Virtual meetings have become the best way to safely “meet” during this pandemic year and most people have firsthand experience of the benefits. There’s no denying that virtual meetings are here to stay.
Did you know the marketing and promotion of your meeting is a vital part of the planning process?
The best place to begin is the strategy for promoting your virtual meeting. Who is your virtual meeting for? Why should someone attend your virtual meeting? These are questions that should be answered before you start the marketing process.
Once your goals are determined, check out these 7 marketing strategies to help you promote your upcoming virtual meeting.
1. Create Memorable Event Branding
The initial step in your marketing plan would be to create event branding that stands out and is consistent with your business brand. This includes fonts, color, graphic design, verbiage, photos, and more. The branding of your event will need to be consistent on the landing page, social media platforms, email marketing, and any other promotions for the virtual meeting. But how do you create memorable event branding? Tools such as Canva or Adobe Photoshop are user-friendly graphic design tools that can help you begin the creation process. Determine your mission, goals, and brand style guide and you will be set to start marketing.
2. Utilize All Digital Platforms
Digital Marketing has become a popular way to reach new consumers where they are: online. More than that, a solid online presence is an important part of the strategy for your upcoming virtual meeting or event to be successful. Digital platforms include Email Marketing, Social Media, Hashtags, Paid Ads, Social Media Contests, doing Livestreams, etc. It may sound like a lot, but the best marketers re-use content across all platforms to help increase productivity and save time. For more information on this strategy, check out our other blog post “How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Event."
3. Leverage Event Advocates
Use your event’s speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, promoters, attendees, etc. to be your biggest advocates. Having them promote your upcoming event to their networks allows you to reach a wider circle of people. You can make it easier by providing shareable images and suggested talking points for their post.
4. Promote with Webinars
A webinar is a short web-based seminar that is presented using a video conferencing platform. Webinars are used frequently as a marketing tool to get people on your email list and/or to create interest for a bigger conference or product. Most webinars are free to the viewers. The goal of a webinar isn’t revenue on its own. Instead, the goal is to raise awareness and engagement, and to sell the bigger product or service. There are many types of webinars including Sales Based, Educational, Interviews, Q&A Sessions, and Panels. Webinars work best when you have a specific goal in mind and a targeted audience you want to reach.
5. Word of Mouth
It sounds simple, but this marketing strategy is often overlooked. Word of mouth marketing can be one of the most effective ways to get people registered for your virtual meeting. According to a Nielsen study, “92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family more than they do advertising.” People trust their friends and family. Which is why this strategy is so effective.
6. Direct to an Event Landing Page
Having an event landing page is important because it will provide information such as the meeting agenda, speakers, social media accounts, contact info, and of course, the actual registration page. You can add other information that is important to your audience. You can direct potential attendees to the event landing page through social media, email marketing, and word of mouth, to name a few.
7. Consistency in Your Marketing Strategy
The final key strategy is consistency. The more you share, talk about, and invite on a consistent schedule the more people will find your virtual event and want to participate. Be sure to vary your content so they want to keep reading. If it’s the same info every time, they will lose interest. It doesn’t have to always be a hard sell. Give, give, give info and value to your readers, and then ask them to join you.
Want to learn more? Contact The LaClare Group (info@laclaregroup.com) for a free initial consultation or for more information on planning and marketing virtual meetings and events.
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