While the future of live events continues to be murky, PR agencies are cracking the code on how to host and get the most out of digital and virtual events. As we continue to navigate this ‘new normal,’ it’s essential to know why digital events are so important, now and in the future.
Why Brands Should Embrace Digital Events With the Help of a PR Agency
As the pandemic continues to alter the world in waves (literally), digital events have once again come to the forefront. In fact, according to a survey of marketers worldwide, 40% of their events were projected to be virtual or digital in 2022. So, what is a digital event? Odds are you’ve attended some kind of webinar, online conference or even an online workout class – these are all examples of digital events. It’s taking that in-person event and going virtual.
This sparks another question, what are the benefits of them? If you think about it, digital events have similar benefits to in-person events and then some. It allows you to bolster brand awareness and credibility, expand your reach and most importantly, engage with your audience in a setting that is outside of email or phone calls, fostering those much-needed connections. Digital events are also budget-friendly, flexible, a time-saver and make it easy to measure results. With all these benefits, it will leave the audience wanting more from your brand.
Three Ways a PR Agency Can Maximize Your Digital Event
Planning and Logistics Just Got Creative
As marketing professionals, a large part of our job as innovators and change-makers is to bring creative ideas to every campaign we support, including digital events! Before we can skip to the good part (cue AJR), check those cumbersome digital event planning boxes by asking the following questions:
- What are your KPIs for the event? Are you trying to raise brand awareness? Increase sales?
- How long will the session be?
- How many attendees are you planning on hosting? What type of attendees?
- Is this a free or paid event?
- How will you troubleshoot should you experience connectivity issues?
Once you have the answers to these questions, it’s time to get creative! As you can imagine, digital events don’t quite have the same level of collaboration as in-person events do. Thus, it’s critical to ensure your event activities are engaging, collaborative and will leave the audience craving more events like this. For example, Konnect created a virtual cooking class event with guest chefs for our fast-casual restaurant client, Noodles & Company where attendees made their very own Noodles dish alongside the chefs. With ingredients and tools gifted to attendees via a mailer prior to the event, the virtual cooking class allowed for an engaging activity where 45 media and influencer guests got involved in the action, even through a screen.
Securing the Right Guest List for Your Brand
One of the most important aspects of your virtual event is securing the right guest list for your brand. From a brand-building PR perspective, it’s imperative to have a unique mix of both editors and influencers on the list. Influencers have the social media side of the house claimed in terms of coverage, producing photos and videos of the event to post and share across multiple platforms. This lays the groundwork to create immediate post-event buzz among the influencer and social media community. To amplify your event and brand within the news cycle, this is where editors and traditional PR comes into play. Noodles & Company, for example, falls within two industry categories: restaurant and franchise. To maximize the event list and increase the brand’s chances of earned editorial coverage, we secured media attendees from both industries to insert the brand into a wide variety of conversations. In doing so, we are achieving a digital event goal of increasing brand awareness among each of our target audiences.
How a PR Agency Can Increase Longevity of Your Digital Event
Digital events are traditionally an impactful yet “one and done” marketing strategy, but is there a way to increase the longevity of your digital event? How can we lay the groundwork for future successful digital events? Our Konnect Agency client, Xlear, a global leader in creating natural sinus care products, has the answer. To amplify their key messaging, the importance of nose washing, Konnect created a digital media event featuring a live Q&A with high-quality physicians and pulmonologists. Launching in tandem with the digital event, we were able to successfully register March 11th as National Wash Your Nose Day with Days of the Year on Xlear’s behalf. This not only was a timely and relevant hook for the virtual event, it also created longevity for the brand to leverage this day for future events and marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts
While it may be tempting to take the lead in planning and executing your digital event, a PR agency can provide you with the much-needed support to maximize your event in every category. From planning, executing, media and influencer relations and future event opportunities, work together with the pros to achieve the level of success your brand craves.
Looking for a PR agency? Konnect with us to learn more about our work and how we can maximize your next digital event.