Traditionally, B2B sellers have relied heavily on tradeshows, user conferences, and other in-person interactions to launch products and services, generate leads, and nurture relationships with loyal customers.

B2B event marketing was, among all sales and marketing channel initiatives, third in engagement effectiveness and first in conversions, 2020 research from Demand Gen Report found.

But COVID-19 has wiped almost all in-person events off the calendar, so B2B marketers have been scrambling—sometimes successfully, sometimes less so—to develop and refine virtual event experiences that can still engage.

In short, B2B sellers must now replicate the impact of in-person events, but virtually.

Conversations with a cross-section of marketing executives at B2B sellers and my own colleagues over the past few months have revealed various levers that are helping drive the most successful virtual event experiences.

The following 12 approaches, derived from those conversations, address key variables across three categories crucial to B2B buyer engagement and relationship nurturing:

  1. Capturing attention in the virtual setting
  2. Driving demand and registration for virtual events
  3. Creating differentiated experiences for global-scale audiences

Compare the following tactics and statistics with those of your own virtual events, including your metrics, to see whether there are paths to improvement.

Capturing Attention in Virtual Settings

1. Offer both live and on-demand media

Our data at Accenture shows that upward of 40% of registrants attend livestreamed events as they happen. The necessity of making presentations readily available on-demand is clear: It will likely be how most of your attendees are watching.

2. Keep presentations to the point, and direct attendees to next-step content

Whether a virtual event is 60, 90, or 180 minutes, most live attendees tune in for only about 50% of an event. The most frequent drop-off points occur at the half-hour marks, as viewers drop to attend meetings.

That means virtual events need to get their most critical points across in the first half. Virtual presentations should also clearly provide—much earlier than you might otherwise think—a path to next steps that prospects can take. Don't save that for the last five minutes, or they might never hear it.

3. Offer recap videos and on-demand replays

Only one-third of viewers watch virtual events in full-screen mode (and even those viewers do so for only the first 10 minutes). Assume that much of your audience is multitasking. Offer highlight recaps and replays to make it easy for attendees to revisit and digest information when they need it.

4. Avoid changing the event dates

Changing the date of an announced virtual event will slash attendance: Registrants who sign up before a date change become 50% less likely to attend after a reschedule. Avoid reschedules as much as possible.

Driving Demand and Registration for Virtual Events

5. Encourage attendees to share event content to their social networks

Recent data has found that paid media drives event awareness—but not higher registration or viewership—during the event itself. In contrast, attendees' sharing content to social media drives a 2x higher conversion rate compared with role and title-based targeting mid-event.

Create governance around a content newsroom that generates pull quotes, infographics, and other shareable media for attendees and their networks to circulate during the event.

6. Measure content effectiveness, and use paid media to drive replays of that content

Within your event measurement strategy, gauging content effectiveness is crucial. Identify content that performs best during the event, and amplify it with paid media to lookalike audiences on LinkedIn and other social channels your audiences use. If your event is part of a series or learning track, use high-performing content to attract new interest.

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B2B Virtual Events: 12 Ways to Ensure Impact and Drive Topline Growth

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Jason Michaels

Jason Michaels is the B2B marketing strategy lead at Accenture Interactive.

LinkedIn: Jason Michaels

Twitter: @50champ