5 Keys to Impactful Online Events

If you’ve been in marketing longer than a week you know that attention is the rarest of commodities. “Snackable” content (easily skimmable bite-sized pieces) is the marketing word du jour.

But did you know that viewing time of webinars is actually going up!? I know, I was surprised, too. It seems that perhaps marketers are getting so inundated by all of these disjointed content appetizers, that their appetites have grown for some nutritious and meaty main course sustenance that will give them the satisfaction they’re not getting from snippets.

Check out this slide from ON24’s Best Practices for Improving Your Webinar Leadspresentation…

Over the past 3 years audience engagement on webinars has increased by 47%! I’ve got a few observational theories about the reason behind this shift. Perhaps…

• engagement statistics are helping improve and shape events that keep our attention
• audiences are getting more accustomed to this new format for absorbing content
• the novelty has worn off and people are only attending events that they feel will be worthwhile and are carving out the time to give their full attention
• the marketing industry is changing so rapidly that people are hungry for in-depth knowledge about best practices from industry front runners who are finding success

Whatever the reason, the fact is clear, whether you’re trying to reach more potential customers, increase brand awareness, convert more leads to sales, or affect change in behavior through live or on-demand training, the quality of your online event is becoming more and more important, especially as technology matures and improves.

Just a few months ago, online events were the marketing field of dreams. Today if you build it they might come, but if it’s not stellar they probably won’t stick around very long.

So how do you get and keep your target audience’s attention? By hosting impactful events. We’ve put together a list of five key ways to make your online event as successful, engaging and impactful as possible.

1. Ease of Access 

If you’ve ever attended a virtual event, you know how potentially painful it can be to try and rush to “beat the clock” as you transition from one project into attending an online meeting. You may find that you’re required to go through an extensive process of installing third party software on your machine, and possibly even having to get your IT group involved just to get past the login screen.

The goal is simple: get attendees into your event with as little effort as possible.  Adobe Connect runs on the Flash platform – present on approximately 98% of PC’s in North America. This means easy access to online events for almost all PC users. Connect also runs on the OSX platform which means your Mac users won’t be left out.

2. Production Quality

If your online event lacks polish – whether it’s a sub-par slide deck, less-than-desirable audio or video quality, or an under-rehearsed deliverable (intro, transitions, outro) – a smooth delivery is at the heart of a successful online event. Make sure to allow time to test the platform and rehearse your delivery.

Also, have a back-up plan. For example, keep a hard copy of your presentation at hand so you can continue in case you come across a technical glitch. You’ll find that attendees can quickly lose interest and become disengaged if the presentation team isn’t effectively prepared and the platform properly configured, which directly affects your ability to achieve positive measurable outcomes.

3. Audience Engagement

According to Shelley Ryan, author of Killer Webinars, 88% of respondents to one survey admitted to multitasking during webinar presentations.  Using visual aids like slide decks and videos can certainly go a long way in engaging your audience, but you can do much, much more!

Polling participants to get feedback and keep them tied into the session, sending them out to pertinent web pages, and allowing for interaction with hosts and presenters are all great ways to enhance the experience.  This ensures that your audience doesn’t get sidetracked with emails, phone calls, and other work that will no doubt continue to roll in.

In fact, a good rule of thumb is to allow no more than 3 minutes between participant interaction opportunities.  Effectively engage your audience and you’ll achieve more of your objectives!

4. Mobility

According to a Pew study, 63% of US adult cell phone owners use their device to go online, and for 21% of them it’s their main Internet device. Certainly, as mobile devices become more powerful and robust in terms of features and functionality, the desire for users to attend virtual events on those devices follows.

So, in order to engage your mobile audience, use a platform that has a quality mobile experience and keep important call-to-action slides up for at least 90 seconds.

Facilitating attendance from mobile platforms will extend your reach and drive more users to your online events. Both Adobe and InteSolv have developed mobile applications that allow end users to interact with virtual content. Adobe’s Connect Mobile allows users to attend virtual events, while InteSolv’s Connect Passport offers up ease of access to those events as well as content stored on the Connect server. Both applications are available for the iOS and Android platforms and are available in their respective app marketplaces.

5. Post-Event Reporting and Follow-Up

An online event can only be defined as a success if it helps you achieve a desired outcome. Regardless of what that outcome is, you can only understand what’s been achieved through some sort of post-event review.

Tracking attendance statistics to assess lead interest, re-engaging with attendees after the fact to drive the sales cycle forward, or following up to gauge knowledge transfer – these actions are made possible by the ability to report on your event metrics and effectively gather meaningful data.

So remember…

• Select a platform that gives your audience easy access into your event
• Test the platform and rehearse your presentation
• Make use of visual aids and platform features such polling, Q&A and chat pods to interact with your audience and keep them engaged
• Don’t forget about your mobile audience
• Review your audience statistics and follow up accordingly