Hybrid events - Best of both worlds!
One of the biggest objectives of any event, especially a marketing event, is not only to get maximum users/customers to attend the event but also to generate maximum engagement out of it. While the latter largely depends on the content and presentation of the event, the former can be boosted using various techniques. One such technique which has been gaining popularity over the past few years is hybrid event marketing. So, what exactly is hybrid event marketing? How can it help you? Let’s find out today.
Hybrid events as they are also called, are events that are conducted in a “dual-mode”. Not only are these events held in one (or more) physical locations where people can walk in and participate, but they are also hosted online at the same time and allow audiences to take part and experience the event virtually. They are essentially a physical event and a virtual event rolled into one. This allows them to engage with both kinds of users - those who prefer to enjoy the live, in-person experience and those who cannot attend or prefer not to attend the event in person due to various considerations like geographical distances, time zones etc. The recent pandemic has also caused the latter category of users to stay away from live events. However, with increased vaccination levels and a reduced number of cases, more and more people are willing to travel and attend in-person events. This makes marketing hybrid events an attractive proposition with their ability to attract an audience in multiple ways, thereby boosting the overall audience engagement.
Hybrid events are not a magic pill and need specific strategies and hybrid marketing channels to ensure their success.
The basic fact is that there are two distinct types of target audiences here. This will dictate not just the promotional strategy, but also the engagement methods in the event. Some of the factors that you need to keep in mind are
1. Create audience-specific marketing content. Since the physical audience will participate in different activities as compared to the virtual one, the marketing content should be targeted accordingly. This applies to promotional webpages, social media posts, ads etc.
2. Have something exclusive for each type of audience. Having some events/activities exclusive to both online and offline audiences will make them feel valued and more likely to engage with your client/brand. This also makes the event look more balanced.
3. While the event may be a hybrid one, the event promotion campaign works best when it is online-first. The online-first approach ensures a wider reach and more eyeballs for the event, even when it comes to those attending it in-person.
4. In the virtual section of hybrid events, guests/speakers are a huge part of the draw. This is so because a larger part of the virtual audience expects to gain from their experiences and insights. Hence, your experts and speakers should be a major part of the promotional material. If possible, get these experts to promote the event using their social media presence.
5. Last but not the least, ensure that the various platforms you are using (websites, social media posts, event tracking, email updates etc.) are properly configured to be aware of the online vs. offline events/activities. This increases their relevance, and hence, engagement.
Hybrid events are one of the best strategies suited for the times that we live in. With proper ideation, planning and execution, they can be the best thing that ever happened to your business. All you need to keep in mind is that the value propositions for both types of audiences are different and their experiences need to be tailored accordingly. Follow these guidelines and success will be yours!