Web Meets Live: Emerging Best Practices

Web Meets Live:Emerging Best PracticesRichard NorbyVP of Creative ServicesLive Marketing

© Live Marketing, all rights reserved.


What does it mean to you?


Web Meets Live!

Is it a horror story?


Web Meets Live!

A love story?


Web Meets Live!

A love story?• Extends life of

event programs• Draws more

attendees• Reaches people

not in attendance


Web Meets Live!

“76% of brand marketers expect trade shows to integrate virtual components”1

1 Source: Focus on Results: Hybrid Events


Two Different Silos?

ExperientialEcosystemTM


What’s the Right Mix?


Web Meets Live:5 Ideas to Get Started

• PURLs• Microsites• Web Video• Webcasts• Social Media


PURLs:Idea #1 to Try

Web 2.0 enabled pre-show marketing:• Create personalized web sites• Turn traditional 1-way communication into a

2-way communication• Facilitate setting high-value appointments

at the event• Start capturing leads before the event even

starts!



Web 2.0 enabled pre-show marketing:• Can dramatically increase response rates

– Traditional direct mail has 1-2% response rate

– PURL enabled solution typically has 5-10% response rate



This is critical because:• 76% of tradeshow attendees have a

pre-set agenda of “must-see exhibits”2

2 Source: CEIR



• We all know direct mail

• We now personalize it thanks to digital printing



• We all know email

• We create great looking emails using HTML



• Now we can add a new element: a personalized microsite



• All three can work together to produce excellent results



Learn more at www.NancyDemello.spend-smarter.com

• Mail piece/email directs person to personalized URL (PURL)



• The PURL takes them to a personalized microsite

• Invites them to register/take survey to get an offer



• The survey form captures lead qualifying information



• Contact information confirmation screen

• Asks for email opt in



• A thank you screen is displayed



• A automated thank you email is immediately generated

• Content can be customized based on their survey responses



• Lead email automatically generated and sent to sales or marketing

ANSWERS TO QUALIFYING QUESTIONS



• Online dashboard tracks all activity


PURLs:Success Story: Follett Software

• 43% overall response rate!

• 60% expressed interest in a Follett solution

• 20% plan to purchase within 12 months



If you already have budget for pre-event direct mail/email promotion, this new

twist can easily and affordably replace your existing event promotion plans


Microsites:Idea #2 to Try

• Website created for a campaign and tailored to a specific message

• Can utilize tools to become interactive experiences

• Can also be personalized to each individual visitor



Used to:• Cost-effectively engage attendees before

an event • Generate and qualify leads• Extend messaging (reach those who didn’t

attend and reinforce messaging for those who did)



Event Companion Sites



Clicking on booth area brings up information about that area

Event CompanionSites



Virtual Tradeshow Booth:• Sneak previews• Download

literature• Videos of

presentations and demos

• Request follow up



Staff Training Microsite:• Staff training

elements and booth renderings

• Quizzes/challenges/surveys

• Discussion forums

• Downloadable event info



• Extend event experience beyond typical 3 to 4 days into 3 to 5 month experience

• Provide central location for everything related to event

• Valuable resource for those who can’t attend—extending your reach

• Provide powerful metrics and ROI• Simplify staff training


Web Video Is Hot!

Popularity of online video is growing at an unprecedented rate:• Online video is ballooning at a current rate

of 31% per year in the US• In October 2009, 27.94 billion videos were

viewed• 84.4% of U.S. Internet users watched at

least one online video in October and the average person watched 10.8 hours of video


Web Video Created At Events:Idea #3 to Try

Physical events can be used to create assets for the web (the web has an insatiable appetite for content)


