Great news! Itҳ easier than ever to host a virtual event.Not-so-great news! Every B2B brand youҶe ever heard of is ALSO hosting virtual events. And most of us are sick to death of staring at a screen 24/7.That doesnҴ mean to not do virtual events. But it does mean we have to be more strategic about putting one together. You have to bring all of your marketing might and prowess to bear in order to make sure your event is attended, and that the attendees have a great experience.Letҳ take a look at a few things you can do before, during and after a virtual event to kick it up to the next level.13 Top Strategies for Virtual EventsFrom content marketing to organic social, a successful virtual event uses every tool in your marketersҠtoolkit. In addition, there are a few considerations that are unique to this particular channel.Before the Event: Strategy & Promotion1 נSet GoalsStart your event process by setting goals for the business purpose you want to achieve. For example, if youҲe raising awareness of the brand, youҬl want to have influencers and thought leaders that appeal to a broad audience. But if you want attendees to book a demo after attending, youҲe looking for a smaller but highly targeted audience. This is the first decision that will shape your promotion strategy and even your content.2 נChoose a PlatformThereҳ a potentially bewildering array of virtual platforms out there right now. They range from something as simple as live-streaming on Facebook or Instagram, all the way to enterprise-level virtual conference halls with multiple customizable rooms.We find LinkedIn Eventsto be a good middle ground between these extremes. There are plenty of easy-to-use tools built in that make it more customizable and interactive than a flat live-stream, but it doesnҴ have budget-busting bells and whistles.That said, if youҲe an enterprise looking for an all-inclusive hosting solution, there are plenty of options. This blog post has the rundown on some of the most popular.No matter which platform you choose, make sure to have a backup plan in place. If your LinkedIn Livestream fails, for example, be ready to roll on YouTube.3 נPre-Record and/or RehearseA virtual event doesnҴ have to be 100% live נin fact, it might be a better audience experience if itҳ not. You can present a few pre-recorded sessions livened up with b-roll and music, to balance out the talking heads.Whether you choose to pre-record or not, itҳ a good idea to rehearse your segments before the event itself.ഠנPlan Your їar Room҄uring the event, you will want to have a team of folks coordinating behind the scenes (more on that next section). Now is the time to figure out who will be on duty, which tasks theyҬl be taking care of, and how the team will communicate if youҲe working remotely. Some of our clients work with an instant messaging platform, combined with an internal video call to keep everyone connected.ൠנSet an AgendaYour virtual event should be highly structured נguests should know exactly what theyҲe getting, and be able to plan for the times they want to attend. When you set the agenda, make sure to plan for interactive segments, too. Give the audience a chance to add to the conversation and be active rather than passive.[bctt tweet="әour virtual event should be highly structured נguests should know exactly what theyҲe getting, and be able to plan for the times they want to attend.ԠנJoshua Nite @NiteWrites" username="toprank"]6 נPromote & AmplifyThe above tips will help make the webinar run smoothly. Now itҳ a question of getting people to attend. Start with a little content marketing: Use your blog to introduce the speakers and subject matter. Add a notice to your newsletter, too.On social media, post organic posts asking your audience to submit questions, and consider paid ads to register for the event. If youҲe on LinkedIn Events, you can offer a seamless registration process.And of course, our agency always includes influencers as part of the promotion strategy. Equip your presenters with social media images and messages they can use to amplify the even to their audiences.During the Event: Support and Engage7 נScreen Questions and Engage in ChatI mentioned the ѷar roomҠup above נduring the event, there should be a few moderators devoted to managing audience engagement. These folks can ask for feedback in the chat, post key takeaways in real-time to social media, and screen audience questions for a Q&A. This team makes it easier for your presenters and host to focus on what theyҲe doing, rather than trying to engage the audience.8 נHave a Dedicated Socializing SpaceOne thing that makes a virtual event feel more like a physical one: A place to chat, socialize and network. Some virtual platforms have these spaces built in נtheyҲe virtual rooms with spatial audio that allows people to break into small conversation groups.If your platform doesnҴ have this feature, consider a service like GatherTopio or Bramble. Make sure to have a moderator or two in that space as well, to answer questions and keep order.࠹ נKeep Promoting throughout the Eventʵst because the event has started, doesnҴ mean the promotion work is done. Your team should be posting on social media נespecially Twitter, for immediacy נsharing takeaways and linking back to the event itself. You can keep inviting people to join as long as the event is running.After the Event: Review and Repurpose10 נDebrief Your TeamWhile the event is fresh in everyoneҳ mind, have a meeting to discuss what went well, what could go better, and what you can improve for next time. Itҳ also a good opportunity to pull out key takeaways and spot opportunities for repurposing.[bctt tweet="ӗhile the event is fresh in everyoneҳ mind, have a meeting to discuss what went well, what could go better, and what you can improve for next time.ԠנJoshua Nite @NiteWrites" username="toprank"]11 נCreate a Highlights PostRound up the key takeaways from your virtual event into a blog post. You can share the post with your influencers to reactivate them and start raising awareness for your next event.౲ נShare Influencer HighlightsCreate social media posts with images that feature quotes from the event. Make sure to equip your influencers with images and messages they can use to promote the takeaway blog, too.13 נSend a Thank You EmailIf your virtual event required registration, you now have an email list that can be used (judiciously) to promote future events. Send an email thanking people for attending, and allow them to opt into emails from the brand, or just emails about future events, or to opt out completely.A Virtually Perfect EventVirtual events have evolved a lot in the past two years נit turns out necessity really is the mother of invention. As long as you approach a virtual event with the same depth of strategy that you would use for an in-person one, you can make it memorable for your guests and worthwhile from a business perspective.Check out Lee Oddenҳ post on virtual events, podcasting and Clubhouse to learn more.The post 13 Top Strategies For B2B Marketers To Host & Promote Live Virtual Events appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank