Virtual meetings have become almost normative since the outbreak of the pandemic. Traditionally, having in-person boardroom meetings was the preferred way of conducting business. However, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings shifted from the physical to the online space. As a result, your employees and other stakeholders in your business were protected from being exposed to the dreaded pandemic through these virtual meetings.
However, many people are unsure of how they can effectively conduct these online meetings. If that applies to you, you may have to get the necessary training on how you can make your meetings engaging and joyous for your participants. Virtual events for your company may range from departmental and board meetings to meetings with suppliers. In that light, the procedure and manner in which you conduct virtual events for teams may vary in nature.
To help you out, here are six tips to host a successful virtual event for every team:
- Have A Strategy
Hosting a successful virtual event requires meticulous planning. Otherwise, you’re subjecting yourself to numerous bounce-back rates with your visitors leaving the event a short while after logging in. Whether you’re hosting an event for fewer than ten people or for hundreds, you need to establish a strategy first.
Foremost, gather information regarding your audience. Important information may include demographic, profession, and faith, among others. Such information is essential as it helps you plan how to craft your event. In the case of particular professionals, it enables you to adopt the correct jargon that the audience can understand. Jargon is essential to allow you to communicate effectively.
Another essential thing to consider is whether to have a free or a gated event. For a free event, you only need to schedule and send the meeting link to your participants. In addition, you may impose an access password to ensure that your virtual event is secure.
On the other hand, a gated event might take the form of a paid event. In that case, you should send access links to people who have confirmed payment. Because it’s a controlled event, you must attach a different password to each link sent. Moreover, you can limit the use of a password to only one device. In such a situation, you’re sure there is no illegal access to your online event.
Apart from the aspects mentioned, you may also need to determine whether your event will onboard your sponsors. Be sure to recognize them or slot them on the program. Let them feel valued and honored for partnering with you.
- Create A Program
Remember that your online event is no different from a physical event except for the virtual aspect. As a result, you need to brainstorm what the order of the events will look like. In that light, determine the amount of time to allocate to each activity after knowing the details of your program. Moreover, understand who is supposed to facilitate every part of the program.
Additionally, have a specific time your event should begin and indicate it in the program. Should the event take place during the day or early in the evening? If your event has participants from different countries, you must factor in the time difference and settle for a time that favors every participant. Finally, share your program early enough with the participants so they can know what to expect and prepare accordingly.
- Advertise Your Event
If your event isn’t limited to specific people but is open to the public, it would help if you did proper marketing for your virtual event. It’s essential, especially if you’re holding a webinar to market your products. In that case, you can leverage digital marketing campaigns to inform your target audience of the upcoming event.
You can establish a dynamic digital marketing team to spearhead your efforts. They can leverage Google ads marketing on your business website, on social media, and on other platforms. Moreover, email and text marketing can quickly level up the number of attendees to your virtual event. In summary, excellent publicity for your event can be the miracle you need to boost the attendance of your event.
- Choose Your Online Platform
There are many tools that you can use to host a virtual event. However, their functionality may differ. As a result, take time to research and identify the most suitable tool for your event. Beware that this is a critical step that you must consider with great intensity.
An excellent virtual event platform should help generate real-time metrics and analytics. In addition, it should provide two-way communication. Moreover, you should be able to customize the settings of the platform. For instance, when you’re expecting to host many attendees, you can disable functions such as the microphone. It helps in creating order during the meeting and avoids unnecessary interruptions. Besides, you can activate someone’s microphone when they’re supposed to weigh in with their remarks.
Your platform should also allow you to share content when presenting. If you intend to engage your audience, choose a platform with engagement features like reactions and a chat option. Finally, a platform offering social media integration might be your best bet.
- Establish A Goal
Perhaps, getting this clear determines how effectively you plan for your virtual event. Some goals that may influence a virtual event include raising awareness for your brand, launching a new product, and looking to grow your audience or customer base. Therefore, once you’ve established the goals of your event, you need to communicate them to the stakeholders involved in planning for the event.
For instance, your marketing team needs to know your goal to design relevant Google ads and marketing emails and texts. As a result, the message you circulate during marketing should be the information your attendees get during your virtual event.
- Design Content And Use Breaks
Your content is critical as it’s what connects you with your audience. As a result, ensure that it’s relatable to your audience and answers their pain points. Do comprehensive research that captures every aspect of the topic. In addition, if your event is supposed to take several hours, you can have some breaks between sessions.
Final Thoughts
Virtual events have come in handy for many business owners. They’re easy to plan and are cost-effective. They’re not affected by distance due to the ability to leverage the internet. Thus, it’s a suitable option for your meetings and for every team. Using the tips in this article will help you organize a successful meeting.
