In recent years, virtual events have grown in popularity, and the COVID-19 epidemic intensified this tendency. There are various forms of virtual events, including online conferences and trade exhibitions, webinars, virtual roundtables to large summits. This article will discuss the significance of these events and why organisations should consider adding them to their marketing efforts.
Increased Reach
One of the many perks of running these events is the increased audience reach. These events in contrast to in-person can be accessed by anyone, regardless of where they happen to live. Businesses will benefit because they are able to communicate with a wider audience, including those who were unable to attend a physical event due to distance or scheduling difficulties.
Cost-Effective
Virtual events are more cost-effective than in-person events. There are no venue or travel expenses, and businesses can save money on things like Marketing swag, Stands, and even accommodation if they’re travelling far away from home. This means that businesses can allocate more of their budget towards creating high-quality content and engaging experiences for attendees.
Flexibility
Virtual events are designed to suit your needs and company goals for expansion. With the option of live or on-demand and pre-recorded webinars, you get full flexibility to ensure the events suit your schedule. We understand that trying to line up a speaker, moderator and the content team to create visuals can put a real strain on the planning and preparation for events, so by having the option of pre-recording your event, you can fit these in at any time.
Data Collection
Virtual events are great opportunities for collecting data from your target audience. Vendors are able to track audience engagement from attendees through live Q&A sessions and even post-event surveys. This is a highly effective method of understanding what your audience is interested in and based on the level of questioning, can give a real insight into where they are at in their buyer’s journey. If you have attendees asking for pricing, you know they are further in their funnel and considering the opportunity to use your products themselves. Any information or feedback given on surveys can be used to improve future events and marketing strategies, to ensure you remain interesting, engaging and informative.
Sustainability
We all work in the corporate world and we know that comes with its challenges. A huge focus for companies is their Corporate Social Responsibility. We must all be considerate about social and environmental concerns and how our business impacts these. By running virtual events as opposed to in-person, we are lessening the damaging impact of international travel on global warming and pollution. It also means huge cost savings on buying branded merchandise, put together in huge factories and distributed in the thousands, just to give to people that might never buy from you. Not only is avoiding this great for your own conscience but imagine what an eco-friendly event could mean for your brand reputation.
Controlled Audience
With in-person events, you have no control over who’s walking through the door. Anyone from students looking to learn more, swag grabbers and people trying to sell to you could be mistaken for leads. Capturing your ideal prospects is increasingly harder, more time-consuming and comes with more financial impact. Post in-person events, we know Marketing managers spend up to a week sifting through the data, trying to filter those relevant contacts. One of the strongest advantages of virtual events is that you can have full control over who attends. This can be filtered by geo, size, industry, function, job titles and seniority.
Conclusion
To conclude, virtual events are the perfect strategy for any company that wants to expand their reach, reduce costs, and create engaging experiences for their audience with a warmer, more personable approach. With the increased flexibility, data collection opportunities, and sustainability benefits, virtual events offer a unique set of advantages that can help businesses achieve their marketing goals quarter on quarter.
If you’d like to learn more about our extensive range of virtual events, from large summits, product demos and intimate Executive roundtables, please reach out and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
