3 Lessons for Marketing a Digital Event
While there may not be a perfect formula for marketing digital events, we have learned a few things NOT to do and a few things that have been proven winners.
Do NOT:
- Offer your digital event for free. People value what they pay for and the drop off rate from registration to attendance can be 50%
- Position the event as a digital version of a live event. Attending a digital event can’t feel like a consolation prize.
- Ignore the fundamentals of experience design. In-person event audiences are captive and won’t fly home if they don’t like one session or don’t immediately get what they need from your event. Now, your audience is one click away from goodbye. It’s your job to keep them in their seat.
What is working ? Try these 3 event marketing tips to attract your biggest audience yet:
- Event Pricing: Start with a trial, introductory offer and a price low enough to get attention. Make it clear that it’s for a limited time and stick to that promise. Escalate your registration fee gradually and be ready for last minute sales, special offers and incentives to close the gap if you’re not on track to meet your goal.
- Event Marketing: Sell different features, benefits and rewards. Events delivered through a screen require a different messaging strategy that isn’t just about watching a speaker, shopping a virtual exhibit hall or chatting with people who appear to be a good connection based on AI matching software. Now that we’re five months into this digital event world, your audience has raised expectations and lowered attention spans for what’s acceptable. Your event must solve a problem and do a job that can‘t be accomplished by your audience any other way.
- Experience Design: Less is more. Like a good wine, open up your digital event and let your audience breathe. Your schedule should be built around the lives of your audience just as other media channels recognize their audience with programming based on day-parts. Drive-time, prime-time and late- night. Think like a luxury retailer. Offer exclusive merchandise in a roomy, uncluttered fashion that is easy to navigate and enjoy.
We will all get better at crafting the perfect marketing strategy as we go forward. For now, you need to attract the largest possible audience so you can keep them engaged and to satisfy your industry partners who ultimately pay the bills.
Your second digital event must work harder than your first. Hope these ideas help you make progress.
Don Neal
Founder & CEO
360 Live Media