AUDIENCE ACQUISTION: BEST PRACTICES GUIDE HOW TO GET YOUR AUDIENCE TO TUNE IN TO YOUR CORPORATE VIDEO PROGRAMS, WEBCASTS, AND ONLINE EVENTS.

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Frederick Gibson
6 years ago
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1 AUDIENCE ACQUISTION: BEST PRACTICES GUIDE HOW TO GET YOUR AUDIENCE TO TUNE IN TO YOUR CORPORATE VIDEO PROGRAMS, WEBCASTS, AND ONLINE EVENTS.

2 Your marketing, learning, or leadership communication programs are the foundation for your organization s culture, strategic alignment, and employee engagement. When planning a mission critical communication program, webcast, or online event, gaining the attention and interest of your audience is critical. Begin by building a sound strategy, taking into account the following: CONTENTS 3 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN 8 PROMOTING TO AN INTERNAL AUDIENCE 9 CREATING AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE 11 MAINTAIN & BUILD MOMENTUM BONUS CONTENTS Define Your Objectives Know Your Target Audience Choose The Right Acquisition Tactics CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR WORKSHEET This guide builds upon successful programs by INXPO and our clients. It will prepare and inspire you with tactics and ideas for engaging your audience.

3 PRE-LAUNCH 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN

4 PRE-LAUNCH: 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN 1 ALIGN PROGRAM STRATEGY WITH BUSINESS GOALS Define success and ensure that program goals support business strategy Based upon business goals that gave rise to the program. Common success metrics may include audience reach and frequency, response rate, conversion rate (perform call to action). Most importantly identify at least one business impact metric that can be tracked and directly or indirectly correlated with the communication program (i.e. pipeline increase, increase audience attendance etc). 2 DEFINE COMMUNICATION TACTICS & TIMELINES Identify your LIVE date days beforehand (depending upon program scale). Publish program information (including agenda, speakers, content highlights based on program type). Schedule registration/access date (if required).

5 PRE-LAUNCH: 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN Consider relevant communication channels for your audiences & Calendar invite schedule: Tuesday & Thursdays- best days to send out communications. Test out different times to identify the best open rates. Social schedule: 3 posts a week, highlighting new content creating a buzz around your event. Identify a hashtag, create an event page, leverage paid promotions, user groups and LinkedIn message boards if needed. Blog schedule: 1-3 posts a week, depending on the type of event you are promoting. and the content you have available. Use this channel as a way to drive interest around the content you are providing. Press release: Create a release announcing the event and push it to media outlets & time it with your registration launch date. Make sure to mention key sessions, speakers/high profile influencers. SEO: Start early, can take up to 3 weeks to get traction with SEO using keywords. Be sure to optimize the registration page and leverage paid promotions with SEM. Create your promotional calendar Plot all of your outreach on a calendar for a universal view of all scheduled communications. Sample Schedule: Save the Date Registration Confirmation 1 Week Reminder Day Before Reminder Live Event Day

6 PRE-LAUNCH: 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN 3 CREATE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS Online access with information Build Registration/Access - include sharing capabilities, agenda, abstract & speakers on microsite/intranet page. Connect it to your website or intranet portal - make it easy for your audience to get to using short and memorable vanity URL s. Develop promotion materials Create content & assets - copy, graphics, videos for social channels, blogs, s. Include the registration/access link on all the materials you are creating (based on tactics defined). 4 DEVELOP & ACTIVATE INFLUENCERS Recommended content Social Media (sample posts) Visuals (videos, ads, signage/flyers) Registration/Access Links (include tracking/affiliate codes) Templates (sample messaging & calendar invites) Tie-In other attendance tactics Incentives (prizes, bragging rights) Recognition/Gamification (awards, badges) Charity Involvement (attendance=donations) Prizes (1st 100 attendees receive a gift) Sponsor Lead Programs (attendees=leads)

7 PRE-LAUNCH: 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN 5 PROMOTE, MEASURE & EVALUATE Launch your program Follow the calendar created in Step 1 and build momentum with new content. Check progress Leverage Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and other reporting tools to see what is working and what is not and optimize future promotions. Check registration list & calendar invites to see what audience you are not reaching. Is there a channel you aren t hitting? Use targeted promotions to those that are intending to make the event and encourage them to share with their networks. Share results with executive sponsors and stakeholders seeking feedback and suggestions to alter and improve program. When marketing to an external vs. internal audience your tactics and techniques will vary. Next we will give you some ideas to consider when promoting to an internal audience.

