Smart B2B marketers are increasingly taking their live events and building rich, powerful digital campaigns around them. The impact of the live event is greatly amplified over a much wider timescale. Return on investment is maximised and the initial cost of the live event starts to look like money well spent.
But can live events and digital really work in harmony? Here, we talk to a number of experts to look at how digital can complement live events in the build-up to, during and after the actual event.
Before the live event
Pre-event digital activity can achieve a number of goals according to Dom Robertson, managing director at marketing agency RPM. It creates a buzz online, it engages people and it gets them talking, he says.
This pre-event activity is the beginning of the all-important relationship-building process says John Bottom, director and head of content marketing at Base One. He argues that brands that manage this process correctly can, ‘maximise their brand exposure greatly beyond the one-off live event.’
All our experts believed that any pre-event digital campaign should start in earnest. “The key to success lies in incorporating digital at the earliest planning stages, when all channels of activation are being addressed,” says Robertson. “This will ensure maximum reach throughout the campaign, building relationships for continued dialogue.”
So what forms might pre-event activity incorporate? There are some obvious tactics here, such as creating a LinkedIn group, a Facebook page or a micro site. Alternatively, you could conduct an online survey, the results of which could be presented at the live event.
Sophie Lam, EMEA marketing programme manager at Brighttalk, also suggests the role of webcasts. She says, “Presenting a webcast before a physical event can set the stage for the event and get people excited about it. Often, an overview of the topics a conference will cover can pique the interest of attendees.”
However, Lilah Walker, international director of events with Marketing Options International, advises B2B brands to tread carefully when giving away event content online, and encourages brands to ‘share teasers rather than content.’
She also suggests setting up an event forum to enable delegates to network, thereby enhancing the value of the live event. Such forums can allow delegates to submit questions to keynote speakers pre-event. “The forums create a buzz and give delegates a sense of ownership and buy-in for the event,”she says.
Listening reports and buzz monitoring via social media tools can also be used to pick up on topical, relevant issues and help inform the direction that the live event takes.
Duncan Beale, managing director of event agency Line Up, recently worked with client Skandia, an investment company whose products are sold through independent financial advisers (IFA). When organising 2010’s annual Trailblazer event for IFAs, Beale opted for a (smaller than usual) London-based event that was webcast live to IFAs, with further communication via a bespoke website. Pre-event activity was intensive. “Content creation for the website began up to six weeks prior to the event itself,” says Beale. “Seventeen film modules were created. These comprised of interviews of in-house and industry experts and IFAs, as well as filmed presentations, all focusing on industry issues, the economic landscape and future legislation.”
During the event
When it comes to using digital technology to create a buzz during a live event, Twitter is the tool of choice right now. For Nick Gill, planning director at DCH, “Twitter is a good ‘back channel’ at events that allows participants to live tweet during an event thereby enabling those unable to attend to get the salient points.”
There are, however, issues to consider. As Alex Brayshaw, director of DNX, points out, having an audience sat staring into their smartphones can be distracting for speakers. That said, he does think tweeting is becoming increasingly accepted etiquette during keynote speeches these days.
Robertson suggests that the use of Twitter and social networking can even be formalised. He argues a case for, “using a dedicated resource or commentator to deliver a real-time commentary using Twitter or Facebook, posting updates, images and movies. This connects the user with the event and generates content that users can then spread even further in their own networks.”
Also effective for non-attendees is the live streaming of events. As Lam points out, streaming presentations live helps brands to extend the reach of their presenters.
Gill argues that, “being able to receive live streaming of events is a relatively simple task these days. Enabling people to have Q&A debates during and after seminars is more easily facilitated through digital means than the dreaded ‘mobile mic’ that gets dragged across the floor.”
Walker suggests that brands think carefully about live streaming of an event and its impact on physical attendance. She says, “We are holding an upcoming event in the US. This will be streamed globally but not in the US.” Attendance at the event won’t be affected, she suggests, as those outside the US would be unlikely to attend given current economic conditions. “Streaming means they still get to the see the event while the event host still captures the leads,” she says.
Finally, focusing purely on those who physically attend an event, Robertson puts forward a novel idea for adding value to the live experience. He suggests, “having roving photographers on hand capturing shots of guests and transmitting them wirelessly to flat screens sited throughout the venue. You’ll find the photographer has a queue fairly quickly.”
Post-event activity
Brayshaw makes an observation that will resonate with many brands when he says, “We used to run a live event and be relieved when it was finally over… with digital channels we are now getting much more life out of the content generated.”
This ability to squeeze extra mileage from one-off events obviously has implications for ROI. Brayshaw points out, B2B brands are now happy to allocate 15-20 per cent of a live event’s budget to the digital element where, not so long ago, five per cent was the norm.
Post-event, Brayshaw offers suggestions for digital content creation. These include:
-Recording keynote speakers and delivering content into the website of the presenter post-event.
– Running an online workshop session with one of the event’s keynote speakers.
Bottom stresses the importance of freshening up post-event content and re-packaging it to add value, such as videos of interviews with speakers and delegates of the event or Q&A sessions with one of the keynote speakers.
All our experts also agreed that post-event surveys are a popular and effective way of expanding the lifespan of an event.
In terms of the aforementioned IFA event, Beale offers an indication of the effort B2B brands are now going to in a bid to extend the reach of an event. He says, “The event was recorded by three cameras and mixed live for the webcast. As soon as the live webcast ended, the master was cut and edited into 12 separate segments overnight to enable an immediate cascade to IFAs who had not been able to join the live webcast. These all then sat on the Trailblazer website.”
Walker suggests B2B brands should have an extensive communications strategy in place for any pre and post-event activity. She cites Twitter or forums as powerful tools for keeping contacts warm although is mindful about not bombarding an audience. “We suggest an initial follow-up within one or two days, and then further communications every two weeks to drip feed relevant and topical messages,” she says. “It is vital to fuel the conversation.”
– Create a LinkedIn Group and/or Facebook Fan Page.
– Run a pre-event webcast, previewing some of the content – think in terms of teasers. Or show video interviews of speakers.
– Create up a forum to allow delegates and speakers to interact, focusing content and airing views.
– Use Twitter as a ‘backchannel’ charting visitors’ views.
– Consider web-streaming to remote locations.
– Allow presentations to be viewed online.
– Run an online workshop with a keynote speaker.
