Webinars, virtual conferences, and online presentations are now commonplace. And even though more events are expected to go hybrid this year — a combination of in-person events with a virtual component — the general consensus is there will always be a place for digital. How can you get the word out about online events going forward? Here are a few marketing tips for online events to consider.
Announce It on Your Website
Instinct probably tells you social media and email marketing are important when it comes to promoting online events. While you do need to take those steps, it’s a good idea to announce it first on your website. This way, you’ll be able to direct traffic from social, email, and other channels back to a main area of your site for information and registration.
To begin, create a banner across your home page or a slider in the sidebar of your website (or both!), so visitors have an upfront view of the announcement. The Darkness to Light organization did this for their upcoming virtual conference:
In addition to the announcement, you should also add a designated landing page to your website. Visitors can go here for more information and resources about the event as well as register online.
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Launch Paid Advertisements
Once your website is ready, you can start building paid advertising campaigns around your event. Search, display, and social ads can all help you promote your online events. Here’s an explainer of the difference between search and display ads, if you’re not sure where to begin.
Write a Blog to, Literally, Get the Word Out
Now that your website and advertising are in place, it’s time to consider another marketing tip for your online events — writing a blog. Not just any blog, though. This one is totally dedicated to talking about the upcoming webinar, lecture series, conference, or any other event you have in the works. For something extra, try including a YouTube invitation video (embedded in the blog) to further engage your prospects about what to expect from the event and get them to your website.
Build a Buzz with Organic Social
While paid social gets you in front of your target audience right away, it doesn’t guarantee they will be ready to click. And it costs you money. You can balance your paid efforts with organic social posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and so on. Your paid ads will do the work of bringing awareness to the event, and the organic posts are the follow-up that continue delivering visibility each week.
Here’s an example of a LinkedIn post promoting a future webinar:
In addition to content that appears in the feed, consider posting in your relevant groups on each platform. This could be an industry group, a neighborhood community of users, you get the idea.
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Another helpful marketing tip for online events is email. You can start with an initial email announcing the event and linking to your landing page. Then, as it gets closer to the big day, create a series of reminders and “last chance to register” emails to increase signups and create excitement.
Get Creative with Direct Mail
One final consideration for event marketing — direct mail. It’s easier these days to stand out with communication to someone’s physical mailbox, because so much of what people receive is digital. So, send a postcard, brochure, or booklet that’s designed to engage your recipients from the very moment they hold it in their hands. You can even get creative by linking your offline mail with your digital space by including QR codes or simply a link to your landing page.
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Conclusion
Digital events are here to stay, at least in some capacity. Give these marketing tips for online events a try before your next virtual gathering, so you can get the word out to your audience no matter where they consume your content.
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