How can you engage live event attendees online?

1 Choose the right platform

Choosing the right platform for your live event is the first step to engaging your attendees online. Webinars, livestreams, virtual conferences, and workshops are all viable options, each with their own features, benefits, and limitations. Before deciding on a platform, you should consider how easy it is to set up, manage, and join the event, how reliable and secure it is, how interactive and immersive it is, how well it supports your branding and design, and what value it offers for its cost. Doing research and testing can help you make an informed decision.

2 Plan your content and format

When selecting a platform for your event, it is essential to plan your content and format attentively. Your goal should be to provide valuable and relevant information that solves your attendees' problems, answers their questions, and encourages them to take action. Additionally, you should avoid boring or overwhelming them with too much or too little content. To ensure an engaging event, consider the following tips: define your main objective and key message; outline your agenda and structure your content into clear and concise segments; incorporate a variety of formats such as slides, videos, polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions; use storytelling, humor, and emotion to capture your attendees' attention; and utilize visuals, audio, and animations to enhance your presentation.

3 Promote your event and build anticipation

Engaging your live event attendees online is essential to create buzz and excitement, attract more registrants, and increase attendance rate. Additionally, it is important to establish a relationship and trust with potential attendees. To achieve this, you can create a landing page and an email sequence that emphasize the benefits of your event. Utilize social media, blogs, podcasts, and other channels to spread the word and invite your audience. Additionally, create a hashtag, a teaser video, or a countdown timer to generate curiosity and urgency. Furthermore, offer incentives such as bonuses, discounts, or prizes to encourage early registration and referrals. Finally, send reminders, confirmations, and tips to prepare your attendees for the event.

4 Interact with your attendees during the event

Interacting with your live event attendees online is a great way to create a sense of community and connection between you and them. You can welcome your attendees, introduce yourself and your team, and encourage them to share their expectations and goals. Polls, quizzes, surveys, and chat features are useful for getting feedback, input, and questions from your attendees. Breakout rooms, workshops, or group activities can facilitate collaboration and networking. And Q&A sessions, live chat, or social media can be used to answer questions, address concerns, and provide support. All of these strategies help you tailor your content and delivery to the needs and preferences of your attendees.

5 Follow up with your attendees after the event

After your live event, you want to thank your attendees for attending, reinforce your key message and call to action, and provide additional value and resources. You should also collect feedback, testimonials, and referrals to improve future events and grow your audience. To follow up with your attendees after the event, you can send a thank you email and a recording or summary of the event. Additionally, you can send a survey or feedback form to evaluate performance and satisfaction. Furthermore, you can offer a certificate, badge, or reward to acknowledge participation and achievement. To generate leads, you can send a lead magnet, freebie, or discount. Lastly, you can send an invitation, recommendation, or referral to promote other products or services.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?