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How To Find Speakers For Your Virtual Event

Finding speakers for your virtual event can be tricky, but it is doable! While having someone talk about something they are passionate about is great, finding that person may not be as easy as you think.

There are many ways to find speakers for your virtual event, and most of them start with creating an event yourself. Creating an event means putting together a schedule, gathering advertising materials, and then contacting people to see if they’d like to contribute by offering their services as a speaker or keynote.

From there, you can either use your network to approach potential speakers or search online sites and applications for speakers who are looking for engagements.

Compile your guest list of speakers for your virtual event

Compile your guest list of speakers for your virtual event

While it may seem tempting to use online speaker-finding tools to find speakers yourself, doing so will not set you up for success. Doing this will most likely get you stuck paying high fees to access their services while realizing there are almost limitless resources available free of cost!

By compiling our guest list we create an opportunity for people outside of the virtual event software to offer their service or product. By offering your event as pay-to-view, individuals can earn income from sharing their knowledge with others and building a larger audience.

Virtual events have become very popular due to the ease of using technology to connect and communicate. If you are looking to add some entertainment value to your event, giving away the stream is the best way to go about it.

This article will talk more in detail about how to find virtual event keynote speakers and what types of platforms exist to do so.

Research the potential speakers for your virtual event

Research the potential speakers for your virtual event

As mentioned earlier, you will have to do some research into your event’s topic to see who would be appropriate to speak about it. You can either use third-party resources or create your own by looking up speakers in online databases and gathering their material to determine if they are qualified to talk about the subject matter.

By using these tools, you will know not only whether someone is experienced in what they talked about, but also if they are affiliated with any groups or organizations that are related to yours. This way, you can make sure they match what your organization needs!

If you’re more creative than business people, there are many free websites where you can launch a podcast or talk show. By doing this, you get to control the content, the audience, and how professional you look while talking.

Approach sponsors and speakers for your virtual event

Approach sponsors and speakers for your virtual event

The next way to find speakers is by approaching potential conference attendees as well as speaker candidates. By being interactive, this approach can work very effectively. You should not just ask about their speaking experience, but also what types of events they attended, if they’ve ever done something similar, etc.

By asking these questions and listening to answers, you will learn a lot about them!

There are many ways to gather information through interviews, direct messages on social media, or conversations with colleagues. Some people may even offer themselves as a speaker for your event.

By being aware of such opportunities, you will know how to maximize them for valuable insights.

Connect with influencers in your niche

Connect with influencers in your niche

Finding speakers can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! While getting people directly as guests may seem like the easier option, it is not always practical or possible.

Influencer marketing is another way to find speakers that are willing to share their knowledge and experience. By reaching out to the right individuals in your field, you may be able to get some recommendations or even invite them to contribute to your event!

By asking those who already influence your industry if they would be interested in sharing their expertise at a free virtual event, you have taken the pressure off of trying to convince them to pay money to speak at a conference. They’ve asked themselves whether or not this is something they should do, so now you just need to make sure they say yes!

There are several ways to connect with influential people through online channels, such as blogging, social media, and YouTube. Many times, people will offer their services as an ambassador (or “influencer”) for a company or product, so looking into whether these opportunities exist is another good starting place.

Guest blog or comment on social media

Guest blog or comment on social media

Finding speakers can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. There are several ways you can approach this problem. One of the most efficient is to offer your audience as a source for speaking opportunities.

If you’re hosting an event, then offering a guest blog or leaving comments on their Facebook page or Twitter feed is a good way to connect with potential speakers.

Your peers and colleagues can easily recommend someone they know who could help promote your event or speak about the topic in depth. By adding the speaker as a collaborator on your event’s Slack team, you’ll be able to directly communicate with them without having to go through another channel.

For both types of engagement, your contacts will want something in return — which is often free exposure or marketing materials for their products or services.