8 INTERNAL AUDIENCE: 5 STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLAN 1 ALIGN PROGRAM STRATEGY WITH BUSINESS GOALS Define success and ensure that program goals support business strategy (improved employee survey scores, efficiency improvements, etc.). 2 DEFINE COMMUNICATION TACTICS & TIMELINES Develop a cadence - make your content a routine; a part of the company culture (every 1st Tuesday of the month). Look beyond just - leverage other promotional channels (intranet, signatures, signage around the office). 3 CREATE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS Make access easy - leverage SSO and connect to internal properties (establish a single destination for your events). Value employees time - where are they most likely to engage? (post signage around water coolers, cafeteria s) 4 5 DEVELOP & ACTIVATE INFLUENCERS Select key leaders or influencers within the company to serve as advocates; arm them with promotion materials so they can easily spread the word through their own outreach, in team meetings or around campus by word of mouth. Recognition & Incentives - bragging rights, leadership recognition, vacation time, and/or lunch with speaker. PROMOTE, MEASURE & EVALUATE Check progress often - watch registrations and calendar accepts and corporate chatter. Is there a group or location you are not reaching? (i.e. remote employees may need digital signage) Work with ambassadors & get executive sponsorship - provide employees with the benefits of attending.

9 LAUNCH CREATE AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

10 LAUNCH: CREATE AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE Create an interactive experience so your audience becomes an active participant instead of a passive listener. Encourage those who are not attending to still take part Follow hashtags, cross promote by using influencer and speaker handles and create caption contests. Upload content and highlights in real-time Push key take-aways to social, , blogs throughout the event creating a buzz around the event. Recognition continues Leverage Badging & Gamification elements for attendee engagement and participation. Leaderboards can be used to recognize active participants within an event. Use announcements and social sharing In-event promotional tools can be used to easily share content without leaving the experience. Dedicate a social moderator on your team Having an individual watching over chatter and making timely updates can get remote audiences engaged. Attendees should touch the keyboard every two minutes using social tools such as Q&A, polling, chat contributing to the content and conversation.

11 POST LAUNCH MAINTAIN & BUILD MOMENTUM

12 POST LAUNCH: MAINTAIN & BUILD MOMENTUM Continue to nurture and touch your audience building your community. Thank your audience for attending Let your attendees know you appreciate them and take this opportunity to let them know what s coming. Send out feedback surveys Ask your audience what their thoughts are on the experience, message/content, intentions going forward, additional questions and future topic ideas. Re-hit your message, several times, several ways For internal communication programs, remind your audience about broadcasts, discussions, and hot topics worth a return visit. For online events and webcasts, remind the audience about on-demand access, send periodic reminders highlighting popular topics or sessions. Build a relationship with your audience Personal messages to thank people who asked questions or shared insights. Add to your contacts database for ongoing nurture and engagement. Are there any future influencers or champions to target for your next program or campaign? Connect on LinkedIn, keep in touch. Re-purpose with a purpose: Create a highlights reel or curate content about the event. (share videos, presentations, and interesting take-aways)

13 BONUS CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS Use this checklist to ensure you have everything you need to create a solid promotional plan when acquiring an audience for your corporate video programs, webcasts, and online events. Who is your target audience? What is your success criteria? Did you Include all relevant channels? Why will they tune in? What are your goals/objectives? Have you selected key influencers? What content types do they prefer? What value are you providing? Do you have a content strategy? What channels are they on? Do you have a budget outlined? Did you pick a date and put it on your calendar?

14 BONUS PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR WORKSHEET

15 These best practices were bought to you by INXPO Producers & Directors. INXPO s enterprise video communication solutions enable leaders to quickly and effectively communicate and inspire action for audiences in support of strategic initiatives. Our next-generation digital broadcasting solutions combine live and on-demand video with social engagement in an intuitive portal destination. INXPO Business TV, Webcasting, and Online Events also include enterprise level security, a best in class mobile experience, and metrics to understand performance. Leading companies like Aon, Autodesk, Cisco, EMC, Gap, HIMSS, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and United Healthcare use INXPO and know that when leaders communicate better, people are engaged and inspired to act, improving top and bottom line results. Learn more about our methodology: LET S TALK!

is an award-winning online events platform provides a better way to create stimulating, measurable, and secure online event experiences.

INXPO ONLINE EVENTS SM is an award-winning online events platform provides a better way to create stimulating, measurable, and secure online event experiences. The user-friendly interface allows the audience