Double hybrid event audience with these best digital marketing practices

Marketing for Your Event

According to our latest research, hybrid events are going to overtake both in-person and virtual events by 2022. But what is a hybrid event exactly? Simply put, a hybrid event is a combination of both in-person and virtual events. They provide unique experiences to two different sets of audiences while enjoying the benefits of cut costs, increased ROI, and more.

The question is: how do you get people to go to one? When marketing your hybrid event, there are a number of things to consider.

First Thing’s First: Make a Plan

It should go without saying, but before anything else, you must create a marketing plan. This requires some initial research. You need to get to know your target audience and make a plan tailored to their needs. In order to do this properly, you’ll need to set out your goals. Some common goals to help get you started include:

1. Successfully Reach Target Audience

Obviously, when hosting an event, you want to attract your target audience. When doing your initial planning, you’ll have to research what this is. Here are a few tips:

Take Advantage of Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides a precious source of information about your current audience. In order to access it, simply log into your Google Analytics account and look for the ‘Audience’ button on the left-hand column.

This section sorts different sub-sections, such as: audience interests, geography, demographics, and more. Simply click into these subjections to find out more accurate information about the profiles of the people who have already shown interest in your company by visiting your site.

Further, take advantage of the general website statistics on the Home page of your Google Analytics account and look at sats such as: bounce rate, exit page, page your customers spend the most time, etc.

This will give you valuable insight into where your audiences concerns are – are they generally spending a lot of time on a specific section of your FAQ page trying to figure out a question you should make more clear? Are they struggling to find your contact information? All of this information will be valuable for both your event planning and for your business as a whole.

Ask Them What They Want

The best way to know what people want is to ask them directly. Conduct e-mail surveys, social media/website polls, or organize face-to-face meetings wherever possible to interview people. Its important to organize a good survey that you will be using, with a few key things to keep in mind:

• Know the exact purpose of each question
• Make your question short and sweet, so that people are more likely to answer them all
• Give something in return for participating in a survey

Social Media Analytics

Social Media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook provide useful information about your target audience. In order to access it, first make sure you are logged into your business profile. Then, go to your profile/page and select the ‘Insights’ button and open the ‘People’ section.

These statistics will help you understand what topics interest your audience as well as any frequently asked questions they may have in advance to your event.

Further, reading through the comments and messaging sections on your profile and posts can serve as valuable feedback on any issues that you may be experiencing.

Research Your Competitors

Remember: they’re trying to attract the same people. Visit and analyze your competitors’ social media pages and websites – what are they doing differently? Are they doing something better?

Keep an eye on their follower count and the comments on their pages/posts. This information will serve you equally as reading your own to understand your target audience’s concern.

Put Yourself in Your Audience’s Shoes

This is probably the most important part of conducting market research; Use your imagination and put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Think about their personalities and personas – what age are they, generally? Where do they live? What social media channel are they most likely to be using? What would you want if you were them? Once you have an example of your target audience in front of you, you can start asking yourself the right questions.