Blog

connect with your target audience, promote your brand, and build a community around your product or
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.
Virtual events can help grow your inbound marketing strategies
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.
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.
10 Oct, 2023
Whether they’re trade shows, conferences, conventions, or virtual meetups, events have become an important part of marketing, sales and customer engagement strategies. They offer the opportunity for businesses to connect with their target audience in a more personal manner than through traditional marketing methods. This can result in increased brand loyalty as well as new customers who are eager to learn more about your product or service before committing to purchase. What is an Online Event? While most events such as conferences and tradeshows have thus far been commonly hosted in-person, it is becoming increasingly popular to host these events online. In this case, all event functions are held online, meaning there is no physical location for attendees to meet. It is still considered an event, as it allows your brand to connect with customers in a more personal manner. These events can either be free or paid. Free events are those that are offered for the convenience of the customer. Paid events are those that do require a fee to enter. These events can be very beneficial for businesses in a variety of ways. Perhaps you want to become more well-known or build a new audience. Events offer the opportunity to interact directly with your target customers at a time that is convenient for them. Events can also be helpful when you want to increase sales, demonstrate your product’s value, or just otherwise grow the brand. Top three reasons to host an online event 1.To increase brand awareness: Events are a great way to get your brand in front of your target audience. You can use these events as an opportunity to talk about your company, products and/or services in a new way that resonates with your target audience. This can help increase brand recognition, improve sales and expand your customer base. 2. To build relationships: Events are a great way to get customers to know and trust you. Customers may have questions or feedback that they’d like to share with you. It’s a great way to build relationships with your customers, get to know what they need, and improve your product or service. 3. To create excitement around your product or service: Events are a great way to create excitement and anticipation around your products or services. You can use these events to provide more concrete details about what you have planned, how they can benefit from it, and when they can expect to see it. How to Create an Online Event and Webinar as Part of a Marketing Strategy In the next part of this article, we will walk you through how to create an online event and webinar as part of a marketing strategy. Before starting, it’s helpful to determine why you’re hosting the event and the goals you hope to achieve. For example, are you trying to build brand recognition? Get more leads? Increase sales? Once you understand the goals of your event, it’ll be easier to create a strategy that’s tailored to those needs. Next, you’ll want to look into your target audience and see where they are in their buying journey. Are they looking to expand their company’s reach or are they ready to make a purchase? From there, you can see how an event can be helpful in each of these stages of the buying process. What types of events are best for marketing and sales? 1. Trade shows: No doubt about it, trade shows are excellent for building a community and gaining market awareness. But these events also require a significant investment in terms of time, money, and resources. For many businesses, they simply don’t have the resources they need to make a trade show work. 2. Conferences and seminars: These events usually cost less than a trade show, yet they still allow you to build a community of attendees who will become your customers, partners, and mentors. They can also be a great place to find new employees. 3. In-house events: If you run an in-house event, you’ll find opportunities to bridge the digital and human kingdoms. Events in this realm can help you improve your brand image, boost morale, and give your team a chance to let their hair down. 4. Instagram contests: If you have a large social media following, you can run contests on Instagram’s native platform to engage your audience. By keeping these contests simple and concise, you can encourage more people to participate and enter their email address. Build a community prior to the event Whether it’s a conference or a trade show, you can create a community of attendees prior to the event by sharing event details and related content on social media, creating an online event website, and creating a branded hashtag. In addition to creating a community, you can also use online tools to help manage your guest list, collect registration and sponsorship forms, and host an online networking event. These tools can help you do all of this by providing staffing and management solutions for your event, allowing you to collect forms, and making it easier for you to coordinate an online networking event. By creating a community prior to an event, you can increase your chances of making an event a success. Make it interactive Interactive events are all about connecting with your audience and keeping them engaged while they’re at your event. You can choose to create a panel discussion or speaker series, or host a series of workshops, as an interactive format. Interactivity can be as simple as asking attendees to complete a post-event survey or respond to a marketing survey that you distribute prior to the event. These types of activities can help you learn more about your attendees, identify how they responded to your content, and find out how they’d like to be engaged with your business. Hold an after-event meeting If you’re hosting an event that lasts more than one day, you can choose to hold a follow-up event that connects with your attendees. This could be a free-flow panel discussion, a free-flow workshop, or some other type of event that connects with your attendees. This type of event doesn’t have to be directly related to your business, but it does have to engage your attendees. It can be as simple as organizing a happy hour or cocktail party where attendees can connect with each other and communicate their needs and wants. Don’t miss out on business development opportunities during the event When you hold an event for the purpose of building your community, you’re missing out on business development opportunities. These opportunities are taken advantage of by companies who host exclusive sales events or invite partners to attend an off-site event. If your business is large enough, there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to attend one of these events. By participating in these types of events, you have the opportunity to build new business relationships and make connections that could lead to new sales opportunities.  