Create a website

Create a website

In addition to creating a virtual event, you will also need to find speakers for your event. Depending on how big of an event you are organizing, finding speakers can be difficult!

There are many ways to go about this. You can use online speaker marketplaces to search for speakers or hire a professional event planning company that has its internal system for gathering speakers.

However, there is another way to find speakers — by sharing your event information with others and asking if they know anyone who would be interested in speaking at their event.

Write your blog post

Write your blog post

Writing a blog post is easy, right? You pick an idea or topic, then you brainstorm some points and then you write! Speaking about brainstorming, making a talkable topic is one of the hardest things to do.

When it comes to having a virtual event, finding speakers can be tricky. Luckily, we have tips here for you! Read on to learn more.

Distribute your post to the right forums

Distribute your post to the right forums

Having enough speakers is one of the biggest hurdles in hosting a successful virtual event. While some people are gifted at talking, most of us do not possess this quality naturally.

This can be particularly challenging if you don’t have many contacts in your circle that could help you find ones who do. Luckily, there are ways to get around this!

By distributing your post across various communities and platforms, you increase your chances of finding someone to speak on behalf of your event. This will also boost its visibility, which only helps it succeed.

Here are some places where you can look to distribute your post:

Facebook groups

You can advertise your event as a topic in several Facebook groups. This works best if you are already a member of these groups and know at least some members well.

Start looking through them using an efficient search filter or use of keywords so you don’t waste time on irrelevant posts.

Once you found someone with permission to write about the event, you can ask if they would like to contribute their writing to promote it even more.

What Is A Virtual Event?

A virtual event is when someone hosts an event that you can attend from the comfort of your own home or via a mobile app. You will need a good internet connection to watch the events, usually through a streaming service like YouTube or Facebook.

Most people use these services to stream TV shows or movies so this concept comes directly from television. But with some new tweaks, it’s possible to combine all of those features into one!

Virtual events are typically free unless the broadcaster pays for advertising spaces or sponsored giveaways. These sponsors get their chance to promote themselves by putting in a few bucks per person to enjoy the event.

It is totally okay to be skeptical at first if there are too many fees involved but once you realize how affordable and accessible virtual events can be, why not give them a try?

There are several reasons why having a virtual event could be better than holding a regular in-person gathering. Some of these include cost savings, distance benefits, accessibility, and communication possibilities.

This article will talk about some examples of how you can create your very own virtual event using just the tools you already have access to.

Who would enjoy a virtual event?

What is a virtual event?

Many people feel that attending an in-person event is their favorite way to spend time, so why not hold this event virtually where you can watch or listen to it from anywhere? This is called a “virtual event”.

Virtual events are becoming more common as technology advances making it possible for almost anyone to have access to powerful tools that allow for high quality video chats and audio recordings. Some of these tools even feature interactive features like chat rooms and question and answer sessions!

There are many types of virtual events. For example, you may be able to connect with individuals at other events or conference presentations and give questions via live chat or voice channel. You may also get some online training by watching a movie or listening to an audiobook while you work through the concepts.

How will a virtual event differ from a regular event?

People Sitting on Gang Chairs

A virtual event does not require you as an attendee to physically be present at the event. You can participate from anywhere in the world!

This is what makes it so powerful for gathering attention, sharing knowledge, and promoting education. Anyone with internet access can participate virtually, which means anyone of any income level has opportunities to contribute.

Virtual events have become increasingly common as technology continues to advance. Online platforms like YouTube and Twitch use their software and applications to stream content just like TV stations do.

By filming your presentation or lecture and editing it down, people around the globe can watch you share what you know – effectively, free. This is how most live streaming sites get started — they offer a platform for others to learn.

The only difference between this type of event and a normal one is that there isn’t a physical location where everyone gathers.

How can I host a virtual event?

What is a virtual event?

Running a virtual event is much like hosting an in-person event, except you are not physically meeting people face to face. With technology, you can create a live stream or video conference where attendees can chat with speakers and ask questions via chat apps or through their smartphone/tablet app.

