDMs. Did you know that by using email marketing, you are also able to build relationships with your audience and connect with them in a more personalized way?
Be it during the COVID-19 pandemic or post COVID-19, people will still be surfing online channels extensively to search for information, entertainment, products/services and more. This is where PPC advertising will come in handy as it is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your website, no matter what your budget may be. Some benefits of PPC advertising are it helps you reach your target audience, develop brand awareness, convert buyers as well as drive profit.
These are the 7 essential elements that we have identified and that you will need to host your very own virtual event successfully. We sure do hope that this will help you host your next event online and if you are unsure how to start and you need further help, we are more than happy to help! Leave us an email at engage@purpose-built.com.my and we will reply to you the soonest.
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