As the world continues to work toward a more digital landscape, many businesses are relying on virtual events to help spread their brand message. In 2021, 88% of event organizers arranged a virtual event, webinar, or online talk. With this medium becoming increasingly popular, Netinfluencer will discuss how you can use influencer marketing to promote your next virtual event. 

What Are Virtual Events?

A virtual event refers to an event or occasion where the attendees interact with one another in a digital space. Examples include an online workout class, a conference, and a video meeting.

According to Cvent, there are four main types of virtual events. 

• Webinar: These are one-off events, usually educational in nature, that allow attendees to ask questions to the host and become more knowledgeable about a particular subject matter. 
• Virtual Conferences: In a similar vein to traditional in-person conferences, virtual conferences require guests to discuss key concepts in a collaborative fashion. More often than not, this type of virtual event is centered around a keynote or other materials. 
• Internal Hybrid Event: This type of virtual event is used when a business would like to gather all of its employees in one space but may not have the capacity to do so. Thus, they are ideal for remote workforces. 
• External Hybrid Event: These events are used to communicate with those outside of your organization such as shareholders or potential employees. They often use high-quality video formats to ensure that attendees gain a more immersive experience. 

[Pexels]

Why Have They Become So Popular?

Alongside their usefulness in the pandemic, virtual events are often seen as a more cost-effective option for a wide range of businesses. These events do not require them to rent out a large space or even provide any travel arrangements. Instead, teams from around the world can collaborate in their own homes for little to no cost. 

Platforms such as GoToWebinar and Goldcast, allow virtual events to be set up with ease. These sites are also accessible to a wide range of attendees, encouraging more people to join these lucrative events. Again, businesses now have the chance to interact with an abundance of eager audiences without having to worry about ticket prices or performing in front of large crowds. 

10 Ways To Promote Your Virtual Event With Influencers

1. Choose the Right Influencer

When beginning your influencer outreach strategy, it is vital that you select the right influencer for your brand. This may mean utilizing a smaller influencer who operates within your niche rather than the most popular influencer you can find. Make sure to examine their active social media profiles carefully to ensure that they are promoting a similar message to your brand. 

[Pexels]

2. Offer Them Access to the Event

In order to gain the best results from your chosen influencer, it is good practice to make them feel included in your campaign. A simple way to do them is to offer access to some of your other virtual events. This will help them understand your scope as well as the overall aims of your virtual event. In addition, influencers will also have the chance to better understand your target market, ensuring that they are attracting the right consumer at all times. 

3. Create a Content Strategy for Them To Follow

As virtual events become more and more popular, it is paramount that yours stands out from the crowd. Ensure that the influencer fully understands your brand’s marketing strategy and how you would like them to promote the event on social media. For example, you may want the influencer to create an Instagram Reel or a YouTube video to create more awareness of the event. This helps to give the content creator a sense of direction and helps them to unpack the nuances of the creative brief effectively. 

4. Use a Plethora of Social Media Platforms

Depending on whether you operate in a B2B or B2C format, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut of using the same social media platforms over and over again. With influencer marketing, your business has the potential to tap into a wealth of new platforms and markets without having to learn the technicalities of the platforms themselves. Take for example an influencer on Twitch, they have the skills to launch your virtual event on a very popular platform and have the potential to attract a very engaged audience. 

[Pexels]

5. Provide Them With a Discount Code

If you have decided to charge attendees to access your event, it can be beneficial to offer your influencer a discount code. This can be used to compensate them for their work or it can be shared amongst their audiences as a better incentive to join the webinar. 

6. Use a Variety of Mediums

Though short-form content seems to be dominating a wide variety of social media platforms, it is always a good idea to play to your influencer’s strengths. So if they are best known for producing vast live streams or lengthy blog articles, make sure that these merits are included in your campaign. In contrast, consider experimenting with platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts to make your campaign more digestible for the average audience member. 

7. Provide a Range of Payment Methods

Just like any other creative, influencers need to be appropriately compensated for their work. Your chosen payment method depends on the extent of your campaign as well as the conditions listed by the influencer. If you offer a vast product range, you have the potential to offer a wealth of items as compensation for an influencer’s work. In addition, your business can also offer them monetary incentives. Just ensure that you pay them in line with the market rate and disclose any conditions before any content is produced or published. 

8. Track the Influencer’s Performance

Businesses must track their influencer’s performance in order to judge the effectiveness of their campaign. This measurement can be conducted in a variety of different ways such as tracking their engagement rate on social media. Plus, brands can also use the analytics seen throughout their preferred virtual event platform. This data should also be shared with the influencer as a way to offer constructive feedback and to help them set new goals. 

[Pexels]

9. Recruit a Collection of Influencers

If you are looking to conduct a very widespread influencer marketing campaign, it is good practice to recruit a collection of unique influencers. These can be creators who often work in a group or those who are known for working on a plethora of different platforms. This strategy ensures that your message is being heard across an abundance of devoted audiences. Moreover, audiences will also become more aware of the aims of your virtual event, inspiring more people to join as a result. 

 10. Offer an Effective Deadline

Deadlines are a useful tool in any marketing campaign as they offer guidance and structure for many teammates. The same can be said for influencer marketing. These creators are often very busy and require a lot of foresight in their schedule. Thus, your business must detail any deadlines well in advance to ensure that the influencer can continue working on any other projects that they are committed to. 

Virtual events are a tremendous asset for any type of business as they allow brands to educate their audience for a much lower cost than traditional events. Pairing these events with influencer marketing offers your business the chance to delve into previously untapped markets and see a grand influx in engagement.