Most online tools allow you to set up your event as either free or paid depending on how many people attend. Some even have moderators that help keep the conversation going!

There are several ways to gather participants for a virtual event. You can do it by invite only, open registration, or totally free. The last option is the most popular because it does not cost anything to participate. Many companies offer free accounts such as YouTube so this is perfect if you already have a channel there.

Some examples of how to run a virtual event:

* Have a speaker talk directly from linkable media (YouTube, Facebook, etc.

What should I invite people to?

What is a virtual event?

The next logical step in running virtual events is inviting attendees. You will want to make sure you have all of your event information ready before sending out invitations!

You can use online tools to create digital invitations. There are many free invitation-making platforms like InviteWhiz that do not require you to pay per item sent.

These apps and sites allow you to add pictures, text, and links for other pages or websites. Some even offer email templates that help you write your messages. This takes away some of the work we “pro” web designers/writers get paid for!

We would recommend doing this yourself first as it gives you more control over the look and feel of the invite. Once you are happy with how it looks, you can pick up some invigilation services to take care of the rest.

What times should I choose?

What is a virtual event?

The timing of your event depends on what kind of event you are having. If it is for an educational purpose, then setting an early time like 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. would be best so that people can rise with the day. For more social events, choosing either late morning, lunchtime, or afternoon would work well.

For fun events such as Carnival or New Year’s Eve, any time during the night would be appropriate! Just make sure there will be enough transportation available to get everyone home if they want to go somewhere later in the evening.

Can I invite everyone who is interested?

A Person Wearing Graduation Cap  Attending Virtual Graduation Ceremony with an Elderly

As we mentioned, virtual events do not require you to be in the same place or at the same time. This can make hosting a much easier way to connect with other people!

With that said, it’s important to remember that just because an event is virtual doesn’t mean it’s free.

Charging for attendance means that participants have to pay money to come, which may or may not be okay for giving away their time. It all depends on what your event is and how valuable it is to them.

If someone has paid to attend your event, then they should get access to the full experience like before. Make sure to include adequate reminder messages and procedures so that people don’t feel left out or unsupported.

Just because something is online doesn’t mean there isn’t an afterparty, though. Many companies will host an informal meeting right after the main event to keep things moving along.

These meetings are usually logged somewhere (like YouTube) and attendees are typically able to join at their own pace until they reach that next stage of the conversation.

What should I wear?

Young cheerful female smiling and talking via laptop while sitting at wooden table in cozy kitchen

While some people feel that nothing formal is needed for a virtual event, we suggest you do not fall into this category! If you can dress in jeans or sweats, that’s perfect!

Many events require you to dress professionally, but with the ease of holding a gathering via webcam, looking more casual is acceptable! We recommend keeping it simple and natural by choosing something easy to take off if you need to step away from your computer or phone momentarily.

General etiquette applies when attending any event- be sure to greet others and say hello and goodbyes appropriately.

Is there any risk in hosting a virtual event?

What is a virtual event?

While some may consider holding an interactive webinar as expensive, they are not. With the availability of a free video editing tool and hosting sites like YouTube, it is possible to create your own event channel with no cost at all!

By using these services, you give people access to your channel, and thus your event. There is still one major drawback, however- time. It can be difficult to find the right balance between making the event engaging enough, while also leaving enough time for attendees to participate.

Luckily, technology has us covered! Online meeting platforms have tools that allow you to add components such as polls, discussion forums, and even chat rooms. These features break down barriers and help participants feel more connected.

Using a tool like Zoom, you can include this feature set and more. You get very high-quality sound and picture quality, direct sync (no having to upload files manually), and the ability to invite people to the event without them needing a separate account.

