Virtual Event Marketing Ideas

Virtual events and online events allow businesses and entrepreneurs to reach their audience in a way that traditional events can never do. We are talking about a global audience that can tune in for your virtual event from anywhere in the world and at any time. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual events have become even more common to prevent the spread of the virus.

This means that you will face a lot of competition hosting your virtual event. That’s why you need a robust virtual event marketing strategy that drives conversions to engage the maximum number of audiences and helps your virtual event stand out from the competition.

If you have clicked on our blog, then it means that you are looking for a bullet-proof strategy that boosts attendance on your virtual events platform. So without further ado, let’s dig right into it.

Why are virtual events important, and why should you use them?

The main benefit of hosting a virtual event is that it can be opened to many more participants. With the recent pandemic going on, it’s better to host events and meetings virtually. It’s no wonder that so many businesses and entrepreneurs prefer virtual events. The vast potential and overwhelming benefits of hosting virtual events are undeniable.

1. They allow introverts to thrive

People with social anxiety find it hard to attend events with large crowds. This is especially true for introverts who would rather stay at home and tune in for a virtual event. By hosting an online event, you make it more comfortable for them to be a part of your event.

2. They are cheaper to attend

When you host an event, a major issue for your audience is the expense of travel. It might be very convenient for your audience members who live close to the hall, but for those who live at the other end of the city, attending your event can generate considerable expenses for travel and tickets for events.

Moving your event online will make it easier for your audience members who live far to attend your event. The same goes for audience members who live in different cities or countries. It’s also cheaper for you because you can use an events WordPress plugin to handle everything.

3. No child care issues

Audience members that have children to take care of often end up missing your events and seminars as they can’t leave their children at home unattended. This is especially true for single parents. Solution? Host an online event. This way, they won’t have to leave their homes, and they will be able to tune in for your event without leaving their children alone.

4. Online sessions are much more productive and concise

Online sessions have the potential to be much productive when compared to traditional ones. First of all, there are no distractions or technical difficulties during an online session (unless, of course, someone has a bad internet connection). In a traditional event, the presenters may arrive late due to traffic.

In a virtual event, everyone can tune in at the exact time and start the event. With no distractions, you can expect a very productive online session.

Top 9 robust virtual event marketing ideas that boost your attendance

Let’s now dig right into our guidelines on how to promote virtual events.

1. Create an engaging event page

It all begins with a wonderfully crafted event page. The page will serve as an attention grabber and will drive conversions. That’s why it’s necessary to craft a page that entices people to sign up for your virtual event. Include easy-to-read fonts, stunning graphics, images that tell a story, clips of speakers and performers.

Your event page should tell a unified story. Of course, you also need to add all the relevant details regarding the event, such as:

• Time and date of your event
• Sign up-links
• Payment options
• Information regarding the speakers
• Sponsor information
• Event agenda

2. Identity your audience

It’s necessary to identify what kind of people you want to tune in with for your virtual event. Make detailed audience profiles before you start working on your marketing strategy. Marketing the right people the right way will boost your attendance in no time.

3. Make full use of SEO

You are probably already aware of relevant keywords and how they drive conversions for your blogs and websites. You can apply the same principle to your event marketing strategies. Having a keyword planning tool like Google Ads will help your event reach the maximum number of attendees.

Discover what relevant keywords are searched by people and include them in your content. Relevant keywords make it much easier for you to promote your virtual event. You can also do a couple of google searches to find relevant keywords.

4. Do email marketing

Email marketing remains one of the best tools to drive conversions and promote something related to your business. Email marketing will go well with your social media marketing campaigns. Start sending out email newsletters to your curated email list regarding the upcoming event.

Keep your audience excited and engaged by sharing updates, news related to the event, additional details, and post-event wrap-ups. Don’t forget to include relevant images in your email newsletters, as they will help you tell a story and keep your audience hooked. You can also share with them special discount codes for your virtual event.

5. Give your audience a little sneak peek of the event

The same way a movie is promoted through a trailer, you can also give your audience a sneak peek of your virtual event. This will keep the audience engaged will provide them with a taste of what’s to come. Don’t wait till your event to share content with your audience. Give them a short preview so you can entice them to sign up for your event.

You can include brief segments of your speakers giving a speech in your preview. You can also include highlights of what’s to come. Remember not to spoil anything for your audience members. Keep them updated regarding the event by sending a preview every three or four days.

6. Make full use of Social media platforms

Today, social media is the most powerful tool for marketing anything. If you want the maximum number of people to know about your event, you should definitely post about your event on your business’s social media profiles. When people find your event interesting, they can share it with others on social media and thus will be doing the marketing for you.

A great way to boost your attendance is Facebook Events. It’s free to use, drives conversions, and will reach many people. Another popular social media platform is Instagram; you can reach the audience by sharing videos and clips of your event on Instagram. Linkedin is just as great as it has an option of ads.

Lastly, you can promote your virtual event by creating a hashtag. The hashtag can be spread on social media by a simple Twitter post.

7. Write blogs regarding the upcoming event

A great way to promote your event is by writing blogs on your website. You can do it yourself or get a copywriter to do it for you. In any case, the blog should be well written and have all the relevant keywords to entice the reader to sign up for the program. Include all the highlights in your blog and provide concise bios of the speakers.

If you don’t have a website, you can get another website and request a guest post. This will help you seamlessly promote your virtual event.

8. Tell your key speakers to do a self-promotion

In addition to other marketing strategies, you can also request your key speakers to do a bit of self-promotion on their social media accounts. The audience will find it enticing when they get news regarding the event from the speakers themselves. That’s why the first thing that you should do after booking a speaker is telling them to do self-promotion.

The chances are that most of your speakers will promote themselves on their social media accounts. However, some of them might require a bit of nudge from you. Give them everything they need for the promotion, i.e. relevant details regarding the event, preview, and glimpses. You can also give them suggestions regarding what they should post on their accounts.

9. Tell your audience to share the event with their friends

This is one of the best ways to promote your event. You can request your audience to share the word by giving them affiliate links each time they sign up for the event. Ask people to use your hashtag on social media. You can also offer special discounts for people who can get a certain number of people to sign up for the event.

Final Word:

Make your virtual event marketing strategy bullet-proof by incorporating our guidelines. As long as you are consistent in your promotion and keep track of how the audience reacts to your campaigns, you will be able to seamlessly generate the maximum number of attendees for your virtual event.