If you produce a virtual event and no one attends, does it make a sound? In this presentation, Dennis provides tips and strategies for generating registrations and attendees for your next virtual event.

1. How to Generate Registrations & Attendees to Your Virtual Event Dennis Shiao dshiao@INXPO.com 08.11.2011 Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

3. OUTLINE Generating Registrations Value proposition Target audience Finding Communicating Use of social media Converting Registrations to Attendees Content marketing Networking Game mechanics Email reminders “When you convert registrations to attendees, you get to ring the register” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

4. (GENERATING) First Step: Develop a Plan Value Proposition One sentence Find answer to “WIIFM” Print, hang on wall Ties into promotion Target Audience Precise Quantifiable Ties into sponsorships, success metrics “Think before you act. For your online event, prepare before you promote.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

5. (GENERATING) Find Your Target Audience Your own properties Web site Email lists Customer / subscriber lists Social media channels Partner properties Content sites Community sites Paid media Email blasts, SEM, etc. Image source: Wikipedia page for Christopher Columbus “For events, finding your target audience should not be as challenging as Columbus discovering The New World.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

6. (GENERATING) Time for 10 Tips Image source: sam_churcill on flickr Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

7. (GENERATING) Tip #1: Leverage Speakers “If you select your speakers well, then your target audience already follows them. Ask speakers to promote your event.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

8. (GENERATING) Tip #2: Leverage Exhibitors “Give your exhibitors unique URLs (for tracking) & ask them to promote the event. Reward those who bring in the most…” Note: clicktotweet is a neat tool for distributing tweet-able messages to your exhibitors (http://clicktotweet.com) Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

9. (GENERATING) Tip #3: On Registration, Less is More “Every new field you add decreases the likelihood of registration. Ask yourself, is each additional field worth it?” First Name Last Name Company Title Email Address Address 1 Address 2 State/Province Country Industry Job Function Company Revenue Annual Budget Purchase Authority Purchase Timeframe Favorite Food Number of Kids Zodiac Sign First Name Last Name Company Title Email Address LESS fields means… MORE registrations Key Point: You can ask for additional information during the event (e.g. require attendees to complete mandatory profile fields upon first login) Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

10. (GENERATING) Tip #4: Social Sharing on Registration Page “Social sharing buttons on your registration page allow your target audience to promote the event on your behalf.” Study which social networks your audience engages in to determine which sharing buttons to include Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

11. (GENERATING) Tip #5: Promotion via Syndication “Provide HTML ‘embed code’, inviting others to promote your event on their web sites!” Example: YouTube (above). YouTube did not reach billions of video views from YouTube.com alone. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

12. (GENERATING) Tip #6: Start Early Benefits More inbound links More search traffic More opportunities for sharing More time to measure, adjust and adapt Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

13. (GENERATING) Tip #7: Create a LinkedIn Event Benefits Takes 2 minutes. Generate awareness via LinkedIn’s “social business graph.” LinkedIn Events have a “This is a virtual event” checkbox. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

14. (GENERATING) Tip #8: Promote on Twitter Steps Create a Twitter hash tag for your event. Promote the hash tag on your event registration page. Include the event hash tag in ALL tweets. Tweet about your event’s value proposition, driving traffic to the registration page. Tweet about your keynote speaker. Tweet about sponsors who will be exhibiting. Retweet other users’ comments. “If you want to interest people in your ‘party’, be a friendly and welcoming host on Twitter.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

15. (GENERATING) Tip #9: Promote on Your Facebook Page Tips Post videos (related to your event). Run a survey (via Facebook Questions) on what topics attendees would like to see at the event. Got breaking news about your event (e.g. a confirmed keynote speaker)? Post it to Facebook. Take pictures of your online event team and post them. Facebook fans love pictures. Promote speakers and exhibitors in your posts and be sure to tag them in your post. “Fans of your brand should become fans of your event. The key is to convert your Facebook fans into registrants.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

16. (GENERATING) Tip #10: Promote via Content Marketing Tips Write blog postings related to the event’s topics. Ask speakers to write blog postings (or author guest postings) on their presentation topics. Share interesting articles and postings that relate to your event. Publish an edition of your e-Newsletter that highlights the event. Publish a Press Release announcing your event. Record short videos related to your event’s topics. Post them on multiple video sites. Ask exhibitors to incorporate event promotion in their own content marketing. “Remember that the end goal of content marketing is to drive traffic to your event’s registration page.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

17. CONVERTING “Like shoppers in a store, registrants are less useful if they do not convert.” Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

18. (CONVERTING) Tip #1: Spruce Up the Confirmation Page “The journey of converting a registrant to an attendee begins with the confirmation page.” Tips Embed a video with a “thank you “ from you. Provide links to useful resources related to the event platform. Allow registrants to see which of their LinkedIn Connections has also registered. Embed links to add the event to registrants’ calendars (e.g. Outlook, Google Calendar, etc.) Provide social sharing buttons [OK, this is to help with registration and not conversion] Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

19. (CONVERTING) Tip #2: More Content Marketing “Guess what? You’re a media company. Your registrants are your readers. Make an impression to get them to attend” Note: The period from registration to “live event date” is an OPPORTUNITY that should not be wasted. Note: I didn’t say this would be easy. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

20. (CONVERTING) Tip #3: Game Mechanics Tips Deploy single player games. Deploy team-based games. Deploy leaderboards. Incent players and teams with prizes and recognition If you engage registrants in this gaming activity before the event, your attendance (at the live event) will increase. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

21. (CONVERTING) Tip #4: Automated Email Messaging Tips Week-before reminder email. Day-before reminder email. “Event is now open” email at the start of the live date(s). Mid-day “Don’t miss out: second half schedule” email to registrants who have not yet logged in. Next-day “Thanks for attending” or “Sorry we missed you” emails. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

22. (CONVERTING) Tip #5: Facilitate Pre-Event Networking “Allow registrants to network beforehand and any event, whether physical or online, will see increased attendance.” Corollary: If I’ve had meaningful dialog with you prior to an event, I’ll go out of my away to attend live, so that the dialog can continue. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe

23. SUMMARY GENERATE. CONVERT. ENGAGE. Thank you. Twitter hash tag: #AMAAdobe