Engaging Participants in Your Online Event

You’ve been planning your virtual event for a while now, and have created a supreme virtual environment with all the bells and whistles. You’ve secured keynote speakers, entertainment, and support for the scheduled live day.

At this point, you’re feeling quite optimistic, with the only exception being getting the word out. After all, everyone is constantly inundated by online advertisements, email blasts, and social media events. There’s a lot of competition to get noticed, so how do you stand out and create a buzz? Even more importantly, how do you keep your audience engaged during the live virtual event? Panic is setting in. After all, you’ve put in a lot of time and effort into making your online event phenomenal and memorable. You don’t want a “one and done.”

So what’s the answer? The answer is really two-fold. First, you must promote your online event to start the engagement process. After all, people can’t register to an online event that they are unaware of. Second, you want to make sure that your audience stays with you through the duration of the virtual event. You don’t want people dropping out of webinars or ping-ponging their way through your dynamic virtual environment.

Before Your Virtual Event

The first step of engagement is promoting your event. Reach potential participants by:

Leveraging Social Media to Create Excitement

Social media marketing is a powerful way to create a sense of community and draw your target audience into your brand. The very nature of social media allows you to share information about your online event, post updates, and create a general sense of anticipation. With social media tools, you can instantly see the response to your campaign and gauge whether people are interested in attending or have questions regarding the subject matter.  

Being Selective When it Comes to Timing

Timing is everything, right? Promote your online event when the competition is not at an all time high to maximize your advertising efforts. For example, promoting your online event the week of Thanksgiving may not be ideal, but right after Black Friday could be an excellent time to reach out, as a lot of people are doing their holiday shopping online.

During the Live Day of Your Event

The stakes are high when it comes to getting your participants to…well, participate. Even though it may be logistically easier to attend an event when it’s online, participants expect to be not only educated but entertained. To keep the momentum going during your next virtual event, consider the following:

Provide Easily Accessible and Viewable Content

Make sure your online event technology is smartphone/mobile friendly. Mobile and social technologies have made events of all sizes more interactive, so it’s imperative that your virtual event accommodate smartphone usage.

Implement Strong Social Media/Networking

Having a strong social media marketing presence is essential when it comes to engaging your participants.You started this process prior to the live event, but you must continue it. Use the latest social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, along with chat capabilities to create a friendly, non-intimidating environment where participants feel comfortable asking questions.

Utilize Interactive Tools

Using gamification is a great way to add interactivity to your online event. Who doesn’t enjoy playing games? Games encourage learning and networking and may include scavenger hunts, team building activities, and leaderboards. Quizzes and surveys can also be added after a particular training curriculum where rewards, such as points, badges, and even tangible gifts offer extra incentives to participants.

It’s easy to create an engaging virtual environment when you have the right virtual platform vendor by your side. 6Connex uses the latest cloud-based technology and collaborates with its clients to provide the support they need and get the results they expect.

About 6Connex Virtual Event Solutions - Our Digital Experience

6Connex is the leading provider of virtual and hybrid event solutions. Our secure, cloud-based platform expands audience reach and drives in-depth content engagement for marketing, sales, recruitment, training, and HR communities to make for successful online events around the world. Our product portfolio includes virtual environments, learning management, and webinars. Demand more from your virtual and hybrid event solution. Request a virtual event demo with 6Connex, or contact our event software experts for more information.

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Have Questions? Please call 1.800.395.4702 or email us at sales@6connex.com.