Connecting with people over the globe has become a need for every small business as they focus on globalising all their products. The world shifted to the work from home module raising the requirement for more tools and opportunities that can connect colleagues globally. As a result, virtual events and webinars started becoming sought after. But how these help reach the target audience for marketers is to be discovered as we look more into it.

1. Identifying target audience

Research is the first step in identifying target audience. Conducting market research will help businesses understand the demographics, age, gender, interests, buying behaviours of the audience. After research, the next step is to define the target audience by narrowing down potential audience into a specific group that is most likely to attend the event. Making a list of their pain points, motivations, preferences, businesses can align their content such that it can resonate with the target audience.

2. Planning and designing

Every webinar or virtual event needs to have a clear goal for a successful organisation. The goal could be creating awareness for brand, launching new products, special promotional offers, generating leads, etc… Having a definite goal can guide businesses in planning and choosing the right format to deliver the content. The most common formats are presentations, panel discussions, workshops, sharing experiences, Q&A session. The content must be easy to understand, engaging, entertaining, informative and interactive. Depending on the goal and audience preferences, the right format should be chosen to leave a memorable experience for the audience and maximise outputs.

3. Promoting

There are various channels like social media [Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc…], email marketing, content marketing, paid partnerships [influencer marketing] that can be harnessed to promote the virtual events and webinars. The messages must be short and compelling, highlighting the essential information like topics, agenda, time, place, host, benefits for attendees. This will reach the target audience and make them register for it. The event landing page, registration forms, introductory messages, videos must all be appealing and user friendly.

4. Engaging and interacting

Try incorporating interactive tools like polls, quizzes, live chats, role plays, mini games, challenges, and hands-on workshops to keep the audience involved and excited throughout the events. A Q&A session can ensure active participation, offer a chance for audience to put forward their thoughts, queries and share knowledge. This is also an excellent opportunity for networking. Many audiences might want to get a chance to know more about fellow attendees, so arrange an opportunity that can allow this.

5. Measuring and analyzing the success

Measuring the success of the virtual events and webinars must be done by first defining the key performance indicators or KPIs. It could be attendance rate, participation rate, conversion rate, increasing awareness, etc… Try using feedback forms, surveys, polls to collect data for the metrics you want to analyse from all participants and even those who did not attend.

6. Improving future virtual events and webinars

Based on the feedback given by attendees, the next event can be improved. Make the attendees comfortable and give their honest opinions so that the results can be useful and helpful for planning the next event. Once the weak spots are pinpointed, work on ways to improve that area. It could be early registration, discounts, more engaging content, adding more benefits and so on.

Virtual events and webinars allow businesses to connect with people globally. This avoids all the nuances related to renting a space, and providing refreshments compared to conducting a traditional event. The attendees can attend the events from the comfort of their house or office, hence reducing their travelling expenses. These provide immense flexibility for both the organiser and the attendees, increasing the likelihood of attendance and engagement. So, this is a cost-effective yet powerful tool to reach your target audience.