3 reasons why virtual events are perfect for boosting customer engagement

Oct 03, 2023

Virtual events are increasingly becoming a preferred method of connecting with your customers and accelerating the onboarding process—they singlehandedly help you boost awareness, develop deeper customer relationships, and build customer trust at a faster pace than through traditional marketing methods.

Virtual events are also known for being cost effective—saving your budget on food, travel, location and resource expenses—which makes them the perfect fit for accelerating the adoption of new software or services.

But what are the benefits of using virtual events for customer engagement? And how can you use them to connect with potential customers? In this article, we’ll cover some of the top reasons why virtual events make up for being the best customer engagement tool available today. Read on to find out more about this amazing tool for building customer loyalty and boosting brand affinity.

What is customer engagement?

Promoting customer engagement is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your brand loyalty. For example, how long would you continue using a product or service if you were not satisfied with it? How would you feel if your complaints, comments, or support requests were ignored? In the end, it is the engagement that makes customers stick to your products. Engaging with your customers is much more than providing them with useful information or service offerings. It’s about making the customers feel valued and heard, while also building their trust and rapport with your brand. Engagement is all about creating a sense of connection with your customers. But how? You can do it by talking with them, asking for their opinions and being genuinely interested in what they have to say. When you engage with customers, you’re building a relationship with them. This is different from creating a sense of urgency around your brand. For example, in case of a new product launch or a special offer, you can let your customers know about it and tell them what they need to place their orders right away.

Why is customer engagement crucial?

Customer engagement is one of the most important aspects of any successful business. It’s only after you establish a solid relationship with your customers that you can deliver them with the products and services that they expect from your brand. Engaging with your customers will help you build a deeper connection with them and make them more loyal to your brand. This will also enable you to understand any needs or expectations your customers have of your product and make improvements accordingly. Engaging with your customers is about creating, maintaining, and strengthening all types of relationships. But one of the most important relationships you need to build is the one with your existing customers.

How virtual events help boost customer engagement

Virtual events are live or interactive video-based experiences designed to attract and engage your target audience. This type of event is typically done over a virtual platform such as YouTube, Facebook Live or Marquet. Virtual events allow you to create an experience that feels more personal than traditional forms of marketing, such as newsletters or emails. You use virtual events to directly personalize and strengthen the relationship between your brand and customers or to create a community around your brand. Virtual events can be used to engage with your existing customers, build relationships with prospects, and generate brand awareness. You can also use virtual events to boost your company culture and encourage team collaboration.

1. Virtual events are ongoing

Virtual events are perfect for companies that want their customers to engage with their brand on an ongoing basis. For example, an insurance company might host a virtual event once a month to answer customers’ questions and solve their issues. But these meetings can also be used for training purposes to teach customers how to file claims, navigate their service-related system, etc. Similar to virtual events, virtual sales training is another excellent example of how to use virtual events to improve customer engagement. In this scenario, a salesperson is paired with a customer who is learning how to purchase the products or services the other person represents. The person leading the call can facilitate the training process by running training scenarios, asking questions, and demonstrating key products.

2. Virtual events build trust

Virtual events can help your company build trust with your customers by demonstrating your brand’s professionalism and deep knowledge of your field. Establishing your band as a knowledge leader in your industry is key to gaining the trust of your customers. Not only will your customers value your insights and advice, but you may become their first stop for answering questions. So how do you use virtual events to garner trust and establish yourself as a knowledgable frontrunner in your industry? Let's look at an example. If you run management software that helps companies hire and manage their team, you can organize virtual events that let a small group of employees and customers interact in a virtual environment. The first virtual event could be a conversation between two managers and their employees about the challenges and triumphs of running a team. This would help build trust between the parties and demonstrate your expertise in the industry. In the second event, the same managers could be paired with a customer who has a similar team-related challenge. The virtual event could help the customers solve their problems as well as provide the managers with insights on how to improve their team’s performance.

3. Virtual events improve customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction increases when customers feel your company is helpful and dependable. Your customers want you to be their partners, not just product vendors. How can virtual events boost your company's reliability? It's easy. For example, if you run an accounting software, you can organize virtual events that let customers and managers interact in a virtual environment. Managers can use these virtual events to train their customers in how to use the accounting software. As the training progresses, the manager can help their customers navigate problems that affect their company’s financial performance. The final aspect of this example is that the manager and customer can then organize a virtual event where the manager can demonstrate how to use the accounting software to solve the customer’s problem.

Summing up

Customer engagement is essential for any business to succeed. And virtual events are a great way to engage with your customers, build brand loyalty, and boost sales. In fact, according to recent studies, more than half of the people prefer virtual events to be the main marketing platform. With the help of virtual events, you can boost brand awareness and strengthen your relationships with customers. It’s a great way to engage with your target audience and generate leads for your sales team.

