One of the best ways to generate new awareness, leads, and sales is to host an industry event. However, in this day and age of “the new norm” and social distancing, in-person industry events have been put on hold indefinitely.
A virtual event—one where the invitee attends by clicking a link and viewing the event from their home or office computer—offer just as much value. In fact, the same steps that you would take to set up a virtual industry event are nearly identical to those you would take for a regular one.
We want to share with you a few essential steps that you can take to help ensure a successful industry event and achieve your overall marketing goals.
Technology
Having good technology is the most important element of a successful industry event. You’ll first need to look at your cameras. A standard laptop webcam or an inexpensive one purchased at the local office supply store won’t provide as sharp or detailed of a picture as a professional webcam.
Then you’ll need to consider your internet connection. The quality of your video will not rely on the download speed, but rather the upload speed. A great way to test the speed of your internet connection for free is to head over to the
SpeedTest by Ookla website. Pay careful attention to your “ping” as well.
A high ping means high latency and that can result in choppy video. Once you know your internet speed stats, contact your internet service provider and see if they offer a higher bandwidth package you can upgrade to.
If you have a poor internet connection powering your virtual event, there’s a good chance your video and voice will get cut off and the attendees won’t be able to understand what you’re saying.
Determine How You Will Market the Event
How will you market this event?
Email marketing?
Direct mail? Or perhaps you’d like to engage in a targeted
social media campaign? While you can take a multi-pronged approach to the marketing of the event, you should first focus on your target demographic and how they like to receive their communication.
Events that target a younger age demographic, such as Generation Z, might respond better to social media than they would direct mail. Conversely, if you’re targeting Baby Boomers, direct mail combined with an email follow up campaign might be the best approach.
If you’re looking to get your message out to the greatest number of people, there’s no better way than a partial or
full vehicle wrap. It will attract tens of thousands of impressions daily as it’s driven through city traffic. If you have a fleet of company cars, you can opt for a
vehicle magnet that’s easily removable and won’t damage the paint.
Define the Aim and Goal
Defining your aim and goals goes beyond “getting more sales.” Try drilling down a few notches to the actual actions that you want people to take. For example, maybe you’re trying to clear out old inventory or push a particular model or product.
By figuring out precisely what you want to accomplish, you’ll be in a much better spot to personalize the messaging and outreach so that it has the highest chances of conversion. Instead of promoting a general sales message, try talking about the exciting new widget which offers x, y, and z benefits.
Invite Only
Once you’ve figured out the aim and goal of the event, pour through your company data and find the customer demographic who will be the most responsive. For example, if you own a Mercedes dealership and want to promote the new SL65 AMG sports car in your event, you should target those customers who have purchased a high-end AMG in the past.
Alternatively, you can also buy or rent highly customizable
customer lists. This will allow you to directly target new prospective customers who can afford a 6-figure Mercedes. If you need help with buying, renting, or generating a new list, reach out to us, and we’ll be able to assist.
Add an Incentive
Sometimes people need a gentle push to get them to commit to something. By adding an incentive, such as a free gift, raffle, or some
unique swag, you’ll experience a much higher attend rate. Keep in mind that the cost of the incentive should not only reflect your budget but the demographic that you’re trying to attract.
For example, if you’re hosting an event for CEOs and Executives, choose a unique personalized product that they would find useful. Wall calendars and pads of paper with your company logo on it probably won’t impress them very much.
Consider the Signage
The signage that you will have at your event will have a significant impact on its success.
Banners,
booth displays, and
event posters are just a few of the many
signage options that can help persuade attendees to make a purchase or take action.
If you need ideas or would like to see some pictures for inspiration, get in touch with us by clicking on the red “Contact Us” button at the top of this web page. Our expert graphic designers will sit down with you and offer suggestions on what will work best for your event.
Measure Your Success
After the event, take another look at your original goals and determine whether or not they were met. By breaking down the event, your chosen promotional methods, and the direct actions that were or weren’t taken by the attendees, you’ll gain a much better understanding of what did and didn’t work. You can then use this information to help refine the success of future events.
Personalized URLs,
QR codes, and
custom website landing pages can help you track, measure, and gather a wealth of information from the event attendees. A highly targeted and personalized
direct mail campaign sent out after the event can help keep prospects warm enough for your sales team to reach out and make the sale.
Event Marketing and Signage in Alexandria and Arlington
If you would like to learn more about how to use signage and marketing to create an industry event that will help improve your ROI and generate new leads and sales, give the professionals at AlphaGraphics Alexandria and Arlington Va. a call at (703) 549-2432 or
contact us via our website.
We’ve helped countless Alexandria and Arlington businesses and organizations over the years design and create the perfect industry event. We’re experts in both signage and marketing and can provide invaluable advice that will help your business achieve its marketing goals.