Zoom fatigue is a thing now. So are “Z-jays” — people who emcee online events, adding music, and creating smooth transitions between segments to keep things moving along. The latter is a reaction to the former — an attempt to adapt to new virtual circumstances and keep things lively.
As conferences and industry events shifted to a virtual format in response to the pandemic earlier this year, it may have seemed like a novelty at first. Now it’s the “new normal” for the foreseeable future. That means event organizers will have to find new ways to capture and hold attendees’ attention.
It also means marketers need to think carefully about how to measure the success of virtual events to ensure they are generating maximum returns on the investment.
( Also Read: 27 Best Virtual Meeting Platforms for your Business in 2020 )
Here are some tips on how to approach virtual events and how to make sure they’re paying off in terms of revenue.
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Connect with the Audience on an Emotional Level
Whether you’re holding a virtual conference for B2B software users, exhibiting products at a virtual tradeshow, or holding some other type of online event, this is a great time to think about how you’ll make your event stand out. It may require some trial and error to get it right.
Understanding your audience’s motivations and state of mind is one key to success. Marketers may have to shift their “ideal customer profile” to accommodate new realities since the pandemic. Who’s buying now? Is it the same people who were buying before COVID-19? If not, how are they different?
Also, consider the general mood. There’s a lot of trauma on people’s minds right now, and it’s not only the pandemic but also heightened focus on issues such as persistent injustice, fear about the economy, worries about the divisive political climate, and concerns about natural disasters like hurricanes and fires.
It’s not always appropriate to address the issues that are swirling around directly, but it is important to be mindful of what the audience is experiencing outside the event. Many people are in survival mode, so they need hope, leadership, and emotional comfort now. Events should be uplifting and positive.
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Deliver High Production Values and Bring on the Creativity
Being sensitive to the audience’s mood is important, but so is keeping them engaged, and in a virtual setting, that requires great production values. To make sure the lighting and audio are high quality, it’s best to get advice from a professional.
Even if you’re staging an event in-house, it’s time to up your game by taking advantage of free tutorials about lighting, framing, and audio that are widely available from experts.
Keep in mind that it’s not possible to replicate an in-person event online. The energy won’t be the same. But that doesn’t mean your event can’t be exciting and entertaining — it’ll just be different. The best approach is to embrace the online format and use it to your advantage.
One way to do that is to seamlessly weave in prerecorded and live segments. Take advantage of the virtual nature of the event to record high-quality demos, customer testimonials, or other content that gets your message across, and then create a presentation that is part live, part prerecorded.
Virtual reality tradeshows that allow attendees and exhibitors to interact in a way that is similar to live-action first-person role-playing games will likely become commonplace soon. If you want to be future-forward now, you can simulate that experience with the camera as the stand-in for the viewer to create a 3-D booth tour — the point is to get creative and think about fresh ways to engage viewers.
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Measure Results to Capture ROI
Before the pandemic, most B2B marketers depended in part on in-person events to generate leads. Those budget dollars have shifted to digital channels now, but the good news is that it’s easier to capture data from interactions that take place online, including virtual events.
Budgets are tight during this period of economic uncertainty, so it’s critical to maximize marketing efficiency. On the marketing investment side, efficiency requires the ability to accurately attribute revenue to specific marketing campaigns. The ability to link revenue to virtual events lets you determine which type of events generate the most revenue.
When you’re capable of accurate campaign attribution for digital marketing, you’ll have a framework to analyze virtual event performance, preferably in terms the sales team understands. The right marketing performance measurement toolkit can allow you to assess all of your digital marketing efforts to continuously improve — and demonstrate marketing’s contribution to creating value for the company.
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Put It All Together for a Great Virtual Event
One day — soon, we all hope — it will be safe for people to gather in large groups to explore new products and services, listen to keynote presentations, watch live product demonstrations, and network with peers. But for now, virtual events are the safest way to meet.
That doesn’t mean your event can’t be incredibly informative, valuable use of attendee time, and a lead generation machine for your company: it can be all of those things. But in the “new normal,” you’ll have to put more thought into how you can best capture and hold attendees’ attention.
By connecting with your audience emotionally, upholding high production standards, and being creative, you can deliver a successful event online. And remember to capture and analyze the data to measure virtual event performance. You’ll want credit for your success as a virtual event organizer, and you’ll need the data and insights that will allow you to improve over time.
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Bonnie Crater is Co-Founder, President, and CEO of marketing analytics company Full Circle Insights. In 2013, Bonnie was named one of the “100 Most Influential Women” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, in 2015 the Sales Lead Management Association named her one of the “20 Women to Watch” and in 2016 Diversity Journal honored her as one of the “Women Worth Watching.” Bonnie holds a B.A. in biology from Princeton University.