Stay relevant after the event is over Once an event has ended, you don’t have to stop building your community. Post-event content, such as blog posts, social media posts, and event photos, can continue to keep your audience engaged. Push notifications, in-event content, and outbound emails can also help you stay relevant. If your content is engaging and valuable, your audience will take the time to read it. This can help you build your audience and retain your core customers. If your content is generic, your audience will delete it before they take the time to read it. This can be frustrating for you because you’ll lose the opportunity to build new audiences and improve your brand image. Moreover, events offer businesses a unique opportunity to engage with their target audience in a more personal manner than through traditional marketing methods. Events can lead to brand loyalty and new customers who are eager to learn more about your product or service before committing to purchase. In conclusion, if you're thinking about using online events and webinars as part of your marketing and sales strategy, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, make sure that your online event is well-organized and professionally run. This will ensure that your attendees have a positive experience and are more likely to engage with your brand. Second, promote your online event through social media and other online channels. This will help you reach a wider audience and generate interest in your event. Finally, follow up with your attendees after the event. This will help you build relationships with your customers and prospects and encourage them to buy your products or services. Online events and webinars can be a great way to reach a wider audience, generate interest in your brand, and improve your marketing and sales strategies. Keep these tips in mind to ensure that your online event is a success.
03 Oct, 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.
26 Sep, 2023
Are you looking to promote your product and attract potential customers at the same time? One way to do this is by organizing shopping events. Shopping events are a great way to get people interested in your product and generate sales. By streamlining the event planning process, you can make sure your event is successful and attract potential customers. Here are some tips on how to organize your virtual shopping event: Choose the right platform The first step is to choose the right online shopping platform for your event. There are a variety of platforms available, so it's important to select one that will be accessible to your target audience. The most important thing to consider is whether the platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate. If your target audience is not as familiar with using online platforms and ecommerce, then you'll want to choose a service that is simple and straightforward. You should also consider the cost of the platform and the payment options available. Some platforms charge a monthly fee, while others take a percentage of each sale. Depending on your average and expected sales for the event, you should find one that offers the best option for you. You'll also want to make sure that the platform offers a variety of features, such as the ability to create a wish list or registry, submit reviews, prepare an integrated shopping cart and checkout process, share photos and videos, and send e-invitations. Plan ahead Once you've selected the platform for your event, it's time to start planning. Planning an event can seem like a daunting task, but with a little forethought and some careful planning, it can be surprisingly easy. Start by making a list of everything you need to do and when you need to do it. Make sure to allow enough time for promotion and to ensure that all the details are taken care of. In addition, it's important to develop a marketing strategy that will reach your target audience. How are you going to promote your event? Who is your target audience? What platforms are you going to use for each step of your strategy? Once you have a plan in place, the rest will be a breeze! Promote your event Planning an event can be a lot of work, but it's worth it when everything comes together perfectly on the day of. Be sure to promote your event well in advance so potential customers have time to save the date. You can promote your event through social media, email marketing, or even by word-of-mouth. Promoting your event is one of the most important aspects of event planning, and there are several ways to do it effectively. First, start with advertising and digital marketing strategies to get the word out early. Be sure to use relevant keywords so potential customers can easily find your event. You can create a landing page for your event, post flyers and posters around town, and use social media to generate interest. You can also post information about your event on community bulletin boards or online classifieds sites. Email marketing is also a great way to reach potential attendees. If you have a large email list, send out a save-the-date email blast a few weeks before the event. And finally, don't forget the power of word-of-mouth. Be sure to tell your friends, family, and colleagues about the event so they can spread the word. With these promotion tips in mind, you're sure to pack the house for your next big event! Stream Live Live event streaming is a great way to make your live event more accessible