Do you know how to promote your virtual event? There are a few things that you have to do to make sure you draw the right audience. Here are nine of them.

How to promote your virtual event

If you’re like a lot of us in the event planning industry, you’ve had to do a lot of hustling in the last few months to quickly recalibrate your business model. You’ve had to remake yourself into a virtual event planner fast because if you didn’t you would sink. You’ve been learning new skills on the fly, and if you’ve been successful, you’ve been able to shift an existing event online or even launch some new ones.

An essential skill to master when planning online events is how to effectively market them. 

Seven steps to remember when you promote your virtual event:

1. Make sure your event will be effective online.

Think about your event’s different aspects, and envision to detail how they will play out in an online atmosphere. What platform will work best? Will people be able to engage? Is this a message that will translate onto a screen in a way that is easy to interpret and participate in? For example, a hands-on workshop might not work online.

2. Get a dedicated website up and running.

If you want to get marketing, you need to have a landing pad first. When you begin to promote your virtual event it’s vital that you have an engaging, informative website for people to go to, and don’t forget to make it searchable using SEO tactics. Spend time making this website a quality place to be because you want your potential participants to spend time there exploring your message and what they will gain by taking part. 

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3. Brand your event.

Generate excitement and anticipation by branding your event. This means considering who your target audience is and tailoring the look and feel of your branding to suit their tastes and needs. Do a little bit of market research and comparison, and use colors, messages, themes, and fonts that will appeal to who you are marketing to.

4. Blog about it.

Get writing! An important aspect to remember when you promote your event is blog power. If you have a blog, write a post that reflects your excitement about the event. Then share it on social media and contribute it to other blogs as well. You can also get other bloggers to promote your virtual event by writing a guest post on their blogs or asking them to write one and share it with their followers.

5. Make social media work for you.

Using social media doesn’t stop at sharing on your own accounts. Create dedicated accounts for your event across several platforms and get interactive. Participate in online discussions, share lots of content; basically, make your event a consistent presence online that people will start to notice. 

6. Leverage your speakers.

Use the star power of your host or speakers to get the word out. As part of your branding you will have graphics and logos to share; provide them to your speakers and ask them to share them on their own social media platforms. This will spread your marketing net even wider.

Finding a speaker who’s comfortable online doesn’t need to be a daunting task. Use our handy virtual speakers’ marketplace tool to find the perfect online speaker. Then contact us to get started.

7. Make a snappy video.

People love watching videos. Invest some time and money (if you have it) into creating a fun, engaging video that demonstrates what participants will have in store if they register. Share it all over social media and even send it out in your email invite.

8. Get your attendees to market for you.

When your attendees’ register, provide them lots of links and shareable material that they can use to let their own networks know about the awesome event they just signed up for! Word-of-mouth doesn’t need to be face-to-face—if you can leverage social media sharing, it can be an extremely effective way to get people talking about your event. 

9. Don’t drop the ball. 

The day of your event is an incredibly powerful day to continue marketing and generate interest in your next event. Share lots of snippets and highlights throughout the day. This will give people a taste of what they’re missing and will bring lots of attention to you and your team at the same time.

COVID-19 has likely changed the landscape of the events industry for good. There will be a return to live events again, but online events will be more prevalent than they were before the pandemic. Knowing how to effectively promote your virtual event every time will help position you for more success in the future.

Happy planning!

Did we forget anything? Let us know in the comments.

Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:

Get certified! Become a Certified Virtual Presenter.
Virtual event planning: 8 tips to move your event online last minute.
Ten event planning tips for absolute beginners.