Virtual Events: How to Prospect When You Can’t Attend Conferences
Newsletter-Issue #19 Subscribe at digest.boardstudios.com
Many Service businesses rely on live conferences and 1-on-1 meetings in order to win over clients. But what can you do when conferences are on lockdown, people can’t travel as easily, and companies aren’t doing meetings anymore?
Host a Virtual Event
The answer is: host a Virtual Event. It’s easier, faster AND works better than you might think! The key is to do an event with pre-recorded video interviews. That way, you don’t have to come up with all the content, you get to interview experts and expand your network - perhaps even find new clients among them - and you don’t have to coordinate a logistical nightmare that often comes with live events. Pre-recording your interviews has MANY benefits.
Here’s a straightforward 10-step process you can follow:
1. Pick a platform
Using a Virtual Events platform to host your event will ensure a polished and professional end result. Pick a platform that is simple to use. We have been using HeySummit to host our events and our clients.
2. Pick a theme for your event
What do your clients want to learn more about?
3. Identify 10 people to interview
Who are the experts that can solve your clients’ top-of-mind challenges. Even better, who are the practitioners who have already solved these challenges. These can be the best interviews AND they can turn out to be great high-value clients for you.
4. Reach out to the people you want to interview
Reach out with an email that demonstrates what’s in it for them. You will put the spotlight on them and showcase them as an industry expert.
5. Start promoting your event
At this point you have the guest names and you can input them in your platform so attendees can pre-register. Share on LinkedIn, ask your guests to share with their networks. And keep posting about the event on LinkedIn as you get closer to the release date. You can post about the people you are interviewing, key insights as they’re coming in from the interviews, trends that you’re noticing, etc.
6. Help your guests prepare for the interviews
Send them a handful of questions in advance. Coordinate schedules with an app like Calendly.
7. Interviewing your guests
Interview using Zoom and record the video. But before recording, make sure that both you AND your guests look great on camera. The camera should be pointing a little downwards, lights should be shining from the front and NOT from behind the speaker, and if possible use a lav mic to record higher-quality sound.
8. Post production
Outsource the post production or hire an editor to polish up the videos with intro/outro and lower-thirds that introduce each speaker. If you want something fancier, you can put the speakers inside windows side-by-side, incorporate stock footage, or more text overlays.
9. Upload the videos to your event hosting platform.
10. Promotion
This is perhaps the most overlooked part. Promote, share, and repurpose the content from the event. Reach out to your prospects and share with them the recording replays. This way, they start seeing you as a leader in your space, they see the names of your guests and that has a halo effect on your reputation, and you’re adding value to them, which turns into goodwill.
With a virtual event, you have a great excuse to reach out and connect with new people, and start nurturing relationships that can turn into high-value client engagements in the near future.