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How to Have Better Engagement and Increase Attendance for Your Virtual Event

by Andi Carver

In 2020, virtual events saw a 1,000% increase across all industries. Thanks to its accessibility, countless businesses began embracing this new platform. However, this wasn’t necessarily the case for attendees—with the average virtual no-show rate spiking to 35% and audience disengagement being the largest challenge for most event planners. To prevent this from happening at your next event, here are some tips that can make your event a total success.

Don’t scrimp on your digital marketing

Promoting your virtual event is critical, especially since you’re competing amid a deluge of data online. To reach a wider group of prospective attendees, create a multi-pronged digital marketing strategy. Depending on your brand, event, budget, and target market, you could use social media, email, or programmatic advertising. To best determine the most effective strategy, assign this task to your team member with marketing training. Today, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a business professional without a background in marketing. This is because both traditional and online business administration degrees understand the importance of marketing today. Graduates coming from these traditional and online degrees will have the qualifications to become marketing coordinators. Therefore, your team members who’ve graduated from such courses will be able to pinpoint the best promotional efforts for your brand. With a well-tailored digital marketing strategy, you can improve overall engagement—which surveys show can increase an event’s success by 150%.

Create a user-friendly registration page

One of the most common reasons prospective attendees were turned off from an event was a complicated registration process. To alleviate this pain point, take the time to create a dedicated event registration page. If you’re on a smaller budget, this could be as simple as a social media page. Otherwise, for larger events, you’re better off creating a custom website. On a dedicated website, you can design it as you please, streamline any information, and funnel all pertinent questions and concerns. If you’ve got an in-house web developer, make sure that they design an intuitive and accessible landing page, since this can increase conversions by up to 12%. Because most web developers have completed training in digital design, don’t hesitate to ask if they can include hyperlinks and chatbots on your page. These two are also among the most popular methods for registration.

Set the mood with visuals and music

Just as in a physical event, you have to set the mood for a virtual event, too. By creating an online ambiance conducive to the nature of your event, your attendees are less likely to feel detached. An easy way to do this is via music and aesthetics. Depending on your time and budget, you could decorate the host’s backdrop or simply have a virtual backdrop design. For uniformity, and to make it less pressuring for your attendees, you could even supply this virtual backdrop to everyone. As for music, you can create a playlist that stimulates attendees without being distracting. Since the event host and moderator will likely be too busy during the event proper, why not look into hiring a DJ? Since these professionals have an expansive knowledge of music, they’ll be able to curate a playlist for your event and help mix the sound, too.

Include interactive panels

One of the most popular engagement methods that successful virtual and physical event organizers use is interactive panels. According to studies, the most preferred version of this includes breakaway chats, real-time surveys, and polls. This lends your event a more personal and immersive feel. If possible, you can even ask some of your panelists to engage in Twitter commentary to mimic an in-person interaction. Otherwise, you could open up your chat feature and have attendees send in questions for the panel there. Just make sure to include as many attendees as possible and to use their names or handles. This creates a more intimate setting beyond a bunch of screens.

Pulling in attendees and keeping them engaged is no easy feat, especially in the virtual event sphere. So, next time you plan for a virtual event, try employing these tips. Not only will they let you reap the benefits of a successful event, but they will also leave your attendees feeling much more satisfied and fulfilled.

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