to potential customers by having your event available on any device anywhere, with just one click. This is a great way to reach potential customers who may not be able to attend the event in person due to travel inconveniences and budgets, and mobile disabilities. It also allows people who are interested in your product to ask questions and get more information about it in real time. You can also use live event streaming to build hype for an upcoming sale or product launch. By giving people a glimpse of what's to come, you can generate excitement and encourage them to shop with you when the time comes. Live event streaming is a powerful tool that should be in every retailer's toolbox. Used correctly, it can help you reach a wider audience and boost your bottom line. Follow up After the event, be sure to follow up with potential customers who show interest in your product. This is a great way to build relationships and generate sales. There are a few key strategies you can use to maximize your post-event follow-up efforts. First, be sure to quickly post online any sales or discounts that were offered at the event. This will create a sense of urgency and encourage potential customers to act. Second, reach out directly to potential customers via email or phone and ask for feedback on their experience with your product. This helps to build relationships and ensure that you're meeting customer needs. Finally, add potential customers to your email list or other marketing funnel strategies so you can continue to nurture them through the sales process until they purchase your product. By following these simple steps after a trade show or expo, you can maximize your post-event follow-up efforts and generate more sales.  By following these tips, you will have a solid guide to organize your online event. Remember that the most important thing is the platform you choose must be the right one for the type of event you want to organize so it helps you and your team to meet the goals you have set, whether they are to sell more, launch a new product or simply give more visibility to your brand. Whatever your event and marketing goals are always keep in mind to plan and execute it ahead of time.
19 Sep, 2023
Let's take a quick walk through the history and evolution of this industry. Ecommerce, or electronic commerce, is the buying and selling of goods and services online. It first came about in the early 1970s with the advent of electronic fund transfer (EFT), which allowed businesses to send and receive money electronically. At first, it was primarily used for businesses to communicate with one another electronically. Later, in the early 1990s with the advent of the internet, it grew in popularity and sophistication, with new technologies and applications being developed every year. However, it didn't take long for entrepreneurs to see the potential for using this new technology to sell products and services directly to consumers. Today, ecommerce is a $22 trillion industry and growing rapidly. In 1971, the world's first online purchase was made when a student at Stanford University bought an apple from a local grocer using Arpanet, the precursor to the internet. This marked the beginning of ecommerce as we know it today. A few years later, in 1979, Michael Aldrich invented the concept of online shopping when he created a system that allowed customers to order goods via their television sets. His company, Telematics, was one of the first to provide home shopping services. In 1982, Charles Keisler created Software Arts' Tadalog, the first transactional database system for personal computers. This system allowed businesses to track customer orders and inventory levels electronically, making ecommerce more efficient and streamlined. The 1980s saw the rise of electronic data interchange (EDI), which allowed businesses to exchange data electronically. This made it possible for businesses to transmit orders, invoices, and other important documents without having to use paper. EDI became the standard for business-to-business transactions and laid the groundwork for modern ecommerce platforms. In 1994, Netscape Navigator, the first commercial web browser, was introduced. This ushered in a new era of online shopping as it made it easier for consumers to browse and purchase goods online. Soon after, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, which is widely considered to be the first e-commerce company. Amazon was launched as an online bookstore and within a year, Bezos had turned Amazon from a small startup into a multi-million-dollar business. In the years that followed, many other companies followed suit and began selling products online. Today it is still one of the earliest success stories in ecommerce. In 1997, PayPal was founded as a way to securely send and receive payments online. This made it possible for businesses of all sizes to accept credit card payments electronically without having to invest in expensive hardware or software. Also, this online payment system made it much easier and more secure for people to shop online. Suddenly, people all over the world could buy and sell products without having to worry about processing payments manually. In 2000, eBay acquired PayPal and hived off into its own independent company in 2014. Today, PayPal is one of the most popular payment processors in the world with over 267 million active users. In 2003, Amazon debuted its Kindle e-reader which allowed users to buy and read digital books electronically. This was a game-changer for the publishing industry as it opened up a new revenue stream for authors and publishers alike. Since then, Amazon has continued to innovate in ecommerce with products like Prime shipping, Alexa voice shopping, and more. In recent years, e-commerce has continued to grow at an incredible pace. New technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence are beginning to change the way we buy and sell products online. And with more and more people shopping on their mobile phones, it's safe to say that e-commerce is here to stay. Types of E-Commerce Now that we've taken a brief look at the history of e-commerce, let's discuss the different types of e-commerce that are being used today. The four main types of e-commerce are business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), and