As brands continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved through digital channels, virtual events such as webinars, virtual conferences, online workshops, etc., not only act as a substitute for customary brand experiences, but they also aid in the expansion of the reach and engagement with fresh audiences.
Thus, through virtual events, brands found new & innovative ways to keep their existing audience engaged, while continuing to find & connect with new consumers. As per the report by Research and Markets, the global virtual events market is set to grow by 23.7% from 2021 to 2028 to reach a size of $504.76 billion by 2028.
Particularly witnessed across industries of manufacturing, retail, media and entertainment, education and academics, and healthcare, these verticals are actively using influencer marketing to promote virtual events and continue to succeed.
However, fashion & beauty brands are turning out to be the most curious & creative in terms of what can be done via virtual events. Leading by example is Sephora with their virtual event Sephoria - House of Beauty, an exceptional 3D event showcasing an interactive beauty "house" comprising numerous rooms for visitors to explore, brimming with exclusive content! (Source- BussinessWire)
In this blog, we will explore how influencer marketing can be used to promote virtual events and provide you with valuable insights and tips on how to effectively market your virtual event to maximize its reach and engagement.
But first, let’s understand why brands are using influencer marketing campaigns for virtual events.
how to create an effective influencer marketing campaign in 2023.
Why Use Influencer Marketing To Promote Virtual Events?
Are you wondering how influencer marketing in your event strategy will put you ahead of competition? Here are top 3 reasons:
Influencers can help your boost online visibility
Partnering with influencers for virtual events can help brands increase their online visibility and engagement. By collaborating with influencers for an event, brands can reach new audiences who share their interests and may not have heard of them before. After all, 50% millennials trust influencer recommendations. When a trusted influencer recommends the event, these audiences are more likely to pay attention and learn more about it.
Influencers can help you gain real time feedback of your event
Influencers provide honest and valuable real-time feedback on your event through the content they create. Any positive feedback they give will be genuine and can significantly enhance your event's appeal to their social media followers. In 2022, 60% of the video views came from influencer generated content. Thus, this becomes extremely valuable to promote virtual events with influencers.
Influencers can help you create buzz around your virtual event
Apart from promoting an event, it is equally crucial to ensure that the participants have a distinctive and engaging experience, which can be appreciated and highlighted by influencer partners to their followers to generate buzz. Thus, every 9 out of 10 marketers have included influencer marketing as part of their marketing strategy. Furthermore, it is recommended to maintain honesty and authenticity by allowing influencer partners to convey the message in their unique style, which can lend a more genuine feel to your campaign.
This brings us to…
How To Choose Influencers To Promote Your Virtual Event?
When selecting an influencer for virtual event promotion with influencer marketing, you should consider their audience, relevance, and engagement rate. Look for influencers who have a similar audience to your target market and who are relevant to your event. Additionally, ensure that the influencers have an active and engaged audience.
First understand how to find the right influencer for your brand in 2023
A great example can be seen in MAC Cosmetics’ virtual event MAC Underground which featured exclusive product launches, virtual masterclasses, and musical performances. To promote the event, MAC Cosmetics collaborated with a group of influencers, including beauty YouTubers and Instagram influencers, who shared posts and stories about the event on their social media platforms. The influencers not only helped to generate buzz and excitement for the event, but also provided their followers with a sneak peek of what to expect at the virtual event.
Thus, choosing the right influencer for virtual events is crucial to its success. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting influencers:
Relevance : Choose influencers who are relevant to your event and target audience. For example, if you are hosting a virtual conference on marketing, you might consider partnering with influencers who are marketing experts or have a following in the marketing industry.
Audience : Consider the influencer's audience and whether it aligns with your target market. You want to work with influencers who have a following that would be interested in attending your event.
Engagement : When using influencer marketing to promote virtual events, look for influencers with a high engagement rate, meaning they have an active and engaged audience who interacts with their content.
Reach : Consider the size of the influencer's following and whether they have a broad reach that can help you expand your audience.
Authenticity: Choose influencers who align with your brand's values and messaging, and who can authentically promote your event to their audience.
Thus, it's important to choose influencers who can help you reach your target audience through influencer marketing campaigns for virtual event, generate interest in your event, and ultimately drive ticket sales for your virtual event.
How To Market A Virtual Event Through Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
Incorporating influencers into your virtual event strategy is a great way to reach a wider audience and create a buzz around your event. After all, influencer marketing generates 11x higher ROI compared to its traditional counterparts such as TV, print and desktop ads.
Here are the top 5 ways you can be using influencer marketing in your event strategy:
1. Host a pre-event chat: Consider hosting a pre-event chat with your influencer partners. This will give your audience an opportunity to engage with both your event and the influencer, while creating a sense of community.
2. Live stream with influencers: To promote virtual events with influencers, utilize live streaming platforms like Instagram or Facebook to host live Q&A sessions with influencers. This will not only increase engagement, but also create buzz around your event.
3. Use Reels to keep up the buzz: A great way to boost your brand reach with less effort, using influencers for virtual event promotion by creating Reels on your brand account is a winning move for brands. Key thing to keep in mind is that the influencer you have chosen finds a common ground between what type of content they create and resonates with the brand personality as well!
4. Give real-time updates regarding the event: Through the course of virtual event promotion with influencer marketing, providing your audience with real time updates as to what is happening in the virtual event via Instagram live, Facebook live, Twitch livestreaming, etc. is a great way to maintain the buzz around the event all the way through.
5. Use Polls to keep up the engagement: Ahead of the virtual event, it's a great practice to keep up the buzz and engagement around the virtual event. This can be done through instagram polls, question box stickers, etc. Upon analyzing the response, you can even gather insights into what demographic of users are interested in the event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Find Influencers For Your Online Event?
To find influencer for virtual events, you can start by identifying individuals or organizations with a strong following and engagement on relevant social media platforms. You can also use influencer marketing tools to search for influencers in your niche and evaluate their audience demographics, engagement rates, and content relevance or you can hire a top influencer marketing agency to do that work for you.
How Much Does Influencer Marketing For Events Cost?
The cost of influencer marketing to promote virtual events varies depending on several factors such as the size of the influencer's following, the type of content they create, the length of the partnership, and the specific goals of the campaign. Generally, the cost can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per post or partnership.
How Should You Market Your Virtual Event?
To market your virtual event, you can use a mix of digital marketing strategies such as social media promotion, email marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization, and paid advertising. You can also leverage influencer marketing, guest blogging, and partner outreach to reach a wider audience and drive more registrations.