Three Musts for Successful Online Events

Online meetings are gaining popularity as extremely cost-effective and engaging mediums to collaborate with employees, partners and teams who may not be in the same location. However, when your objectives are to share information or attract more leads and not necessarily to collaborate over a project or initiative, hosting an online event may be a better alternative. And now is the time to be sure you have the right tools so your events are flawless every time.

Are you launching a new product or a new service and want to attract more leads while highlighting its features? Maybe you’re looking to share updates to your brand strategy or need to share critical information with investors and analysts who are scattered across the world. On the other hand, perhaps you’ve secured a major speaker for a conference and you want to expand your reach to those who can’t travel so they, too, can tune in and hear the message, during and after the conference. Online events are amazing opportunities to connect with a larger audience and work for these and any variety of occasions.

Regardless of the event, giving careful thought to the features that are a part of your online event of choice can spell the difference between a highly engaging experience for your target audience – or one that misses your message entirely.

Though there is no definitive list when it comes to all of the choices out there, there are several features that can assist you in hosting the online event of your business dreams and gaining the insights that will help you achieve your goals.

Start-to-finish event management

Do you know how many people are registered for your online event? Are you able to capture essential information that you can use for further outreach?

Online events are designed to promote your brand and encourage engagement and are only as good as the information they provide organizers. From the first registrant’s name and occupation to the final “how did you enjoy the event” survey questions, the best online event platform will allow you to manage events from start to finish. Consider tracking leads by gathering the information you need to connect with your audience and the sources from which they registered. Forward your recording long after the last person logs off.  If you don’t have these tools, you could be missing significant opportunities to boost interest and attendance and to keep the conversation going once your online event ends.

 Active audience engagement tools

Your speaker is delivering an electrifying message, your CFO is revealing amazing financial news to investors and that new product has more features than ever that you can’t wait to share. But how do you know if your audience is listening?  Even with all of the news you’re ready to share during your online event, if your audience isn’t engaged, your message may fall short.

Advanced features like real-time polling and threaded Question & Answer opportunities that allow you to monitor your audience and answer questions are perfect for generating excitement and awareness of your messaging. Coupled with high-quality video and audio, your audience won’t have a choice but to keep their eyes and ears tuned in.

Measuring event success

Your online event is over and was a rousing success! Or was it? Avoid having to ask yourself this question by choosing an online event platform that provides tools to measure audience satisfaction.

Knowing what worked and what didn’t during your online event gives you a great look at the highs and lows of the presentation. Do you have access to post-event data that will help you understand if an event met your objectives? Tools like automated post-event surveys and follow-up email messages are out there. If you’re looking to increase sales and speed up the sales cycle, deliver leads to your sales and marketing funnel for follow-up with simple integration to your marketing automation and CRM systems.

Do you want to plan an event to remember?  It’s not always easy to plan a cost-effective online event that resonates with prospective customers, employees, partners, and colleagues. But we’ve got your back. For a limited time, new WebEx Event Center plan purchases come with 6.5 hours of free expert assistance to guide you to a flawless event.

Have you successfully used WebEx Event Center to do it? Comment below and tell us how you did it.