Hybrid events are not just a trend, they are here to stay, and for good reason. Hybrid events gathered steam during COVID times when social gatherings were prohibited and even though COVID is no longer the threat it once was, hybrid events have absolutely no plan to go away. They are highly convenient and more dynamic; people find them more accommodating as they can fit these into their schedules relatively easily.
Conducting hybrid events has many benefits. First of all, they will significantly increase your audience and reach because of their dynamic characteristics. You’ll get participants who might have otherwise not been able to be physically present and others who might simply prefer a virtual gathering over a physical one. Hybrid events allow you to cater to all types of audiences which will naturally increase your footfall over time.
So, it’s crucial to learn how to promote your hybrid events online right away. And we’ve shortlisted some quick but effective ways for you to master this like a pro.
1. Build An Appealing Landing Page
Your top-most priority is to communicate all the important details about the upcoming event on the landing page. Guide your viewer’s eye through all that information. Pay close attention to the headings, the sub-headings, the call-to-action buttons, and the visuals. Anything and everything they need to know about the event needs to be laid out on this one page.
While you do this, it is imperative that you keep SEO optimization in mind. Design your content in a way which will enable it to have the maximum reach and engagement. This is a very neat way of improving your website’s visibility when your field of work is looked up on search engines.
Don’t forget to mention all the important details about your key performers or speakers as this will be a determining factor in pulling your audience towards your event. Your landing page needs to be engaging and eye-catching, you’ve got to keep your potential audience hooked. Add a count-down before your Sign-Up call-to-action button. This adds a sense of urgency to your message and helps people sign up sooner rather than later. Showing the number of seats that are left is also a similar tactic to build hype and create a sense of urgency.
Do not forget to add your social media handles on your landing page. Users should be able to easily move back and forth between your landing page and social media accounts. Share testimonials, reviews, snippets from previous events to build your credibility and increase attendance for your upcoming events.
2. Launch An Email Campaign
You might think that emails are no longer as relevant as they once used to be, with social media taking over the digital landscape significantly. But you couldn’t be more wrong. Emails are still one of the most effective ways to target potential users. The email lists you build are full of people who are interested in your product or service, who share the same interests as your key demographic, and are thus much more likely to be converted than a user you come across on social media.
But the mightier the weapon, the more careful you’ve got to be while using it, right? Subject lines for emails determine whether or not a user will read more about what you have to say. It’s win or lose. Go the extra mile to ensure your subject lines are catchy, engaging, build some curiosity, maybe create a sense of urgency but never seem too spammy.
Once you’ve got the user to open your email, the battle is already half-won. It would be a shame to lose the attention of your reader now that you got them to open your email. Win the remaining half of the battle by designing your email content in a way that it engages the viewer and tingles their level of excitement.
3. Create a Facebook Event
Creating a Facebook Event page is a great way to get eyeballs for your upcoming event on social media. This page will cover all the important details about your event and link to the landing page you created earlier to get people to sign up.
Creating the page is not enough, you need a promotional strategy as well. In order for your page to have any reach or engagement, you’ve got to ensure you continuously spark people’s interest. And the best way to do this is through engaging visuals. We know graphic designing might not just be your cup of tea but no need to fret. With online tools like PosterMyWall, you can be a jack of all trades. For your hybrid online event, for example, you could choose a template from an array of online meeting invitation templates and personalize it for your event.
Remember to post consistently. Encourage people to sign up for the event and mark themselves as ‘Going’ so their friends and family are also notified about your event.
Aim to post at times when your target audience is most active. Keep them hooked by engaging in conversations with them. Ask them what they’d like to see in the upcoming event. Make them seen. Make them valued. This will not only increase goodwill for your event but also make these people (unofficial) brand ambassadors for your event. Word of mouth converts much better than any paid marketing effort you make.
4. Run a Paid Marketing Campaign
Now that you’ve set up your landing page and Facebook event, it’s time to run some paid campaigns! The key to your success is spending time defining your campaign. Who is your target audience? What are their key demographics? What is your budget for the campaign? What is your goal? Are you looking to increase awareness about your event or do you want people to sign up?
Get your event sponsors to promote your event on their social media handles as well. These sponsors usually have a large following across social media and seeing them promote your event will not only help increase credibility but also increase your exposure to a much bigger target market.
The same applies to the exhibitors, speakers, or entertainers who will be performing at the event. These people are usually quite well known and have a large dedicated following. Get them to promote the event on their social media handles so that their loving fans can join them in the event as well.
The more paid campaigns your stakeholders run, the more likely it is that your event will be a success.
5. Have A Dedicated Hashtag
Make use of a unique and dedicated hashtag to represent your event so that it has its own identity. This way, people can use the hashtag to mark their presence at the event as well as to interact with other people who are interested in the event.
The hashtag will help distinguish your event from the clutter on social media. It is also a highly effective way to build pre-hype for your event and to get more people to roll in during the event. The importance of a trending hashtag can really not be undermined. And if you play your cards right, your event’s hashtag could be one of the most trending hashtags for your target audience.
Conclusion
For your hybrid event to be a success, everything has to tie in. Sugar, spice, everything nice can make the Powerpuff girls but no one ingredient alone can give you the magical powers you need to make your event a roaring success. You’ve got to connect it all together. Go ahead and lay out your marketing plan, follow the steps we’ve mentioned above and make sure they’re all well-integrated for your marketing efforts to be a hit.