The first step to any event, virtual or in-person is to make the appropriate preparations. For virtual events, this includes determining the platform you’ll use, creating content, writing scripts, and of course, promoting the event. Generating registrations is often the most difficult step of the event. In fact, PayFactory finds that only 27.2% of respondents rate themselves as effective at generating registrations and attendees.
There are a number of factors that contribute to this low statistic. The audience you’re attempting to reach and the content you plan to present has a big impact on how difficult this will be. Through their research, the PathFactory team identified some of the leading challenges companies face during the Pre-event stage.
After identifying these challenges, Helen and Matt outlined a list of best practices your team will want to think about. Keeping these in mind will guide your team on how to avoid some of the challenges.
Your audience is looking for interactivity. There are opportunities where this is easier to manage virtually than in person. Virtual events let you connect with the entire audience using features like polls and Q&A. Although this is not a face to face interaction as people typically think of it, you’re can reach more people and allow everyone to contribute to the discussion. The types of presentations that people find engaging are more of a conversation than a presentation.
A question you may want to ask is how you plan to serve additional types of relevant content. This can include things like a PDF’s, whitepapers, and videos depending on your topic and audience. Sending items in the mail ahead of time is another way companies are creating this interaction.
Unfortunately, virtual events bring their own set of challenges as well. Helen and Matt outline a few common ones below.
It’s recommended that you take some time to prepare for these challenges in advance. One idea mentioned is to prepare a backup stream in advance in case your internet or power cuts out. This backup stream can be used to keep the audience engaged. To overcome these challenges, Helen and Matt outlined best practices your team should keep in mind:
“Too often we think of an event as an event and not as part of an experience. If you haven't been premeditated about thinking about what the followup strategy should be then your scrambling to figure out what that content will be.”
Matt outlined the importance of your post-event outreach when developing your strategy. This may in fact be the most important step since it will ultimately determine the leads and deals that come from your event.
Something you’ll want to think about is how you’ll reuse this content. An hour-long video is overwhelming but turning it into shorter clips makes it easier for your audience to digest. Tracking those that leave the event early and sending them the portion of the stream they missed is another great way to customize your followup and provide value. The more you can tailor this followup, the higher likelihood you'll have at connecting with attendees.
Again, Helen and Matt covered a list of items your team should keep in mind to account for these challenges.
The two concluded by stating that using these best practices for each step of an event makes it easier to carry out and will increase viewer engagement. With virtual events becoming the new normal, its important to ensure your team can set itself apart. As OpFocus continues to deliver our own virtual events to the SaaS community, we're excited to use these tips to provide an even more engaging experience.
Our next event is an open Ask Me Anything session around Strategy for Tech Stack Consolidation with our Sr Growth Advisor of the SaaS Growth Advisory Practice Jim Parker. Come join in the conversation and let us answer all your tech stack questions!