Keep in mind that virtual events are a cost-effective way to host gatherings in locations where it’s hard to accommodate large groups of people. In addition, virtual events are more cost-efficient than regular in-person activities such as conferences and training sessions, which makes them the perfect fit for accelerating the adoption of new software or services. Virtual events are an excellent way to build trust with your customers and improve customer satisfaction. Finally, virtual events make up for being in-person by providing customers with real-life examples of how your product or service works in action.

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5 ways to promote your online event and attract your target audience

07 Nov, 2023

Organizing an online event can be a great way to connect with your target audience, promote your brand, and build a community around your product or service. However, with so many online events happening these days, you might be wondering how you can make yours stand out from the pack. So, it's more important than ever to make sure your event draws attention to and attracts your target audience. Here are some tips for promoting your online event: 1. Utilize social media Social media is a great way to promote your online event and reach your target audience. You can start by creating an event page on each social media platform that suits your business and include all the pertinent details such as the date, time, location, and a brief description of what your event is all about. Also, you can create a unique hashtag for your event and start promoting it on all your social media channels in the weeks leading up to the event. Be sure to also add and use other relevant and trending hashtags so that people searching for events like yours can find it easily. Additionally, consider creating promotional videos or graphics to post on your social media platforms. Paid advertising on social media to reach an even wider audience and is a great strategy to grab people's attention and give them a better idea of what your event is all about. When creating your ads, be sure to target them specifically to your target audience. 2. Send email invitations Email invitations are another great way to promote your online event and reach your target audience. Include all the important details about the event in the invitation, and make sure to personalize the message so that it resonates with the recipient. You can use paid advertising to reach an even wider audience by purchasing email lists, using a tool like Google AdWords or your clients contact email lists. Another great way to promote your online event is by sending personal invitations to people you think would be interested in attending. You can do this via email or even through direct messaging if you're connected with them on social media platforms. In your invitation, whether it is an email list or a personal email, be sure to include a link to where they can sign up for the event so it's easy for them right from the get-go! 3. Use other marketing channels In addition to social media and email lists, there are other marketing channels you can utilize to promote your event such as blog posts, traditional billboards, print ads, TV commercials, radio spots or flyers if you're looking to reach a local audience. These channels can be highly effective in reaching people who may not be active on social media or who don't use email frequently. Plus, they can help create a sense of urgency and excitement around your event that will get people curious and wanting to participate. Again, be sure to include all the important details about your event and try to make your marketing materials visually appealing. If you have a website for your business or organization, be sure to create a dedicated page for your event that people can easily find. 4. Collaborate with other businesses or organizations A great way to promote your online event is by teaming up with other businesses or organizations that serve a similar target audience. For example, if you're hosting an online seminar about starting a small business, reach out to local small businesses and see if they'd be interested in sharing information about the event with their customers or clients. Not only will this help spread the word about your event, but it will also give you some credibility since you're being endorsed by another business. 5. Offer Incentives Finally, don't be afraid to get creative in promoting your online event. There are endless possibilities when it comes to marketing, so try thinking outside the box and coming up with unique ways to get people interested in attending your event. For example, you could host a contest leading up to the event or offer discounts for early registration. One of the best ways to get people interested in attending your online event is by offering them something in return. This could be anything from a discount on products or services to freebie items such as eBooks or downloadable templates related to the topic of your event. Whatever it is, make sure it's something that will appeal to your target audience and incentivize them to attend. Event organizers now have more tools available than ever before when it comes to promoting their events. Utilizing digital channels is essential in today's age, but traditional methods such as print ads or TV commercials can still play a role in promotion. Moreover, being creative and outside -of-the-box will help make an impression on potential attendees. At the end of the day, what matters most is that the right people are interested in attending your virtual event! Remember, promoting your online event doesn't have to be difficult—just follow these simple tips and you'll be well on your way to attracting your target audience! Utilizing social media, sending email invitations, utilizing traditional marketing methods, collaborating with other businesses and offering incentives are all great ways to promote an online event and for sure you’ll attract attention from your target audience.

How to improve your inbound marketing strategies through virtual events

24 Oct, 2023

Virtual events are a great way to build your brand and generate new leads. They’re low-risk, cost-effective, and scalable, allowing you to experiment with new content types without worrying about the overhead costs associated with marketing campaigns. Events are a great way to give your audience a look at who you are and what you do. Virtual events can help grow your inbound marketing strategies. With the right setup, you can create engaging events with little effort and investment.