consumer-to-business (C2B). Business to Consumer (B2C) The vast majority of e-commerce transactions fall into this category. Businesses that sell products or services directly to consumers are known as B2C businesses. Some examples of B2C businesses include Amazon, Walmart, and Starbucks. Business to Business (B2B) While B2C transactions make up the lion's share of e-commerce sales, there is still a significant amount of money being spent on B2B transactions. In a B2B transaction, one business sells goods or services to another business. A few examples of B2B businesses include FedEx, Grainger, and John Deere. Consumer to Consumer (C2C) This type of transaction occurs when two consumers buy or sell goods or services from one another. The most popular platform for C2C transactions is eBay. Other examples of C2C businesses include Airbnb and TaskRabbit. Consumer to Business (C2B) This type of e-commerce is relatively rare, but it does occur from time to time. In a C2B transaction, a consumer sells goods or services to a business. An example of a C2B business would be someone who sells homemade crafts on Etsy. Ecommerce has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1971, when a student at Stanford University bought an apple from a local grocer using Arpanet, as a way for customers to communicate electronically with businesses. Today, it is a $22 trillion industry that is only going to continue to grow in popularity and sophistication as new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence are developed, and new applications are found for them. This industry is just beginning to change the way we buy and sell products online, for businesses looking to get involved in ecommerce, now is the time! There's no telling how big this industry will become in the years to come!
12 Sep, 2023
As online shopping becomes more popular, online retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with a deepening competitive field. In order to stay competitive, they need to find new and innovative ways to bring in customers. One strategy quickly gaining popularity is hosting online shopping events. Online shopping events allow customers to browse and shop from the comfort of their own home, and they often offer great deals and discounts. These events are quickly becoming the preferred way for consumers to shop, and online retailers who don't offer this experience may find themselves left behind. While online shopping events are nothing new, they are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. This is because they offer a convenient and hassle-free way for consumers to shop. In addition, online retailers often offer great deals and discounts at these events, which makes them even more appealing. As virtual shopping becomes more popular, online shopping events will become more relevant and key to companies' marketing strategies. Online retailers who don't offer this experience will be at a disadvantage. If you're an online retailer, it's time to start thinking about how you can incorporate online shopping events into your marketing strategy. In this article we’ll explain 6 main reasons why it's a good idea for your business to start your venture into online shopping events, if you haven’t already. 1. Scalable The easier, more sustainable and cost-effective it is for your company to replicate events or replicate content and the interactions it can have in different formats to suit the different needs of your customers, the more profitable it will be for your business. These platforms allow your marketing team to organize events in minutes and duplicate them as many times as you want without significantly increasing efforts translated into money or time. 2. Higher ROI and lower costs Virtual shopping events also have the incredible advantage of saving a lot of your on-site event budget. You reduce costs in catering, hotel rental, booth, POP material, among other expenses. Also, since virtual shopping events lower your cost per customer, you have the opportunity to increase the number of attendees to your event and redirect your budget to expanding your digital marketing campaigns. This will help you improve your ROI metrics and expand your efforts to improve your conversion metrics. 3. Broader audience Virtual events don’t just benefit you—they also benefit your attendees. Virtual events are highly accessible. They break geographical barriers, and, as we mentioned before, reduce many costs for attendees including the cost of admission and travel expenses. Attendees who previously wouldn’t have been able to attend an in-person event due to distance and budget restrictions will find it easier to attend an online event in the comfort of their own home. In addition, they allow or facilitate the participation of people with mobility disabilities. By being able to add subtitles, audio assistance or sign language in most of the formats of the event's content. 4. Content is king With the optimization in time, money and logistics, your team will be able to focus their efforts on improving the content that will be shown during the event. In addition, you can anticipate the type of interaction you want your audience to have with the different formats in which you present your content, you can dynamize your event to increase the participation of your viewers with surveys, contests, quizzes, among others. What’s more, you can invest more time in the narrative sequence that will take your customers or potential customers by the hand during the event, allowing you greater control of the information they digest and retain their attention for longer. With virtual events you will have greater control of what you want to portray with your content, and it will be of great benefit if you accompany it with a good business strategy. 5. Better networking Having a virtual platform for events at hand allows your customers to connect in the most convenient way for them, either through forums, calls or chats, in which they can participate in specific topics or more open sessions. These channels make it easy to follow conversations between all participants once a connection has been established. Moreover, connecting exhibitors with clients or sponsors is a key piece for your event, virtuality allows each attendee to know at their own pace each booth or each sponsor's guideline according to their topics of interest. 