Ways Digital Marketing Can Promote Virtual Events in the New Normal Era

• As the pandemic has posed a risk to the USD 325 global event industry, authorities decided to move back mass public events like the Coachella Festival and Eurovision Song Contest 2020 by a year.
• Indonesia’s very-own event, including this year’s biggest conference on women’s issue, were also called off.
• Such calamity caused the cumulative, domino effect to happen causing many other businesses to be affected, including ticketing vendors. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s leading ticket management platform KiosTix has offered live streaming ticket sales.
• Through digital marketing strategies, they could help boost more registration and conversion rates. Such development could be achieved with the use of social media and email marketing.
• The utilization of SEO (search engine optimization) could also offer the ability to increase the visibility on the search engine results page when your website contents are search-engine friendly.

 

 

In light of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, the global events continue to experience a cancellation episode. This has already put the USD 325 billion event planning industry at risk*. Businesses directly related to organizations of mass public gatherings are facing tough times. To name a few, event companies  forced to cancel this year’s Coachella Festival and Eurovision Song Contest . The outbreak postponed Jakarta’s mega events, namely the LEAP Summit – Indonesia’s biggest conference on women’s issue – to curb the spread.

 

Before the COVID-19, the industry’s value estimated to reach over USD 1.1 billion in 2018 expecting to grow up to USD 2.3 billion in 2026*. The global meeting and events industry attracted over 1.5 billion participants across 180 countries. They also supported 26 million jobs, and generated at least USD 1.5 trillion of the world’s total GDP in 2017 alone*. This huge revenue is no surprise to why event planners struggle to make ends meet when tackling uncertainties.

 

Many ticketing vendors, like Eventbrite, also unhesitatingly cut almost half of its employees after facing a loss of USD 146.5 million*. As the health and safety of all parties involved are in dire need, event planners begun moving their live events towards digital. Steering towards the cyberspace could maintain the existing relationship with their target audiences. In Indonesia, the country’s leading ticket management platform KiosTix recently provided live streaming ticket sales for virtual concerts*. If you plan on switching to an online platform to host your events, here are some of the ways on how digital marketing can increase your event awareness and participation rate.

 

 

Drive More Registration Through Organic Social Media Features

To make your upcoming virtual events stand out a mile, it remains important to understand every social media’s special features. When it comes to virtual event marketing, digital marketers will create teasers for upcoming events by utilizing stories on social media. These teasers frequently include links that can direct users to their websites’ registration pages for better awareness. With regards to Facebook, marketers would usually create an “Event” page.  This page comprise of further information of the respective event containing the 3 Ws – what, when and where. On top of that, Facebook presents a button feature allowing participants to RSVP and interact with potential attendees.

 

Meanwhile, Instagram gives marketers the ability to promote time-sensitive online events by using the countdown sticker. Users who view your uploaded story with the countdown sticker would allow them to sign up for reminders through the pop-up button. The feature also provides the option to where they can share the countdown to their own stories enabling their followers to see it. Marketers could also see viewers who are interested in the event immediately after they turn on the reminder button.

 

Marketers also use Twitter as cross-promotion by connecting with relevant influencers and celebrities. In reverse, LinkedIn allows them to reach out to executives by collaborating with them for higher visibility. Executives would often write genuine stories with a touch of their personal experience that could generate more traffic online.

 

Increase Sense of Urgency Through Email Marketing

Email marketing can serve as one of your best practices to promote events. Since the earlier times, this tool proves to boost businesses’ conversion rates. To adopt this strategy, marketers would begin by sending informational emails to inform target audiences on the event and when to expect further updates. They often include informational content and appealing images to create a more stunning event launch. Others include exclusive offers, like discount vouchers with an expiry date which could potentially increase the number of early-bird registrants.

 

When the event is approaching, marketers would compose a second email sent to individuals who have not yet registered with additional information about the event. Acquiring higher click rates is possible through email marketing automation and personalization. In this case, marketers often encourage employees to use a branded email signature with a visual call-to-action to promote the event.

 

Boost Quantity of Website Traffic with SEO

The implementation of SEO into your digital marketing plan offers the ability to rank high on the search engine results page when your website contents are search-engine friendly. To create an impressive SEO plan, appropriate use of keywords is essential. These phrases should be based on words people would type in the search engine that is closely related to your event. Marketers often use tools, like Google Keyword Planner, to explore possible search terms.

 

Meta tags and header tags optimization also play an important role. In terms of meta tags optimization, meta titles and descriptions are rewritten in the best possible way. This would upsurge chances of users visiting your page when they come across a page with title and description relevant to their search query. The header tags containing the event name and keywords are then used to highlight the text.

 

When it comes to the event’s page content, marketers would advise you to add a detailed description of your event. Information such as its event name, location, date and time, names of guests, and booking options should not be overlooked. Acquiring the standardized format, like Google Structured Data, helps visitors see your event listing and the name and date without having to click on the event page link.

 

Are you looking for digital marketing strategies to promote your virtual event? Let us know!

 

 

Dunia Fintech. The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Entertainment and Event Industry. 2020.

Events Industry Council. Global Economic Significance of Business Events. 2018.

Jon Swartz. Market Watch. Eventbrite to Lay Off 45% of Workforce Because of Coronavirus. 2020.

Kristi Choi. Plug and Play. What Will Happen to The Events Industry After Coronavirus?. 2020.