The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world of business in a span of a few weeks. As economies gradually open globally, businesses face unforeseen challenges for which they need to prepare themselves quickly in order to survive and thrive. At the core of all these challenges are the strict social distancing measures, which have made engaging customers and ensuring sales an arduous task.
One of the biggest problems in front of businesses is a near-total ban on organising business events. Even conducting small training sessions in office premises is no longer possible, and this scenario is likely to continue for months and maybe years to come. This has made keeping customers and partners engaged a considerable challenge for businesses.
In such a scenario, Virtual Events provide a glimmer of hope for businesses already marred by dipping sales numbers and bleak global economic outlook. They are easier to organise and allow participation from anywhere in the world and can help enterprises keep their customers and partners engaged at lower costs.
Going a step further, marketers can adopt a comprehensive approach to channel marketing to make it in tune with the changing times.
Unlock a new world of engagement possibilities with Virtual events
Depending on the number of participants and engagement requirements, businesses can organise various types of online marketing events.
Webinars – These are web meetings that can be organised on a variety of topics. Attendees can not only listen to the speakers but also see their presentations and interact with them as well as other attendees.
Online Training Sessions – Businesses can train their customers, partners and internal teams on their products through these sessions, which allow attendees to ask questions and get answers to them in real-time.
Virtual Conferences – Sales and Channel Partners spread across the country can be easily engaged from time to time with virtual conferences. The information about new sales initiatives and products can be disseminated at such online conferences and queries from the sales and partner community can also be addressed effectively. What’s more, entertainment events can be a part of these conferences.
Digital Product Launches – New products can be launched digitally and showcased to customers and partners regardless of their location, ensuring extensive exposure for them and facilitating their faster adoption.
Online Exhibitions – These exhibitions allow visitors to go through the product range from anywhere in the world, get the relevant information about them, share their reviews and place orders.
How to organise successful Virtual Events
Just like physical events, planning plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of any virtual event. By carefully planning every stage of the virtual events in great detail, business organisations can make sure that the desired number of participants attend the event and engage actively with the speakers.
Pre-event stage
It is imperative to generate curiosity among the invitees in the pre-event stage so that they feel kicked about attending it. A beautifully designed e-invite should be sent weeks in advance to help them block their date. On confirmation of participation, a Thank You mailer should be sent to the participants along with the Agenda so that participants can know about what is in store for them. This should be followed by reminders emailers and personalised calls to ensure their participation. Moreover, social media should be used effectively to generate and maintain the buzz about the virtual event.
During Event
As participants are more prone to losing interest and dropping off during a virtual event, it is crucial to make sure they are kept engaged at all times. To ensure this, participants should be allowed to ask questions to the speaker, see his presentation and download brochures or other collaterals. Besides, there should be ample engagements activities like live tweeting, posting on Facebook, polls and result analysis, on-spot discussions and opportunities to share the feedback during the event.
Post Event
It is good practice to send a Thank You emailer on the next day of the virtual event. Similarly, a ‘Missed You’ emailer should be sent to the participants who registered but couldn’t attend the event. Moreover, the feedback collected at the event should be analysed to take the necessary corrective measures quickly.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made embracing virtual events a necessity for businesses globally. Powered by world-class technologies, such events can help keep customers, partners and internal audiences engaged in these tough times, and pave the way for their faster recovery and growth.
Pulp Strategy is at the forefront of empowering business organisations to take their events online to keep their key audiences engaged. For business enquiries, please feel free to contact strategist@pulpstrategy.com
