Online events have become increasingly popular in the last few years, and that’s not without a reason. They can be just as beneficial for your business as in-person events, if not more. It’s time to set your skeptical nature aside and give into the age of technology. With virtual events, you’ll never have to worry about external circumstances from preventing you to grow your business further. Hosting events online can only guarantee a brighter and better future for your business.
1. The budget
The budget for your virtual event is the same as the budget for your in-person event. To be more precise, the principle of setting the budget is the same. When planning for your in-person event, you’ll need to account for the cost of the personnel you hire, catering, security, the music, the decoration, the drinks, and the venue itself.
Just because your virtual event doesn’t require people to physically show up doesn’t mean it’s going to be free, though. Virtual events can end up costing quite a bit, which is why it’s important to research what the average cost for such an event is. As well as that, you’ll need to take a look at what components you’ll need to pencil into the cost. Software, advertising, and hiring guest speakers, programmers, and writers can all add up pretty quickly.
When you figure out what you want to spend and how much you can spend realistically, you won’t have to worry about any ambiguity, surprises, or overstepping the budget.
2. Setting goals
Regardless of if we’re talking about in-person or virtual events, one thing is for sure: you need to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want to accomplish with this event? Is it raising brand awareness? Engaging your audience more? Or, in the case of virtual events, is it motivating people to interact with your brand online more? When you figure out your goal, you’ll have a much easier time planning out the whole event. The goal basically gives you a path to follow to success.
You’ll no longer be lost in a sea of similar ideas and wonder in which direction to more. This is an especially important note for those who have never hosted online events before. When you come head to head with a variety of choices and options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel anxious and stressed.
Don’t be fooled and think organizing virtual events will be a piece of cake, because you’ll see that’s not true as soon as you delve deeper into planning. Having a goal ensures you avoid any doubts, feelings of being overwhelmed, and stress.
3. Spreading the word
Marketing is essential for both virtual and in-person events. When it comes to those physical events, you’ll need to focus on offline marketing. That means putting up billboards, placing ads in the newspapers and on the radio, and maybe even splurging on a TV ad. If you’re aiming to attract a local audience, offline marketing is the best way to go. That’s why it’s the perfect choice for in-person events. After all, you can’t hope for people all over the world to fly in for your local event.
With virtual events, it’s essential to focus on online event marketing. Your digital marketing campaign already has to be good for you to have the best results and attract as many attendants as possible. Marketing online consists of various things like copywriting, managing your social media accounts, email marketing, and making the best out of Google Ads.
For most people, this is all new territory that takes a lot of time and energy to master. Even then, you can find yourself making common beginner mistakes which result in fewer people coming to your virtual event. To avoid this, it’s best to go with a third-party marketing agency that already has experience in marketing for virtual events.
Aside from just spreading the word, an agency like this will also know exactly how to engage your audience. Sharing, commenting, getting clicks, and subscribing are all essential for the success of your virtual event.
4. The right venue vs. the right platform
When it comes to in-person events, you have to focus on finding the right venue. What kind of venue you choose will depend on the number of people you’re expecting and the nature and theme of the event. You also have to take into account the activities that will be going on at the event to ensure the venue can take it and is comfortable.
With virtual events, the factors for choosing the right platform are pretty much the same. The last thing you need is for people to get kicked out from the server because there are simply too many of them in attendance. So, you need to choose a platform that has a high capacity for users.
Holding a webinar or Zoom event is perfect if you want a more intimate atmosphere while choosing a platform where people can show up as avatars is perfect for when you’re expecting a crowd. In fact, events with virtual avatars are especially popular because users get to interact with you and each other instead of just passively listening to what you have to say. You’ll also need to consider what you want to accomplish with your virtual event to be able to choose the perfect platform.
Conclusion
As you can see, the difference between virtual and in-person events is clear. As well as that, it’s clear that virtual events are much more beneficial for your business, even if they seem more complex to create. It will be hard to get a hang of them in the beginning, but after the first few times, you won’t be able to wait to host your next virtual event. We’re confident these tips and differences have told you everything you needed to know about these two types of events and that you can now march into a new era with your head held high.