Can Small Business Create an Experience Online
Experience Marketing Online 101
I’ve been attending online virtual events since March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. My work usually involves creating a community using events so I thought it would be easy to translate the same concepts for online events. It isn’t. It’s both easier and harder. Easier because there are so many options and groups to interact with that finding potential partners is limitless. Harder though because online connections can be fleeting, managed only through electronic media without the benefit of much shared sensory stimulus.
Online communities, just like in person, are most often based on support for like-minded people and shared interests, like social, environmental, political or activist groups. Similarly, we humans like to be together with people like ourselves such as parents, teens, BIPOC, pet-owners, boaters, crafters, cooks or whoever tickles your fancy that week. The options are endless so the easiest part in considering online events is finding your target market.
If you target a group who are all tech savvy, you’re golden. Promotions will be pretty easy to this group and managing their online event will likely go smoothly. For groups who are new to working or playing online, you may find some frustrations and should plan to spend a greater amount of time creating instruction videos, hiring tech assistance and supporting attendees’ interactions in order to realize desired benefits from the event.
The four areas of event organizing; planning, partnering, promotion and production, are just as relevant as a live event. If new to online marketing, definitely consider partnering with an organization or another business who is interested in staging events online together.
#1 – PLANNING
Consider all components of an in-person event, from beginning to end. I’m a planner, so for me, the best part of event marketing, is the planning. If planning is not your thing, look for partners and professionals to help with this critical step and just stay focused on your goals. A good partner will help you describe the steps involved in getting there.
As with any event marketing, the first step is to know your target market (or who you want to attend). To offer them an experience they will remember, you need to know who they are (as customers) and why they are drawn to you and by extension, your event. Old school marketers understand this as your unique value proposition. The trick to enhancing your event to a full-blown experience is by focusing on the feelings that are generated when they think of your event. Replicate those feelings by focusing on sensory stimulus.
Here are three quick examples:
Industry: Restaurants
Why you? You reliably serve delicious meals and are known for your creative cocktails. Since C-19, you have adapted by offering take-home cocktail creations that pair will with dinner entrees.
Event Promo: Mixology Show & Tell - Instruct how to make cocktail ingredients and then the mixed drink. Use videos of local celebrities making drinks (even non-celebs). Host a live social media event with professional bartenders mixing concoctions. Talk about how the drink smells, looks, tastes, and enhances the taste of the paired dinner recommendation. Capture flames, ice-crunching, living flowers, fruits & veggies with close-up photos.
Participant Experience: Offer drink kits to pre-registrants. Invite customers to interact with your Show & Tell. Respond to chat immediately. Ask to share photos and reactions to tastes from real people.
Invite & interact with comments.
2. Industry: Women’s Retail Shoes
Why you? You carry top quality products and know at least 50% of the customers that shop in your store.
Event Promo: Cinderella Showcase – Show videos of people in fabulous, exotic places. Ask your customers to send pictures of their favorite vacations places where they’ve worn the shoes purchased from your store.
Participant Experience: Email mock-up passports to all attendees in advance. Show travel pictures and videos in background. Talk about locations where shoes can add walkability, danceability, comfort, etc. Dig into history & special or secrets to vacation spots. Enhance sensory perceptions with sexy voice over or host.
3. Industry: Flowers & Gifts
Why you? Your sell fresh flowers with new choices offered daily. Your store continually changes displays, offering rare retail items from local artists.
Event Promo: Floral Showcase - Invite online attendees to a floral event where pros teach arranging, artists show jewelry making, DIY crafters and demonstrate decorating with flowers.
Participant Experience: Deliver flower arrangements in advance to all registrants. Show candid camera videos of people receiving flower gifts (both old funny footage, old movie clips & current). Describe the scent, color comparisons, types of flowers and their meanings. Offer interact chat, ask to share their home ideas, questions and photos.
Before starting any promotion online, know the difference between virtual events, webcasts (or podcasts), and online meetings and which might work best for your targeted customers.
· Webcasts are pre-recorded seminars, trainings, and stories communicating specific information through video and audio files.
· Podcasts are recorded presentations, stories or information through spoken word audio files.