Web Video Created At Events:Success Story

• Amortize cost by leveraging assets for multiple uses

• 34 videos from one event

• Nearly 30,000 viewings in 2 months



• A creative flair• Editing

– Selected clips– Title slides– Music– Titles under

speakers



• Inexpensive consumer cameras to full professional video crews

• Simple editing and daily posting to post-production editing



• Packaging captured event video footage gives a tremendous opportunity to:– Reach more audiences– Continue messaging for months even after

the event is over– Amortize and leverage event cost to create

assets for multiple uses



A natural partnership between event marketers and web marketers


Webcasts:Idea #4 to Try

• Events delivered via the web, live or pre-recorded

• Include both audio and visual components • Range from simple do-it-yourself webinars

to highly branded, high-production-value brand experiences



• Expand your reach to more potential customers

• Provide access to your content 24/7 • Generate interest in an event and new

products/solutions being introduced• Drive attendees’ desire to learn more• Capture leads



• Rapidly becoming a saturated space• Need to stand out with:

– Audience acquisition– Content– Strategies to increase engagement before,

during, and after the webcast



A self-produced webcast:• Get a platform such as WebEx or

GoToMeeting• Create compelling content• Audience acquisition• Registration/lead capture



A professionally produced webcast:• More control over

branding/look and feel

• Higher level of video streaming

• Robust, flexible features

• Scale to any size audience



Combined with microsite• Speaker

photo/bio• White papers• Video• Surveys• Blogs/forums



• Include an on-site audience

• Have an on-site representative of the web viewers

• Consider creating a physical event to support the webcast



Key points:• Aggressive audience

acquisition• Excellent, relevant

content• Integrated

registration/lead capture

• Branding/look and feel• Excellence in

production• Enhancing engagement• Support for expected

size of audience



• Promote your event• Extend your reach• Generate qualified leads


Web Meets Live!

“72% of brand marketers are adding social media to their event mix this year”3

3 Source: Focus on Results: Hybrid Events


Social Media:Idea #5 to Try

Extending your event program:• Quickly and inexpensively build a web

presence that promotes your event• Leverage the social networks existing user

community• Interact and share event information,

photos and videos



The top platforms:



Build your own sites• From scratch

with Wordpressor Drupal

• With a free platform such as Ning



• Set-up and use of social media platforms

• On-site social media strategy



Twitter Ideas:• Establish your

following– Insider bits of

information– News / pre-release

info– Tease with

upcoming activities

– Contests– Special offers



During the show• Publish updates• Keynote sound

bites• Notices of

special activities• Special

promotions for Twitter followers



Twitter: Making an Offer• To help build excitement for the last day,

drive registration and nurture Twitter relationships, Intel created an offer and sent out 3 tweets:– Attend IDF Day 3 for FREE! Today, 8/26 Intel is offering a

free pass for Day 3 to the first 300 people who register with promo code DAY0826

– There is no catch. Simply be one of the first 300 people to register @ http://tiny.cc/3CjJZ with promo code DAY0826 (1 per person)

– It’s that easy…today only (8/26, before 11:59 PM EDT), first 300 people, promo code DAY0826, register @ http://tiny.cc/3CjJZ. #IDF09



Facebook Event Promotion• Create an event

“Fan” page



Facebook Event Promotion• Before show

– Event invitations– Communicate

event information– Share behind-the-

scenes views– Start building

relationships



Facebook Event Promotion• During and after

event– Communicate

event updates– Post event photos

and videos– Get feedback



Automatically extends your presence into mobile via:• Twitter• Facebook



To maximize effectiveness:• Create communications calendar

– Event & news topics that could be added to Facebook and tweeted

• Establish social media practitioners team– Core team– Extended team



Cost-effective way to:• Promote your event program and draw

more participants to the event• Establish on-going, two-way

communication with a community of customers and prospects

• Extend the life of event content


Web Meets Live!

Key Thoughts:• From one-off to ongoing engagement• Events can provide rich content for the web• Communicate with entire

prospect/customer base• Web techniques are easy to measure• Have a strategy to maximize success


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Web Meets Live

Questions or comments?Contact:Richard NorbyVP of Creative SerivcesLive [email protected]

Web Meets Live: Emerging Best Practices

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