A report by Statistica on event marketing in the US confirmed that about 79% of
US marketers generated impressive sales through virtual event marketing.
Events remain the tried and tested marketing method as an excellent avenue for showcasing or launching products and services for countless reasons. The most fundamental of these remains that they gather people at the same place at a common time for a similar reason, giving the required exposure to prospects in order to engage them.
With, COVID-19 all such in-person events have gone virtual. Though the cancellation of 10
major tech conferences in March alone incurred direct $1.1 billion losses, the virtual events in 2020 have gone up by approximately 1000%.
Webinars
An Outgrow research confirms that 20% to 40% of webinar attendees eventually turn out to be qualified leads. And Zoominfo says that 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders endorse webinars as the best way to generate filtered, high-quality leads.
In preparing for the webinar, two components remain at the top – the marketing campaign
promoting the following virtual event and the webinar itself. B2B marketers are chasing
thoughtful and intelligent campaigns to draw prospects to the webinar: a well-executed and
visually exciting webinar help to meet or exceed expectations and entice attendees to revert.
COVID-19 Impact – Most Marketers Have Shifted Their Strategies and Budgets
Virtual Events
When shifting to a virtual experience, businesses need to switch their mindset from an
experience that creates huge foot traffic- sometimes over days- to a much simpler and more concise online experience that most likely will produce comparatively fewer impressions.
The goal of each virtual event differs, depending on whether it is solely learning experience or if it will have networking possibilities as well – but now is the time for all businesses to actively engage themselves with virtual events. Each company must decide on what is the overall worth of such events, and plan their presence and investments accordingly.
Many large businesses are investing in sponsoring such virtual events, but smaller companies or start-ups might not have the budget to sponsor them. For guests, it still remains a sterling opportunity to network. Also, sponsors need to be clear- it is crucial to ensure that this event will add to their digital brand presence, before committing any sponsorship.
Virtual Meetings
For big events, sales lead often gets lined up for in-person meetings months in advance. Larger events are greater places to connect with prospects and clients in a commonplace, at the same time, for the same reason. B2B marketers need to focus on delivering memorable experiences for a prospect or client with a well-planned and targeted virtual meeting. Encouraging the sales to be part of the invite process allows the prospects to be interested in attending a meeting and give them a reason to connect after.
Change to Meet the Moment
Pivoting the in-person event into a virtual or online event is a great way to take optimum
advantage of the large digital community that has got formed over the years. Thankfully,
people have become well versed in receiving online invites, or they analyze the best platforms to turn to when they need virtual expertise.
Clearly, it’s time for firms to look at this as an opportunity to expand their B2B organization’s digital presence, riding on top-tier virtual events.
B2B Content Marketing – Top Consumptions by the Target Audiences
