Virtual event managers and promoters are constantly looking to leverage new tools to increase attendance, drive cooperation, and extend the value of events without taking away any potential revenue. They want a safe course, tried and true, with a bit by bit understanding of what will add to the bottom line and how to avoid things that will detract.
SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZES UP POTENTIAL ATTENDANCE
Linking Twitter to event registration page in a way that it sends a message like “I registered for Virtual Edge Summit on January 12-13. Are you interested? http://bit.ly/regpcos” is an excellent way to attract more attendees. Plus distributing early birds and discount codes through this technique is effective to the same degree.
As of July 2010, Facebook has more than 500 million active users, this is very promising. There’s a big possibility that you could attract participants via Facebook, as about one person for every fourteen in the world use Facebook in various ways. Building a fan page is an effective way to push eyeballs and hope for conversion.
What’s required is a kind of social media guru, who can look for attendees you seek, who can contact them on the platforms where they flock together, and who can promote event in charming ways.
SOCIAL MEDIA EXTENDS COMMUNITIES
There are various community platform tools in different price ranges that might attract event organizers. Some can be tied into registration system. Whereas others are independent-but-powerful and enable attendees to create a profile, make conferences at the event, share contents, and network with other users. To the plus, it provides event promoters a new platform which lets sponsors and exhibitors to make connections. It can also be used for advertising.
To the downside, these platforms are hardly used. Plus, there might not be any return on effort. Some are costly and some require customization before using them.
Here’s the conclusion about the communities: if you’re willing to build a community, accept that you need a talented community manager who can create content, engage participants in entertaining ways, and who understands potential business introductions of value that would give all involved some yield for being there.
VIDEO AND AUDIO MATERIALS DRUM UP BUSINESS
Creating videos of your best presentations for YouTube or other video channels is a powerful way to build awareness of the event. It helps potential participants to realize what they could see at the event. Take into consideration disparity between a printed brochure with clusters of heads on it vs a chain of video post showing highlights or the complete presentation of past presenters.
Creating many anticipatory audio podcast experiences is a great way to drum up business. The double advantage is that you can get your influential speakers to do these pre-event activities, and then promote it to some extent, and drive more sign-up.
NOTHING IS A HOME RUN, BUT IT ALL CAN WORK
Social media tools can add to the experience in numerous ways. Events stretched out by social media get talked about more, get more coverage, get more exposure, and have better potential to grow.
And here are few ways you can use to promote your event:
- Creating Eventbrite event page with all the details
- Posting event on LinkedIn
- Using a socialcrm tool to target key invites, promoters and sponsors of the event
- Blogging
- Posting to all local digital calendars
- Creating social media press release for presentation
- Creating videos for YouTube promotions
- Motivate people to bookmark, Digg, Delicious, and buzz any and all efforts.