The whole world is now on pause. Countries around the globe are on a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic. To prevent the spread of contagion, everyone is advised to do home quarantine and engage in social distancing measures. Because of the isolation, major marketing conferences and events, like the SXSW in Austin and the Influencer Marketing Show in NYC, have been postponed to ascertain the safety of all participants.
If COVID-19 has sidetracked your marketing event, consider moving your real-world event to the virtual world. Don’t put off your event any longer, but instead, leverage technology to do it online, just like the Magneto Imagine at Adobe Summit and the Snapchat’s Partner Summit that are now digital. Read the following tips below, to help you successfully move your event to a digital sphere.
Keep the Audience Informed and Engaged
Once you have decided to conform your event to the digital transformation, you must inform your target audience. Make clear announcements with instructions on your official website, along with all your social media channels. To illustrate, the postponed Magneto Imagine at Adobe Digital Summit in Las Vegas imbibed these methods when they moved their conference to an online venue last March 31. By prioritizing the creation and dissemination of engaging marketing announcements, they hooked their audience and increased attendance.
For your campaigns, whether you use a blog post, infographic, or video message, your number one priority must be crafting an eye-catching announcement. Pay attention to the quality of your promotional materials because this has the power to make or break your online event. You want your message to resonate with those who see it so that they will like, comment, and most importantly, share your event announcement. This is a surefire way to expand your reach so you can count on a lot of people attending your online program.
If you want to create engaging interactive flipbooks, brochures, or magazines for your audience, then FlippingBook can be of great help. It allows you to convert your plain PDFs into digital publications that give your clients an authentic experience of reading a real print copy. You can be sure that your readers will enjoy how convenient to read your flipbooks are and will stay your loyal clients through all these quarantine times.
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Craft a Complete Virtual Experience
Once you’ve decided to move your venue online, make it a point to create a complete virtual experience for all your attendees. To make your online conference memorable, you must add context to your content to capture your market. Your goal is to curate an unforgettable event that helps bring out the importance and value of your message.
Your objective is to make sure your audience learns as much as they can during the time they spend with you. You want them talking about your event and sharing their experiences long after your event is over. This is the best form of promotion for your brand. For best results, mix in meaningful social interaction, like adding a chat feature, so people can “meet” and exchange ideas with one another. If you want more discussions after the event, you can use Facebook or LinkedIn groups.
Leverage the Power of Podcasting
Your conference could benefit by using podcasts, especially when the future is unpredictable. Podcasts are audio files that can be heard live or downloaded for later listening. People love them because they can multitask while listening. Today, there are more than 500,000 podcasts available, with the numbers growing each day. If you capitalize on this medium, you can reach a niche audience even with a limited budget. All you need is a mic, a recording device, and a quiet room. As for your audio editing, there are free apps available online.
No matter what industry you belong to, you can tailor fit a podcast episode to suit your needs. If you use it to continue your virtual conference, create a podcast series with a particular episode allotted for your conference guest speaker. Make the format informative and entertaining, so your listeners will stay tuned until the end of your segment. When your audience has a good time, you can expect them to listen to all your complete podcast series. They may even promote you to their friends.
Utilize Webinars
If you postpone your event, you can follow the lead of Microsoft Build 2020 by making your event virtual. Though they haven’t released the details, you can count on this software giant to use webinars to present their ideas. Webinars are online presentations that are conducted in real-time with the help of a presenter that shows slides while narrating the details.
Your viewers who watch live can ask questions through chat so that the presenter can expound and clarify ideas. Moreover, your audience has an option to download your webinar if they are late or if they want to re-watch. This webinar can also be shared on all social media platforms.
Video Conferences
Akin to a real-life conference, your virtual conference will revolve around a complex agenda. This will include live keynote speakers, dynamic sessions, interesting breakouts, and more. Because this requires multiple complicated sessions and community engagement, you will need a robust platform that has the power to deliver your on-demand content.
Your priority is to engage attendees even if they are half-way around the globe. On top of that, you must be able to pave the way for your virtual conference attendees to interact with each other.
Realistically speaking, no one knows what the future holds because until there is a COVID-19 vaccine, this bleak situation can last for some time. But don't worry and do not put your plans on hold—be more flexible and adapt instead. Never discount the power of virtual events in conveying your company’s message. Going digital is a great opportunity for you to generate leads, drive conversion, and promote your brand.
Author's bio:
Lidia S. Hovhan is a part of Content and Marketing team at OmnicoreAgency. She contributes articles about how to integrate digital marketing strategy with traditional marketing to help business owners to meet their online goals. You can find really professional insights in her writings. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
