After a year spent almost entirely behind our computer screens, it’s easy to assume that the age of in-person marketing is dead. After all, social media is now the largest determinant of most successful marketing campaigns, and if you aren’t on Zoom, sales efforts these days will likely come to an end before they’ve even begun.
Despite all of this, as many as 95% of people continue to believe that face-to-face interactions generally create better business bonds. As we step tentatively back onto the event circuit, this leaves many of us wondering what ‘good’ in-person marketing actually looks like right now, and how we can effectively implement that.
After all, while there’s still an undeniable place for events, networking, and beyond in consumer consciousness, the convenience and speed offered by a switch to tech in general means that even the in-person market is very different now from how it used to be.
For instance, a person standing alone at a table filled with fliers is unlikely to feel many benefits from their efforts here. To some extent, of course, you could argue that this was the case even before the business world went entirely online. Techniques like PowerPoint projection, digital signage, and iPad rental have certainly determined display quality for some years at this point. Now, though, event success rests not only on these ongoing priorities but also on a hybrid approach that integrates more cutting-edge tech to appeal to customers on all sides of this divide.
Most notably, business events in a largely distributed world are increasingly coming to rely on the integration of tech innovations as follows.
Where’s the wearable technology?
Wearable technology including wristbands, watches and even certain items of clothing are set to transform marketing events by both simplifying consumer experiences, and simultaneously amplifying marketing data. Generally used by event organizers to replace standard tickets, wearables incorporate chips with which consumers can easily use pre-laid scanners to not only sign in to the event, but also access bonus content, register with businesses that catch their eye, and so on. Throughout an event, multiple sign-ins create a clear and traceable example of where consumers are going, what they’re interacting with, and also where they’re most likely to spend their money on. In an increasingly health-conscious world, this contactless form of interaction is especially going to help to get consumers on board. More specifically, the efficient utilization of this method can significantly increase your chances of conversions overall.
AI is getting personal
AI might not be the newest technology at this stage, but its capabilities are forever expanding towards business value. For events, especially, the ability to tailor recommendations according to consumer preferences both ensures smoother experiences for them, and increases their chances of converting with companies or services that are the best possible fit. To some extent, wearables can help with this if you have the tech know-how and budget to make in-the-moment recommendations possible. More commonly, however, event organizers can benefit from utilizing apps like Grip, which utilize attendee profiles to suggest personalized attendance recommendations in advance. Without necessarily needing to know how it all works, this better enables you to seamlessly increase your chances at sales before you’ve even met those clients in person.
Chatbots are chiming in
Also powered by AI, but worth a mention of their own, chatbots are another crucial consideration for event attendees and organizers right now. Specifically, digital assistants that can answer attendee questions even if you’re tied up with other consumers can increase your chances of appealing to otherwise lost passing traffic. For clients who continue to express concerns about social distancing, this tech implementation is especially valuable, enabling all of the information that they could need without once compromising their comfort levels.
Again, integrating chatbots needn’t even be as complex as you might assume. If you already have a web-based chatbot option, simply displaying your website is all it takes here. Even if you haven’t yet gotten round to this yet, tools like Google’s Dialogflow can easily add chatbot add-ons to an existing page before your event itself. Whether set up on your desk-based iPad or incorporated into your big-screen signage, this is then guaranteed to increase your people power without needing more people to make it possible.
Draw a crowd with VR
It’s difficult to imagine a more impressive modern offering than VR technology that even looks like it’s been snatched right out of the pages of your favourite sci-fi novel. At a marketing event, the crowd that you draw from even basic VR integrations can certainly increase consumer engagement in a way that’s difficult to achieve otherwise. The lure of a dark booth and a VR headset can, in itself, possess a pulling power that no one can quite explain. Well-planned VR experiences that either offer an in-person example of how it feels to use your products (as seen from the scuba simulation recently utilized by student scuba diving company, Subajam), or to create a good old bit of gamification around your event itself.
<iframe src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fscubajam1%2Fvideos%2F245961716296507%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0″ width=”560″ height=”314″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”true” allow=”autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowFullScreen=”true”></iframe>
Apps like Seekr are especially useful for this latter purpose, as they enable the creation of augmented reality treasure hunts around any space. As well as helping to get consumers into areas of your event into which they may not otherwise venture, this can provide a fun experience that automatically sees clients thinking more kindly of your brand. And, that alone can lead to sales that you might never have stood a chance at securing otherwise.
Let live streams do the talking
It’s also vital to note that, after events were streamed entirely online during global lockdowns, the live stream has also very much cemented its place in this world. While 48% of attendees to these virtual alternatives did, admittedly, state a preference for in-person events, 93% of professionals still intend to invest in an already booming live stream event market. This is because, certainly when used in tandem with the in-person events that keep everyone happy, the accessibility of live streams invariably offers far wider business reach. Even overseas clients will easily be able to access your marketing pushes this way, not to mention that saving live streams allows attendees to revisit talks or areas that they may not have been able to attend during events themselves.
Facebook Live events especially bring an ease to arranging live streams with even a half-decent camera and a semi-versed digital team. However, to truly feel the benefits of these digital hybrids, marketing teams could benefit from either outsourcing or employing around, more expansive video editing skills that see them enjoying high-quality video finishes to represent their brand in the right way on even platforms like YouTube. That way, as well as boosting sales in themselves, event live streams could be used as future marketing materials that take business from strength to strength.
Event innovation is the only way to return with a bang
Taking some time out from in-person events has taught most marketing teams a great deal about innovation, and how to get their products to consumers regardless of physical limitations. Now that in-person events are back on the cards, it’s hardly surprising that this shift in outlook highlights the need for continued innovation that ensures a return worth paying attention to. Well-integrated, cutting-edge tech across hybrid events offers the easiest way to feel those benefits. The question is, are you ready for the real future of event success?