Hundreds of thousands of virtual events are being promoted on social media as you read this. Did you know that 75% of professionals say that social media is by far the number one most effective tool to promote events? In fact, the top four social networks to promote events as event professionals ranked them are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. So how do you make sure your marketing campaign is super fresh and has the best possible shot at reaching the thousands of users waiting to hear about your virtual event?
Take advantage of organic social media features
Incorporate messaging and promotion for upcoming virtual events is a key component to increase awareness and attendance. Use Instagram stories to tease and link directly to registration pages or further event information. You can create countdowns as a way to build excitement. You should also create an “Event” on Facebook that contains the “what”, “when” and “where”. Attendees can then RSVP and be reminded of the event automatically. This also allows you to increase exposure as friends of your attendees will see their interest in your virtual event on their newsfeed.
It’s all about visuals
Pictures and videos are the number one social currency right now. Nobody reads anymore when it comes to events. There’s not enough time, not enough focus to do that. If you think about it, it is much easier to double tap on a picture than reading long paragraphs. So your priority if you want to really nail social media is to collect as many assets as possible from your previous virtual events to promote the new one. So make sure you have a good portfolio of pictures and videos that you can repurpose for your social media marketing strategy. That also includes creating opportunities for the attendees to generate images during the events. This is what we call “moment marketing”. While it can be done easily for physical events, you’ll need a fast internet connexion and quality cameras to work your “moment marketing” on virtual events.
Create “FOMO”
This is an awesome way to generate leads, registrations and attendees for your virtual event. “FOMO” stands for Fear Of Missing Out. So what are some of the tactics to get those following you on social media to feel that frustration and get them to act to register for your event? One of the most increasingly popular tactics is to hire influencers and get them to attend and/or talk about your event. It is a lot easier than you think, especially in a virtual event that they can attend from literally anywhere on earth! You could get them as speakers for your virtual event or promote their products, for example.
Gamify promotions
Focus on creating contests and opportunities for attendees to get engaged with the event and win discounts, special experiences, free tickets or any other valid reason to talk about your virtual event online. You can also turn “likes”, “shares” and “hashtags” into “currency” to incentivize attendees to promote your virtual event. The reward might be access to exclusive content or points toward an even greater prize.
Use instant messaging
The virtual platform you choose, such as Swapcard, to host your virtual event will likely have an intersecting feature: Live Chat. A dedicated chatting zone is the perfect way to ensure interaction and engagement in your event. But did you know that you can enhance the experience of the targeted audience by allowing them to ask you questions via instant messaging apps. Remember that instant messaging apps (WhatsApp, Messenger, Google’s Business Messages, Apple Business Chat) allow file sharing. So you can provide your targeted audience with pictures, documents and links to give them all the information they need to decide whether to attend your virtual event or not.
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