6. Real-time feedback Contrary to a face-to-face event, holding a virtual event not only allows you to obtain data during the registration of the event, but you can also acquire metrics that will help you in your future events, such as real-time attendance, heat maps in the areas most frequented by attendees, the most downloaded content, the speakers with the highest participation rate among others. All these metrics will give your business analytics great accuracy and consequently it will improve your sales and marketing strategy. Virtual shopping events, on specialized platforms, have allowed the development of new approaches towards interaction with consumers. It has become easier for your company to achieve its marketing objectives such as increasing brand awareness, generating new leads, increasing customer loyalty or creating new business opportunities with other companies, among others. Also, they have become a sustainable sales strategy since they have allowed a reduction in costs derived from the logistics of a face-to-face event. If you're an online retailer, it's time to start thinking about how you can incorporate online shopping events into your business model. This is the future of online shopping, and those who don't adapt will be left behind. Don't let your business fall behind the times – start planning your online shopping event today!
05 Sep, 2023
Virtual events are ideal if one of your main goals is to reach a larger audience and generate leads without the expense of an in-person event. If you're in charge of the marketing department for your company, chances are you're looking for ways to measure the success of your virtual event. But like any event, you need to set goals and objectives beforehand so that you can measure your success afterwards. While there are a lot of different metrics you could consider, here are the top five metrics you should consider when planning your virtual event. Number of Attendees This is perhaps the most important metric to consider for any type of event, whether it is on-person, hybrid or online. You need to set a goal for how many people you want to attend your event, and then track registrations to see if you're on track to reach that goal. If not, don't panic! There's still time to promote your event and get more people to sign up. It’s important to organize and announce your event in advance in order to have enough time to attract those interested in attending your event and to be able to pivot to other ways of promoting the event in case the registration goal is not reached at the stipulated time. Engagement To calculate your engagement rates throughout your event, you need to have the number of total attendees at hand. At the beginning of your event, you can measure things like the number of people registered, how many people logged into the event, how long they were logged in for, and what percentage of the virtual event they watched. Answering these questions will give you a good idea of how engaged your audience was during the event, and comparing these engagement statistics to your total number of attendees should give you a good idea of what percentage of your total audience stayed engaged through the event. If you see that a large percentage of people logged in and watched the entire event, that's a good sign that they found it valuable. On the other hand, if fewer people logged in or if they only watched a small portion of the event, that's a sign that you need to make some changes for next time. Also, just because someone attends your virtual event doesn't mean they're paying attention. That's why it's important to measure engagement by tracking things like how long attendees spend on each page of your event, what content they interact with, and whether they click through to any of your Call-to-Actions (CTAs). Satisfaction After your virtual event is over, it's important to survey attendees and ask them how satisfied they were with the overall experience. This will help you identify areas that went well and areas that need improvement for next time. Customer satisfaction surveys should ask questions that can provide insight into how the user felt about the event platform, the registration process, how useful it was for them to attend the event, whether they would attend the event again, whether they would recommend it, etc. Try to make this survey easy and short to answer, with clear questions that are quantifiable, avoid asking open questions because it will be more work for you and your sales team and besides, the probability of attendees answering this type of questions is lower. Lead Generation One of the primary goals of any event is lead generation, and virtual events are no different. Be sure to track how many new leads you generated from your event so that you can determine its ROI (return on investment). A successful virtual event should generate qualified leads that you can then follow up with and turn into customers. Look at how many leads your event generated and compare that to your goal. If you met or exceeded your goal, great! If not, don't despair—that’s why event data and statistics are so important. They reveal the strongest and weakest parts of your event so you can improve your engagement rates on the next one. There are always things you can change for next time to increase your lead generation. Sales Generated If your virtual event resulted in any sales, be sure to track them. This is perhaps the most concrete metric for determining the success of your event, because it is the goal of any marketing effort, and it's especially gratifying to see results like this from an event. Even if you didn't generate any sales from your event, though, all hope is not lost. You can use the leads you generated to continue working towards making a sale down the road. We hope this gives you a starting point for thinking about which metrics to track for your virtual event. Virtual events are a great way to reach more people and generate leads, but only if they're done right. By setting goals and measuring the right metrics, you can ensure that your virtual event is successful. Remember, attendees, engagement, customer satisfaction, lead generation, and sales are all important factors to consider when measuring success.
