2020 is the year where we all learned how to conduct more business online. The number of remote workers, video conferences, and virtual events significantly increased. Now that the novelty has worn off, it’s easy for your virtual event to get lost among the competition.
While you should incorporate your virtual events into your messaging, email, and any other outbound marketing strategies, social media has proven to be effective at driving sign-ups for virtual events.
Top 3 Successful Social Media Strategies
There are three effective ways to use social media: free posts, paid ads, and influencers.
Free Promotion
Take advantage of all the free tools the various platforms provide. That starts with posting lead generation and signup forms in your organization’s social feed.
Live Events
Create an event on Facebook by click events in the left menu on your news feed page. This lets you create a landing page with the platform and post key information, such as date, time, speakers, etc. Users will be able to RSVP and share their intentions with others online, invite others by email, or ask questions.
Use Countdown Clocks
Instagram lets you build countdown clocks into your posts. Facebook uses a third-party app which you can reach by typing in “TimeAndDate” from your profile page. A clock catches people’s attention, reminds them of the date, and can help create a sense of urgency about attending.
Stories
Stories on various social meeting platforms are getting a lot of attention right now. Instagram has more than half a billion daily active users for Stories and has 15 times the engagement of feeds. Polls and quizzes increase user engagement and boost your story to a wider audience.
Paid Advertising
Besides organic traffic, you can increase your reach by using targeted paid advertising on social platforms’ online advertising services. Each provides a way to target your audience from a behavioral, demographic, and geo-location aspect. These metrics are important when choosing which platform to advertise your virtual event on. If you are targeting a professional group, it would make more sense to use LinkedIn ads.
Influencers
Getting high-profile and relevant industry influencers to endorse your product can give your virtual events a great public boost. Influencer marketing is rapidly gaining traction because it appears as more transparent and authentic. Compared to a traditional ad campaign that can come across as cookie-cutter, having an influencer whose values align with your business can unlock a demographic you wouldn’t have originally been able to reach. A social media advertising company can connect you with influencers that can help spread the word about your virtual event.
Also, ask your speakers or sponsoring companies to spread the word as well. Using quotes from speakers, vendors, and sponsors about your virtual event can also help your message resonate.
Pick Your Visuals Carefully
Facebook posts with photos gets significantly more engagement. Tweets with visuals are 3X more successful. LinkedIn posts with images attract 98% more comments on average.
The right image will go a long way when it comes to grabbing someone’s attention. Your creative asset should be dynamic and fits the tone of your business. For virtual summits, create posts that include lots of smiling faces and socialization. This sets the tone that your summit is a fun event that keeps attendees engaged, regardless of the physical boundary.
Cut Through the Clutter for Virtual Events
To cut through the clutter, consider using a social media advertising company that knows how to use your social media to its fullest. From online advertising services to social media to lead generation, contact us today to learn the best way to promote your virtual events and grow your business.