Nearly 70% of event professionals are sharing that their reason for adding hybrid events to their strategy is to attract more attendees. So, if that’s your reason, too, how are you going to get literal and virtual butts in seats? The answer is effective hybrid event marketing. Gone are the days where you can slap a poster on the corner store window or send a simple email to your audience. Marketing has gotten much more complex, but in turn there’s much more profit to be made from effective marketing. Marketing your hybrid events is no exception.
So, how do you design a hybrid event marketing plan that’s going to raise your attendee count, get sponsors on the hook, and produce revenue? Let’s talk some top tips.
Tier Your Pricing for Registration
One way to encourage registrations pre-event is to tier your pricing for registration. Early bird specials, VIP add-ons for early registration, discounts for multiple in-person or virtual attendees—the list is endless. Get creative and make it work for your goals. This is a great way to tempt your potential attendees to pull the trigger and register for your hybrid event!
Ask Your Speakers & Sponsors to Help
At the end of the day, when it comes to events, your success is your partners’ success. That means that asking speakers and sponsors to share that they’ll be attending this epic hybrid event in their emails and on their social isn’t an out of the question ask. The more hype the better, for you and for them!
Provide social media graphics, email templates, and everything they’ll need to promote in one easy-to-navigate promotional bundle specifically geared towards them and their audiences. The easier you make it for sponsors and speakers to market your hybrid event, the more traction you’ll get!
Use All Your Channels, But Focus on Where Your Audience Lives
When it comes to promoting hybrid events, your reach is limitless (if you choose the right virtual event platform, that is). Digitally promoting your event on your website, your Instagram, your Clubhouse chats, your podcast—all your channels—is so important. The more you put it out there, the more interest you’ll generate. That being said, don’t talk about it most on Facebook if your audience doesn’t tend to frequent Facebook. Wherever you get the most engagement is where you should be focusing most of your promotion efforts.
Don’t End Your Hybrid Event Marketing Once the Event Starts
Hybrid event marketing is actually simpler than you think. Why? Because your entire event is geared around creating digital content to stream to your virtual audience. Capture that! Record, plan sessions specifically because you know it’s going to look epic in your promotions later on, and ask for testimonials from both in-person and virtual attendees during the event so you can use it for next year. Then, use that content throughout the year to market your next event or create paid content opportunities like courses or masterclasses with the recorded sessions!
Leverage Your Sales Team
Is this a customer event? If so, who talks to your customers most? Who has the closest relationship with them? Your sales team! Similar to how you can create a promotion bundle for your speakers or sponsors, do the same internally so your team can help. No event planner should be promoting alone!
Don’t Forget About Retargeting Ads
Many people don’t use retargeting ads as much as they should. Find a Digital Marketing Specialist who can help you craft a campaign to promote your event to people who have been hanging out on your website!
Find Influencers for Your Hybrid Event Marketing That Fit Your Brand
With a good hashtag and a little influencer marketing, you’ll be reaching people you never could on just your channels alone! Make it fun, provide them with a giveaway for shares to create traction—you can get really creative here!
Design Captivating Teasers for Your Email Marketing
What does your audience want out of your event? What’s going to wow them? Take that and package it into quick 10-30 second promo videos you can share on social, via email, and at other events to create excitement around your hybrid event. Regular old emails about your event can get boring, so really make these videos something they’re going to want to open your emails to see!
Make Registration Simple
Registration for hybrid events has a tendency to get complicated if you don’t simplify it. This can be a serious turnoff for attendees that could actually lose you some great potential connections. Make it easy for them to register for in-person or virtual attendance, ensure it’s only a couple of pages, and have an email or phone they can contact in case of questions so you can close that sale.
Do You Have Hybrid Event Marketing Ideas Swirling in Your Brain Now?
The top thing about creating a hybrid event marketing strategy is to have FUN. Trying new things can seem stressful. But embrace the learning curve, follow these tips, and ask for help if you need it. There are experts out there that market six-figure hybrid events daily—you don’t have to do it alone!