29 Aug, 2023
KPIs are a type of performance measurement used by businesses to track, monitor, and assess the success of marketing campaigns or other company initiatives. KPIs are typically quantifiable metrics that can be compared against pre-determined targets and benchmarks. By tracking KPIs, businesses can measure their progress towards meeting their event objectives and goals. There are many different KPIs that businesses can use to measure the success of their virtual event. This blog post will provide an overview of some of the most common KPIs used to assess virtual event success, as well as how they can be measured. Common KPIs used to Measure Virtual Event Success 1. Engagement Rate Engagement is one of the most important KPI to measure the success of a virtual event. This metric tells you how engaged attendees are with your event content. In other words, the engagement rate is a measure of how much attendees participate, react to and interact with your event content. There are many ways to calculate engagement rate, but a common formula is the total number of engagements divided by total number of impressions. This means that one of the most common ways to measure it is through interaction rates. To calculate interaction rates, simply take the total number of engagements (likes, comments, shares, etc.) and divide it by the total number of attendees. 2. Attendance Rate The second most important KPIs to measure the success of a virtual event is the number of attendees. This metric will give you a good idea of how many people are interested in your event and whether your marketing efforts are effective. To calculate the number of attendees, simply take the total number of people who registered for your event and subtract the number of no-shows. Attendance rate is a measure of how many people attend your event, relative to the number of people who registered for your event. This metric can also be calculated by taking the total number of attendees and dividing it by the total number of registrants. 3. Net Promoter Score The net promoter score (NPS) is a customer satisfaction metric that measures how likely attendees are to recommend your event to others. To calculate NPS, simply ask attendees after your event to rate their likelihood to recommend your virtual event on a scale from 0-10. Then group those responses into three categories: promoters (9-10), passives (7-8), and detractors (0-6). To get the final NPS score, simply subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. 4. Conversion Rate The conversion rate measures the percentage of people who take a desired action after attending your event. The desired action could be anything from making a purchase to signing up for a newsletter. To calculate conversion rate, simply take the total number of conversions and divide it by the total number of attendees. 5. Revenue per Lead/Registration Revenue is another key indicator of success for any type of event, virtual or otherwise. Revenue per lead (RPL) or revenue per registration (RPR) measures how much revenue your business generates for each lead or registration generated from your event. To calculate revenue for a virtual event, simply take the total registration fee and subtract any discounts or refunds that were given out. Another way to measure this is by taking the total revenue generated from your event and dividing it by the total number of leads or registrations generated from your event. Additionally, if your virtual event included any upsells or add-ons (e.g., VIP packages, merchandise), be sure to include that in your calculations as well.  Measuring the success of your virtual event is important in order to determine whether your event is achieving its desired objectives and goals. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), businesses can gain insights into their progress towards meeting their targets. There are many different KPIs that businesses can use to assess virtual event success, but some of the most common include engagement rate, attendance rate, net promoter score, conversion rate, and revenue per lead/registration. By considering all five of these key performance indicators, you'll have a good idea of how successful your virtual event was overall. If you're looking to improve upon your results for next time, be sure to take a closer look at each individual metric and see where there's room for improvement. Implementing even just small changes can make a big difference in terms of overall success!
More Posts
Share by: