By now, most of us have realized the key benefits of virtual events — the ability to reallocate expenses more creatively, expanded audience reach, and better results measurement.
To fully maximize the value of these benefits, begin your planning process by identifying your end goals and working backward. From boosting brand awareness to building pipe, everything you were able to do on the ground can now be done within a virtual event space.
Establish your metrics for success
Before you begin planning your event, determine what success looks like for your business. Are you looking to sign up a certain number of new customers, hit a particular sales quota, collect customer feedback or all of the above? Your answers, whatever they may be, will guide you in the right direction as you establish your metrics for success. Some event platforms contain their own data collection tools, in other cases, you may choose a scrappier approach depending on your budget and timeline.
Don’t forget to market your virtual event
Marketing is equally or more important for virtual events. With virtual events, you’re tasked with conveying how attendees will have just as valuable an experience as they would at an in-person event. Beyond this, it will be key to identify your goals and objectives early on, have a solid understanding of your target audience, ensure you’re telling your brand story, and carefully choose your marketing channels to achieve your business goals.
Present the data and workshop improvements in a post-mortem
Allocating time for a postmortem is an often overlooked, but extremely useful tactic to ensure key insights and data are shared with event stakeholders and potentially, the executive team. This information, now expertly organized and analyzed, can serve as a solid benchmark for success measurement. It can also be helpful to build a compelling story out of the information you’ve gathered. In addition to reviewing quantitative data captured during the event, be sure to set aside time to review qualitative data, as well.