Virtual Events Marketing Tips

With the explosion of technology, there are now many ways to connect with people virtually without actually meeting in person. Gone are the days when you needed a large conference room or space to hold an event! You can create a live-stream event using YouTube or Facebook, or use software such as Skype, Google Hangouts, or Discord to chat while sharing videos or games. We will share some of our virtual events marketing tips with you in this post.

You do not need expensive equipment to produce quality streams. Most smartphones have enough camera resolution to stream events effectively. Some even have microphones that can be used for voice chats!

Virtual events are a great way to reduce overhead costs. You no longer have to pay for hotel rooms, rent a venue, hire hosting services, etc, all of which cost money. By offering your event via video, people who cannot attend online can still participate!

This article will go over some virtual events marketing tips and how to use social media, blogs, and other websites to promote them. We will also discuss how to increase audience engagement and participation during the event.

Virtual events marketing tips 1: Develop your brand

Virtual events marketing tips 1: Develop your brand

As mentioned earlier, being present is an integral part of engaging in social media marketing. If you would like to see more engagement from your accounts, make sure that you are actively involved in the space as well as developing your profile.

Your profile includes your first name, last name, email address, age, location, and career or hobbies. Your profile can be longer if you want to include extra details but these five basics are always needed.

Branding is a way to describe yourself and your business. Make sure that everything about your account aligns with who you are as a person and what you stand for. Take time to create content that you will be proud of and that will connect with others.

Running a business means there’s never really a perfect day. Life gets in the way sometimes, which is why you have to treat each day as its special occasion. Just because you had a bad day at work does not mean that you should refrain from doing something you enjoy.

Take some time every day to do something that helps promote your business. Whether it’s taking out the trash, posting on Instagram, or going to work, adds some value to the world and helps other people achieve their goals.

Virtual events marketing tips 2: Create your event

Virtual events marketing tips 2: Create your event

Creating an online event is very similar to hosting an in-person one! The only difference is that you are not limited to setting a time, space, and food source. You can instead use tools such as Google Hangouts or Facebook Live to host your event with no need for a webcam or computer screen.

You can also choose whether to have this be free or paid depending on if you would like to include registration or rewards programs. A good way to start is by holding an open house where people can join completely free!

Many companies will offer discounts and coupons for attending events held by their company. If possible, add yourself as a presenter so that they may contact you about it. This way you get credit for helping promote their business!”

Virtual events have become increasingly popular due to the ease of using them and how low the cost they are. There are many ways to market your event, including through social media, flyers, and advertisements.

Virtual events marketing tips 3: Distribute your event

Virtual events marketing tips 3: Distribute your event

As mentioned earlier, one of the most important things to do when planning any kind of event is to make sure that everyone knows about it. This includes announcing it online!

When you are distributing an event, there are two main types: virtual events and in-person events. With digital marketing tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, there are many ways to spread the word about this new event or rehash information.

For example, if your event is related to health and fitness, then sharing tips on how to manage your stress or how to work out more efficiently can be very effective.

Virtual events marketing tips 4: Connect with your audience

Virtual events marketing tips 4: Connect with your audience

One of the most important things to do as an event producer is connect with your audience!

Running events can be expensive, which is why it is so crucial that you find ways to market them to other people for support.

Hosting or attending events is a great way to reach out to new people, get more exposure for your business, and create new relationships.

By reaching out to others through social media, chat groups, and giving presentations, you will not only promote your business, but also increase your networking opportunities.

Making yourself available to talk about your business and offering promotional materials are ways to spread your virtual event marketing message.

Encourage commenting

Encourage commenting

One of the best ways to promote an event or business via social media is to encourage comments and discussions. If you notice people talking about your event, comment and ask them questions or start a conversation.

This boosts their engagement with your page and you can get some great information. You may even find out more details about the event or where they’re registered for it!

By adding comments, you also give other users the opportunity to add tips or suggestions for attending the event, which is helpful.

If there are any things that seem relevant to your event, include those in your comment or question. This promotes your event and helps spread knowledge about it.

Running a giveaway during the event is another way to gain attention and feedback. Many people will want to enter because it’s free and they’d like to win one of these items.

Give rewards

Give rewards

Giving away something for nothing is not only annoying, but it can also backfire and hurt your business or brand. If you are hosting an event, offering coupons or discounts at vendor booths or registration-only events is very common practice.

However, what if someone gets one of these deals and doesn’t come to your event? Or what if they see the discount and choose not to attend even when you don’t offer any freebies?

By giving rewards to attendees, you incentivize them to be part of your event. And while some people may feel uncomfortable spending money because they don’t have anything to buy, I bet there are at least a few that would love to get a great deal on some of your products or services.

Many times attendance at an event will drop after a lot of word of mouth about how expensive the event was. What a reward!

Giveaways are always a good idea, but during an event year like #LVOE17 which encourages guests to spend liberally, giveaways become especially important. Luckily, there are several ways to do this legally and easily.

Be consistent

Be consistent

Consistency is one of the biggest ways to promote your virtual event. That means consistency in how you advertise, how you market, and what you do to spread the word about your event!

Consistency is key because it gives people a sense of security. They will know what to expect from you and you’ll establish trust. Your followers will start expecting announcements, events, and talks from you and your event will get more attention.

Virtual events are a lot like normal meetings or conferences – people attend them for the talk. If there isn’t a talk, they won’t come back. So make sure to coordinate a speaker or activity with every meeting!

And don’t forget to keep up-to-date accounts on social media so that people can share information with their friends. You want your event to be talked about, not hidden away.

Use social media

Use social media

One of the best ways to promote your event is by using all available resources- not just at the venue but also online.

Running an event means promoting it, so why not use the tools that help you do that most efficiently?

You can create a Facebook event for the event or launch a website with interactive features or both!

Inviting people to the event through social channels is a cost-free way to promote your event, and these invitations typically go much farther than a printed invite – up to weeks at times.

By adding some interactivity to the event, you increase the engagement level which helps spread the word. People will have to actively choose to not attend, instead of being surprised when they are unable to due to work or logistics.

And while having a live stream or chat feature during the event is helpful, you don’t need either one to promote it. Having them active before the event is enough. By putting effort into other methods first, you make sure those opportunities are taken care of and then you focus on creating more engaging posts for the Livestream/chat.

How To Find Affiliates For Your Online Event

Finding online event affiliate programs and affiliates for your online event can be tricky, especially if you are new to this game. There are many ways to find an affiliate program, but most of them start with having an audience or source of traffic for your site.

You could create your own website, use free sites like YouTube or Facebook, or even start networking!

The hardest part about finding an affiliate program is knowing what types of products or services you want to promote. If you don’t know what things people are buying, it will be hard to pick which product to advertise in return for a percentage of the sale.

That is why it is so important to do some research into what types of products are popular. You can test out different products by looking at user reviews and talking to other individuals who have experiences with them.

Several websites list all types of affiliates, giving you easy access to all sorts of opportunities. Some of these may not be very good though, so make sure to do your due diligence before joining as an affiliate.

You need to find the right affiliate partners for your online event

how to find affiliates for your online event

Now that you have your event ready and organized, it’s time to look into how to find affiliates for your online event!

As we discussed before, finding an appropriate affiliate program is one of the most important steps in bringing in revenue through advertising sales. You will want to make sure they are within your budget and that their products fit what you are offering as an event organizer.

There are many ways to go about doing this. Some people start by looking at general online marketing sites like YouTube or Facebook and see if any advertisements seem relevant to them. By adding these ads as an advertiser with the company, they may be able to gain some exposure for their product or service!

Another way to do this is to create a website dedicated to your event. There may already exist websites out there with similar content so you can use their audience to spread your message and earn money from advertisers.

