The event organizing scenario has changed drastically over the last few years. People now find virtual events much more appealing. Event organizers are aware of it and are making every possible effort to hold a memorable virtual event. However, they are coming up short in one way or the other.
If you, as a marketer, are also struggling with one such issue, we have brought some of the best virtual event engagement ideas to achieve the desired results. Let’s have a detailed look at them.
Top Virtual Event Engagement Ideas
Organize A Social Media Contest
Give visitors a few little things to look forward to. One approach is to hold a contest on social media with a prize for the winner.
Simplify the competition. Maybe there could be a funny photo or caption competition using a photograph taken during the event with the hashtag. The person who receives the most likes is the winner. The entries turn into user-generated content that promotes your brand by encouraging post-event participation.
Send an email announcing the winner along with the runner-up and third-place finishers. Make sure each competitor receives a consolation reward, such as a coupon for a little discount.
Use Live-Streaming
Use a live-streaming event app to increase your audience reach and link online event participants with your social media audience. To generate excitement on social media platforms, read and respond to live messages, run a social media poll, stream a virtual Q&A session after the event, or hold a separate competition.
Provide Frequent Breaks
Virtual meeting attendees become fatigued due to lengthy scheduling and viewing durations. Less than 10% of those taking part in virtual events are keen to stay for something longer than an hour. If possible, schedule breaks every 25 minutes throughout multi-hour events. Allow extra time for guests to use the restroom, get a cup of coffee, or stretch their legs.
Hire Entertainment
A serious virtual event can become a little boring. So bring in performance to your audience to lighten the mood, such as a magician, comedian, or musician.
Because virtual audiences’ attention spans are typically shorter, presenting engaging and interesting content allows them to unwind and take a mental breather, making them more alert and engaged when your regular programming resumes. Attendees may start conversations about their common experiences thanks to the entertainment.
Use Pop-Up Notifications
Use pop-up notifications to ensure your guests know of any changes or calls to action. You can send tailored or broad updates via notifications to your audience to help them feel included and to remind them of future events on the calendar.
Before they cross the convention hall and discover a session has been moved or canceled, you can also let your in-person audience know about it.
Increase conference involvement by delivering exclusive deals and sponsored messaging to your audience with push notifications.
Personalize The Attendee Content
To keep attendees returning to your event app, provide individualized digests that speak to their interests. Giving your users updates and concise summaries of the most popular items from their feed, message modules, and digests are clever reminders that keep them interested.
Users can create personalized agendas depending on their interests. As a result, people would engage in virtual activities because they are more likely to see relevant content.
Organize An After-Event
Displaying a social media wall makes it much simpler to engage a crowd. In addition, a social media wall can be used to display different content, particularly user-generated content.
User-generated content is the new trend in the marketing world. It has become the apple of the eye of every marketer. This is owing to the multiple benefits it brings to the table.
To increase attendance, the social media wall can display user-generated content through social feeds made by participants. For instance, you could display a leaderboard, encouraging people to post UGC about the event to move up the leaderboard
Include Videos
To help keep audience interest and engagement levels high, periodically change the visual presentation of a virtual event. Sixty-one percent of marketers employ interactive video elements to keep viewers interested in online events.
Short infotainment films, pre-recorded interviews, a live Q&A session, or video round-table conversations for small breakout groups can all be used to introduce new programs.
Host A Giveaway
One of the oldest strategies in the book for increasing participant involvement in a virtual event is the gift. Yet only 30% of event planners, according to marketing, give out prizes to their attendees.
Giveaways are activities where you create unique social media hashtags, set participants to quiz challenges, or ask them to carry out tasks at the event. Normally, during a giveaway, you don’t give the participant a gift. Instead, you might send the actual event attendees incentives afterward or thank them virtually. If you leverage this virtual event concept to increase brand identification and engagement among guests, everyone wins.
Wrapping Up
Virtual events are the present and future of the marketing business. If you have realized this and made efforts by holding virtual events, these ideas would make your task easier. Build a strategy around them and see the desired results. We hope that this blog would prove to be of value to you.