· Online meetings use audio and video conferencing tools to allow participants to see and share presentations, interact with attendees and receive (or give) information in real time.
· Virtual events – Virtual skies are the limit. Audio, video, live feeds, taped or recorded conversations, and discussions generally do not require special software to interact. Most require logging in or joining a group to participate. Specific invitations are usually provided to involve participants.
#2 PARTNER
Developing partnerships will enhance the long-term success of your business. In the short-term, partners bring people. Long-term, partners can provide much need expertise in virtual event production, promoting or even planning. Partners can offer strong collaboration and shared project management. Look for expertise that you do not have. Seek advice on technical and engagement components of virtual marketing. You should promote anyone involved or pay for services provided.
Non-profit partners are especially helpful with virtual events. Whether you are invested in their mission, or they might already be affiliated with your business in some way, partnering with them gives you access to their database and it allows their message to be heard in a new setting. It will be your collective task to interest your attendees in the nonprofit’s mission or current work and provide an opportunity to engage thoughtful participation.
Partner Opportunity: Think about the new ‘circular economy’ approach. For example, by including a “Swap Shop” where unwanted props, usable furniture, and costumes can all be swapped by other participants in the huge Edinburgh Festival Fringe event (3rd-largest ticketed event in the world, after the Olympics and the soccer World Cup). Items that would otherwise be trashed are not only reused, but organizations also learn about each other’s projects. This kind of environmentally friendly program is easy to find support for, in this case by Creative Carbon Scotland.
#3 PROMOTION
Event announcements can be shared by email, blogs, calendar posts, newsletters, articles, texts and every possible social media. Email invitations should go directly to all your contacts (and your partner’s contacts). Social outreach plan needs to include all the major outlets: Twitter, Face Book, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Linked In, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and What’s App. Wherever your target market hangs out, that is where you will focus your attention.
Once registration takes place, encourage others to join with buddy promos, then get them to show up with stimulating repeat announcements.
Use auto reminders so those signing up get repeated messages after registering.
Use buttons to automatically add your event to calendars when registering.
Remind them the day before, remind them the day of, remind them 1 hour before and again when event starts. Keep your brand in mind on all messages.
Asking people to Share or Like is not enough to make the promo pop. Offer hide & seek games or contests to keep people interested in advance of your event. Encourage them to add to the pre-game festivities with pictures, videos, comments and collaborate with them by replying (and rewarding) often.
#4 PRODUCTION
Before initiating any event marketing online, partner with an IT professional for assistance. If attendees are able to chat and interact with event managers, make sure to monitor, answer and reacts in real time using all available technology of the platform you choose.
Registration: Offer different levels of registration options (let participants contribute to good causes here). Allow people to get a refund or stay involved by donating. Collect phone numbers so people that may have difficulty can get help personally.
Teach people how to engage proficiently with practice events. Interact in advance, encouraging people to share and invite discussions. Offer pre-sales to be able to attend events.
Create a dedicated webcast space (room or booth) to produce events. An online event, similar to a live event requires a staged area for presentations or the “show” takes place. At the very least, make sure your backdrop fits the event. Clearly state what’s happening. Share a printed agenda several times at the beginning, and again periodically. Post agenda in chat.
Prepare talking point for all speakers. Create production quality printed materials for online viewing. If possible, have multiple views filmed to keep action lively. Add printed names to speakers’ photos or live feeds, especially when introducing people. Coach groups or presenters in advance on who is going to speak first. Example, “I’ll start with Jamal, then Brittany, and follow that order throughout.”
Move it along. Keep events short, about 20 minutes for kids, no segment longer than an hour for adults. Have multiple segments to break up long presentations. No monologues! Vary the program with different speakers, activities and entertainment. Contests and games can be pre-programmed to occur simultaneously. Start small and expand only after realizing what works.
Surprise attendees with zany and delightful guests or activities (KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET HERE). Only add additional elements with practice.
Details matter. Lighting, sound and activities should look and feel part of a whole. Keep your brand in mind when decorating and including special effects. Add thematic colors, audio, or visuals in order to keep the mood consistent with the event.
When possible, hire a professional event management company to help produce your online events.
Know what you do best, get help with the rest!