According to a report published by   AWS (Amazon Web Services), engaging content is the secret to grabbing audience attention at any event, be it virtual or in-person. The same report suggests that it’s tough to generate content that’s both fascinating and engaging for the audience. Making content that is both engaging and appealing to the audience, is no child’s play. We have put together a few best practices that will help you churn out content that keeps your audience engaged at the next event and ensure your virtual event is a super success. Let’s get started.

1. Content as an effective marketing tool for your event: Getting yourself heard can be a challenge in today’s digitized environment when people are being constantly bombarded with content. But having an effective content marketing plan is imperative to the success of the modern business. Incorporating a powerful online resource collection that includes images, infographics, audio, and video content that generates curiosity among your target audience is a good idea when marketing your virtual event.

2. The content plan should not be created in isolation but in sync with the overall objectives of the event: Creating content merely from an SEO standpoint is not enough. Your content should be relevant to your event. Reaching out to your audience through their preferred channel is also an important aspect when planning your content strategy. Planning quality content alone is not enough, it is important that it reaches your target audience. Currently, one of the most important areas for generating leads is social media. Adding content to social media, such as a business virtual event, will assist the audience to become aware of the event.

3. Always taking note of the most recent trends: Staying on top of industry trends is essential for building trust and instilling confidence among stakeholders that you have control over the business. According to Markletic when holding virtual events, 38% of marketers report they run into technological difficulties. Every year, even if nothing else changes, there will be a shift in tech trends, building up the event content strategy around it can help the audience to get connected with the event. Some of the other trends to be considered when it comes to content management are social media promotions, consumer trends, content trends, design, and agenda curation. 

4. Think engagement: An interesting content is what keeps the audience engaged at events, which is why we see a lot of interaction during a virtual event since it gives the content in the form of video and explains the concept with engaging content presentation. Some of the best examples to keep the audience engaged with content is through Gamification, polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions.

5. Video content & live streaming: Marketing campaigns that involve video content encourage client connection and create a more personalized experience, while live-streaming assists firms in standing out from the crowd with their marketing efforts. One of the most successful and popular methods for marketing campaigns nowadays is to create animated video content on popular streaming networks like YouTube. This is also a great concept to implement in a virtual event platform to attract an audience.   

6. User-Generated Content (UGC): According to Travel Counsellors, 96% of travelers trust personal advice over commercial content. This is applicable not only in the tourism industry but also in all other industries. That’s why user-generated content is an important part of many marketing campaigns. It’s the content that helps get the target audience talking about the brand, increase event awareness, lower marketing expenses, and engage the community. When planning a virtual event,  you can integrate this option on your event platform. It presents a unique opportunity where the event gets promoted through actual reviews, photos, and videos posted by attendees. Creating a hashtag for your event, bringing an influencer on board is a good way to leverage the benefits of UGC.

7. Leveraging content after the event to drive outcomes: Using content after an event is a great method to get direct feedback from attendees about their experience. Customer response and lead generation may both benefit from effective content management in future events. Sending emails with interesting and appealing content, NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys, and feedback forms is a good way to connect with the audience and gain actionable insights. 

One of the difficulties in the context of ‘content for events’ is analyzing what kind of content will help in attracting the audience. To overcome this problem enterprises can use tools such as Google Analytics to analyze consumer data and behavior and understand what kind of content generates users’ interest. 

The event industry is rapidly changing, and there has been a race to provide content that would appeal to a growing audience. We hope that these best practices come in handy in managing your content at the next event.