You need to know what your audience is interested in

Happy excited African American female laughing and gesticulating while having video calling on laptop and sitting at modern cafe

Most people start affiliate marketing by choosing a product they own or have access to and then promoting it via Amazon or another site.

This is great if you already own the product, but it can be tricky to find products that are worth buying unless you do some research first!

By adding an event website as an affiliate, you get paid per conversion, so it’s much easier to make money fast.

But before you choose someone else’s site, make sure their link is clear and easy to see- you don’t want your visitors being distracted.

You need to make sure that the partner you choose is trustworthy

how to find affiliates for your online event

Even though it sounds crazy, there are instances where people earn extra money by promoting products or services of brands they do not own. This is illegal but happens all the time.

Some companies offer affiliates who get paid per conversion (when someone purchases a product through your link). If this applies to you, make sure the affiliate site is legitimate and contains no broken links.

You can also check out their reviews before partnering up.

You need to pay attention to customer support for your online event

Woman in Gray Sweater Using MacBook

A lot of people make their first foray into affiliate marketing by choosing one of the biggies like Amazon or eBay as their platform. These are great choices at first, but it is important to know that they have limited availability in terms of affiliates and there is a cost involved in using them.

There are many other platforms out there that are just as good if not better than these two sites, so why risk your hard-earned money when you can find alternatives?

The best way to find new affiliates for your online event is by talking to others who are already working with vendors and seeing what they enjoy about the product or service. You may also be able to get some tips from their experiences or through personal connections. By being friendly and willing to learn, you will eventually stumble upon some helpful information!

By paying close attention to how well-established brands work and how much revenue they generate, you will quickly pick up tricks to help grow your business too.

You need to look for a partner that can help you launch the affiliates for your online event

how to find affiliates for your online event

As mentioned earlier, finding an affiliate program is not easy. You will have to do some research and networking to find one that fits your business model and website type.

Most of these programs pay per referral or commission on sales made by the referred person. The rest depends on how well they match with yours!

Some require you to make a sale before getting paid, while others reward you when someone you referred buys something. It all depends on what works for your business.

There are many ways to gain referrals, so don’t feel like you have to go through an expensive process to get started. Create a free account at Amazon, create an article on your site, and publish it – you get the idea 🙂

But remember, just because there’s no money attached to it, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for one. If you’re asked “why would people buy from us instead of them?” you’ll have a good answer.

You should pick an affiliate program that is trustworthy

how to find affiliates for your online event

There are many ways to find new affiliates to work with, but making sure your affiliate program is reliable is a good starting place.

Make sure they have a decent return policy and will not ask you to purchase more than what you agreed upon when signing up.

Also, make sure their rewards look impressive and that the reward you get depends on how much money you spend. The better, more attractive the reward, the higher chance you have of being rewarded.

And lastly – very important! – check out their reviews before agreeing to work with them. Read some articles or talk to people who have worked with them before to see if they sound legit.

It’s important to pick a partner that you are comfortable with

how to find affiliates for your online event

As mentioned earlier, creating an online event is no easy task. There are so many different ways to do this, and most have their special way of paying affiliates. Some work better than others depending on what type of product or service your website sells.

Finding the right affiliate for your event can be tricky, which is another reason why there are so many bad “experiments” out there.

You should look for a partner that will push you to become a good marketer

how to find affiliates for your online event

As mentioned before, finding an affiliate program that is right for you comes down to knowing what functions of marketing they can help you with and whether or not you can do these yourself.

Some programs may want you to spend more money to be successful so there’s a cost involved in being a part of their network. This could be due to them wanting to invest in advertising or paying monthly fees per person to those who use their links as affiliates.

ParrotInsider #8: Organise your online event with EarlyParrot

Online/virtual meetings and events began to spring up like mushrooms as the world moved into remote and online mode. Since we are slowly getting back to “normal”, offline meetings are ready to come back, but that doesn’t mean online events are going to disappear. They have become a convenient way to meet with people, teach, and learn from anywhere in the world. Numerous business events have been held online, and plenty more will be in the future too. 

How to organise such an event and stand out from the crowd of online classes, webinars and virtual meetings? We have some ideas. To begin, let’s define what virtual events are. 

What is an online event?

As the name suggests, it is an event that takes place online. It gathers groups of people who may or may not have paid for an entrance fee in front of their laptops or mobiles to watch a broadcast over the internet. Such events can be hosted on a variety of platforms:

  • dedicated ones like Zoom, LiveWebinar, or ClickMeeting, etc.
  • social media like Instagram or Facebook (mostly live streams)

Moreover there is also the ability to broadcast your e.g. LiveWebinar meeting to Facebook.

Such virtual events could be conferences, online classes, webinars, or private live streams. Furthermore, if we focus on the term event, we can say that business fairs and employee training count too. 

This can all be summed up in the one sentence that a group of people meet online, using their digital devices to speak with and listen to one another. It may be a situation where everybody is allowed to talk and contribute a few words to the conversation, or only an invited expert is given a speaking role. 

One of the biggest advantages of such events is that they are relatively easy to organize. All you need is an electronic device,  an internet connection, and people who wish to participate or attend.

How to organise an online event?

Organising a physical event may involve lots of planning – a venue, guest list, food and drink, invites, the agenda, etc. The process is so much simpler with online events! You do not need to book a venue or choose a caterer. Nevertheless, there are a couple of issues worth discussing, which we will do below.

#1 What is your goal?

Setting goals determines the whole process. Why do you want to organise your event?  To gather a few specialists and let them share the knowledge, to present you business/offer, or promote new products? And an even more important question is what do you want to achieve? Here are some examples of such goals:

  • Increase brand awareness
  • Boost lead generation
  • Promote a new product launch
  • Present your brand on the new market

Determining your goal is the first step to organising a blockbuster event! You have probably heard about the SMART rule. It is a very common and simple principle, yet it is proven to work. According to this rule your goal should be:

  • S for Specific – you have to be precise and clear about what you want to achieve (what, when, and who will be involved, etc.)
  • M for Measurable – “how many” or “how much” questions are here to help you, this way it will be easier for you to follow the progress.
  • A for Achievable when setting goals you should keep both feet on the ground, otherwise it could be hard to achieve aims that are too ambitious.
  • R for Relevant – on the other hand, your goals should be meaningful for your business, so they should bring (positive) change.
  • T for Time bound – setting a time frame is crucial for achieving your goals and progress is crucial in order to consider them as achieved.

#2 Select the right type of the online event

Before you start organising, choose the event type. Here is a list of the most popular ones: 

  • Webinars give you the opportunity to network with professionals around the world. By hosting a webinar, you can increase your brand recognition and expand your network in the virtual world. It is also a great way to present yourself as a professional and share your knowledge with others.
  • Virtual conference – large gatherings can be hosted online without the need for costly venues or many staff, and this is the beauty of online events. They are official occasions during which you and the guests can talk about business-related issues and exchange your experience with one another.
  • Live streaming allows you to meet with your audience in real-time, without the need to send loads of invitations in advance. Such events can be more spontaneous and less formal. Also, they are a great way to meet your followers and answer some questions or show them new products.

#3 Choose your fighter i.e. a platform

The software you choose is the online equivalent of a venue, but it is definitely easier to arrange. There are dozens of possibilities out there, you just have to choose your perfect tool. What element should you pay most attention to? For example, audio and video quality should be as high as possible. Moreover, take a glance at pricing options, sometimes one tool’s business plan can cover the same basic features as another’s standard plan. Also, it would be nice to use some advanced features to improve the comfort of the audience and their user experience, so do some research on what is offered and the pricing plans.

There are many popular platforms to choose from, but check out LiveWebinar if you want to offer amazing content directly from your browser (no need to install another app on your laptop). There are four pricing options (custom included), so simply choose the most suitable one for you and move to step four.

#4 Invite the speakers

If you want to invite a few experts, you should ask about their availability in advance. Each of them should be given limited time so they do not drag out the whole event. Of course, each of them should have an extra few minutes after speaking for little Q&A sessions. The guests you invite are making an investment of time to share their knowledge, which could raise audience engagement as well as present your brand as professional and well-positioned on the market. 

As you may have noticed, great speakers increase the quality of virtual events, so it is worth putting in a bit of effort to invite outstanding people from the industry to share their insights. Don’t forget about the formal aspects of such cooperation – contracts, terms, and payments should be covered at the very beginning of the discussion. Be professional about that. 

#5 Set the agenda

After you invite the speakers, you can create the schedule, which will be very helpful for promoting your online summit. All you have to do is to decide on the limited time span that each of your guests will have, then add a few minutes for Q&A sessions, and consider the order that they will speak in. Of course, as an organiser, you should start the event by saying a few words to introduce the guests and explain the reasons why you are all gathered there. If your online event is expected to last for a few hours, short breaks will be required too. 

By planning the schedule, you will be able to deliver your participants clear messages about what is coming and when. This will be useful information for people who can’t (or don’t want to) participate in the whole event. 

Speaking of the agenda, there is one more issue to cover – what time and day of the week is the best to organize an online event? It is clear that weekends are a big no if you are running business training. If you want to plan a hobby related event, like yoga classes or something like that, then the weekend may actually be a good choice though. But let’s get back to the business model – if you have plans to arrange a virtual summit for IT business owners or a webinar about improving skills then you should schedule it on a weekday. Wednesdays are said to be the best days, right in the middle of the week. Mondays are not the right choices because very often, everybody has tons of work to catch up on after the weekend and that may last until Tuesday. Thursdays and Fridays are the second half of the week, during which everybody is looking forward to the weekend and relaxing. So Wednesdays it is, when that is possible.

Now what time is the right time? It depends on the form of your event. If you want to organise workshops for a whole team, it would be great to gather them around their lunch break (11 am to 2 pm, say). This way your audience will be in a good mood and still have a fresh and open mind, ready to learn. If you want to arrange a webinar that people will attend privately or from their home offices, not as an employee of a given business, then early evening around 6 to 7 pm should be good. Also, when you are choosing the perfect date and time, remember about time zones if you are aiming to attract a global audience.

#6 Ready, set, promote!

You’ve got the theoretical plan so now it is time to work! You know who, what, and when so let people know about your event! What should you do first? Use your email list or social media platform to spread the news. Set up a Facebook or LinkedIn event and invite people to a page on which you present an online program, show the agenda and… ask people for help! If you want the potential audience to engage, use referrals! With the right referral marketing tool, you can give each of your participants links thanks to which their invited  friends and/or themselves will receive incentives like a coupon for your store or discount code for your next event. Thanks to referral marketing you will be able to acquire qualified leads, so it is an amazing option for creating bonds with potential clients. All you have to do is to create a referral program, and with EarlyParrot you can in a flash!

First, create an account, then choose your goal, and let the tool do the work for you. It indicates what step is next and what information is required. Once you have created a whole referral program, you can brand referral URLs and spread the news to your whole email list. Moreover, you can encourage the speakers to share referral links so that information about your event reaches a wider audience.

To sum up

Organising an online event can provide your users with a whole new and better user experience. As you will obtain a bundle of new leads, you can prove your expertise in your field and demonstrate your brand’s strong position in your niche. 

Moreover, you will likely rank higher in people’s minds and remain there longer by inviting some famous names to speak at your events.  This will also cause people to associate you with a willingness to share knowledge and experience.

If you want to arrange an online event, keep in mind this article. You can come back to it every time you are planning something new, use it to organise your work, and check what has been completed or what needs to be done before each event. 

Are you ready to conquer the online events market?