In-person events continue to dominate the event market, but we cannot deny the gaining popularity of virtual events. Virtual events have seen a 500% increase in the last five years. Virtual events have habituated corporations since the pandemic. The primary purpose of virtual events is to educate, inspire, or connect with a wide range of audiences.
The virtual events are gaining popularity among the corporates because of several factors like convenience, cost-effectiveness and global connectivity. No logistical or financial challenges are associated with the virtual events. It has separate engagement strategies, such as live Q&A sessions, gamified elements, breakout rooms and other interactive sessions with AI bots, making them lively and memorable for the audience.
During virtual events, most event management companies and event organizers concentrate more on pre-event activities like marketing and promotion. There is very little or no importance to the post-event phase, and this is where most virtual events fail. Physical events create more space for connecting with the attendees and other sectors of the event, whereas virtual events don’t. So, a post-event strategy is required to understand the success of the event and how to make the upcoming event a better one. In this blog, let us talk more about the follow-up activities required in event management and its importance.
The Importance of Virtual Event Follow-up:
Virtual events contain valuable content, interactive elements, and networking opportunities. But once the screen is off, everything gets dark. So a follow-up phase is essential to bridge the gap between the event and its highlights.
A virtual follow-up is essential because
- Audience engagement does not end with the event as many attendees will be processing the information. A follow-up is important to solidify the key takeaways.
- Follow-ups lay the foundation for long-term relationships.
- It leverages the real-time momentum about your brand.
- Follow-ups generate more leads, sales and awareness.
Must- Do Steps for Effective Follow-Up
Here is a detailed exploration of the must-do steps that will help you in a strategic and impactful follow-up.
- One of the simplest and most effective way to start your follow-up is by expressing gratitude. Send a Thank You Message to acknowledge their time and effort dedicated to participate in the event.
- Record the sessions and share access to the sessions, keynotes and slide decks. It enhances the event’s value and reach.
- 3. Create a survey with a mix of open-ended and multiple-choice questions. Add a small gift for completing the survey.
- Provide additional resources like whitepapers, eBooks or articles expanding on the session themes to the attendees.
- Engage on social media and extend the life of the virtual event. Spark conversations and connect with the attendees.
- For corporate events, use personalized emails or LinkedIn messages to share the highlights of the event. Prioritize leads and provide value to the event through follow-ups.
- To understand the overall impact of the virtual event, collect data during and after the event. This data will help you to assess the success metrics and areas for improvement.
- A virtual event follow-up is a good opportunity to build deeper connections with the attendees and speakers. A personalized approach will help you stand out from the crowd.
- Virtual events create a ton of opportunities to capture success stories and testimonials. Success stories and testimonials are powerful marketing tools for future events.
- Create a follow-up loop and set the stage for the next event. Try to maintain the audience’s interest by sharing a glimpse of the current events.
- Virtual event follow-ups are an essential strategy for the long-term success of any corporation. We thank the attendees for getting engaged through small activities and across multiple channels.
Tools and Platforms for Streamlined Virtual Event Follow-Ups
Efficient virtual event follow-ups required the right management tools. The right tools and platforms make event organization a breeze. Event organizers use tools to automate communications, analyze attendee and feedback data, and maintain long-term engagement. Email marketing software, feedback tools, CRMs, and social media platforms help the event managers to conclude an event with a high success rate.
- Email Marketing Tools – Use platforms like HubSpot or Mailchimp to craft personalized follow-up emails and automate email sequences.
- Survey and Feedback Tools – Use Google Forms, Typeform, or Survey Monkey to feedback post-event.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools Tools – like HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, or Salesforce will help you track leads and maintain a personalized follow-up approach.
- Social Media Management Tools – Hootsuite and buffer are the leading platforms for social media management.
- Event Analytics Platforms – Tools like Eventbrite or Cvent offers built in analytics to track the attendee behavior management, customer engagement rates, and session popularity during and after the event.
- Content Sharing Platforms – Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive are the best tools for sharing event recordings, slide decks and any additional resources conveniently across the team.
- Marketing Automation Tools – Use tools like Marketo to automate multi-channel follow-ups and nurture leads.
- Video Hosting Platforms – Vimeo or YouTube are the best video hosting platforms used extensively to extent the event’s reach and provide value to attendees.
- Scheduling Tools – Use Calendly to make it easy for attendees to schedule follow-up meetings or consultations.
FAQs :
Send a follow-up email with a clear subject line with a personalized message and express your gratitude for attending the event. You can also share the event recordings, materials and a feedback survey. These follow-up emails will boost your brand and create loyal customers.
Follow-up strategies helps to solidify the key takeaways of the event, enhance long-term relationships, increase brand awareness and confirm that the attendees feel valued.
The success of virtual events is tracked through metrics such as engagement rates, social media interactions (such as likes and shares), survey responses, lead conversions, and audience retention.