The rise of virtual events: why some industries thrive when the world shifts online

17 Oct, 2023

In a world that's increasingly driven by technology, it's no surprise that virtual events are on the rise. With so many industries embracing the power of the internet, it's only natural that more and more events are being held online. While some industries have been slow to adopt this new trend, others have embraced it with open arms. Here are four industries that have thrived as a result of the shift to virtual events. Education The boom of online learning has led to a period of adaptation where educators have had to get creative in order to continue providing students with the same quality content they would provide in-person. Enter: virtual events. Virtual events have allowed educators to host virtual lessons where, just like in the classroom, students can listen to lectures, participate in activities, and engage with their classmates. Here are a few ways in which virtual events have benefitted the educational industry: Increased access: Online learning provides greater access to education for students who may not have access to traditional brick-and-mortar schools. This includes students who live in rural areas, students with disabilities, and students who are unable to attend traditional schools for other reasons. Flexibility: Online learning allows students to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. This can be especially beneficial for students who have other commitments, such as work or family responsibilities. Cost savings: Online learning can be more cost-effective than traditional education for both students and schools. For students, online learning eliminates travel costs, as well as material costs for bags, or school lunches. For the school, online classes reduce the overall cost of delivering education as they save money on physical printed assets, stationery, school-provided technology and more. Increased engagement: Online learning can help to engage students who may be disengaged in a traditional classroom setting by providing a more interactive and personalized learning experience. Some students also find it easier to engage with work in the comfort of their own home where they might not feel as much pressure as in a traditional classroom. Technology The tech industry is another that has seen great success with virtual events. In fact, many tech companies were already using online platforms to hold events before the pandemic hit. From promotional events to internal organizational events, the tech industry has widely benefitted from hosting virtual events. These benefits include: Increased accessibility. Online events make it easier for people with disabilities as they can participate from the comfort of their own homes. This can help to increase diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. Virtual events also provide higher access for international or faraway event attendees who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend due to traveling time, planning or costs. Cost savings: Online events can be more cost-effective than traditional in-person events, as they eliminate the need to rent physical event space and can reduce the cost of logistics and travel for both organizers and attendees. Once again, these cost savings lead to greater event scalability and increased attendance. On the one hand, a higher number of attendees will be able to afford to attend the event. On the other hand, the company doesn’t have to worry about capping attendance based on physical space and other resource availability. Increased visibility. With increased accessibility and attendance comes increased visibility. Online events provide an opportunity for tech companies to showcase their products and services to a wider audience, often internationally to those in countries where that tech brand is still growing. This can help to increase the visibility of the company and its offerings and can also help to generate leads and drive sales. Improved engagement. Online events can be more interactive and engaging than traditional in-person events, as they often incorporate features such as live Q&A sessions and interactive polls. This can help to increase engagement and make the event more impactful for attendees. Marketing When it comes to marketing, virtual events have become a key marketing strategy for increasing brand awareness and loyalty. Here are a few ways in which virtual events have benefitted the marketing industry: Increased accessibility and visibility. We’ve covered these points in the previous industries but it’s with mentioning here too. In a profession that often places increased visibility, awareness and lead count as a key goal, virtual events have become an indispensable strategy in marketers’ toolbelts. Lower costs mean greater scalability and higher attendance capacity. Shorter event planning time. While an in-person event can take the better part of a year to plan (even just booking a venue well in advance can place your event date on the distant horizon), virtual events can take mere weeks to put together. This means marketers can create more frequent events throughout the year which increases the amount and consistency of communication they have with customers and allows them to create and put out more content that increases visibility. After all, smaller bursts of consistent engagement through the year are better than one giant event and then no engagement for the rest of the year. Event statistics and data. Virtual events offer marketers a great way to collect real-time data about their target audience before, during and after the event. By tracking attendees' behaviors such as enrolment, and attendance, as well as their engagement with event content, marketers can gain valuable insights into what type of content most resonates with their audience and make necessary adjustments on the fly or for future events. This level of data-driven decision making is invaluable for any marketing team looking to stay ahead of the competition. Hospitality The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 due to restrictions on travel and large gatherings. However, even in these difficult times, there are still opportunities for businesses in this sector to thrive—and many of them have found success by pivoting to virtual events. Turning to online learning. One benefit the hospitality sector found during lockdown was the ability to harness its services into online learning classes. From cooking to workout classes, hotels took the opportunity to show attendees how to use new skills and start new hobbies. Fostering community. Some hotel events set up activities such as games for families, or special interest groups such as cooking groups or reading clubs. Hotels benefited from creating a flowering community around their brands. As the world becomes more technology-driven, it's crucial to remember that businesses in all industries can still thrive, even during times of crisis like the current one. By embracing new trends like virtual events, businesses can stay relevant, connect with their audiences, and keep operating when traditional methods are no longer possible or viable.