…particularly in what has worked in the past.
Here are some things to consider and use in your planning:
Who is my target audience?
Prospects?
Clients?
Non-Profit/Community?
The compilation/creation of your content to present will need to be focused on the “avatar” sitting not only in the room/venue, but also at the remote screens.
How large is my list of potential viewers?
The eMail list
Twitter followers
FaceBook friends
Google+
Blog readers/RSS subscribers
In “meat space:” Networking groups or service organization attendees
By the time you add all these up, you’ll most likely be amazed at how many people you can put the notice out to and have a reasonable chance of having a decent percentage attend virtually.
What does your press release look like?
It’s the marketing to build the buzz to get them to seriously think if they should block out the time on their calendar to watch it live. While there will be some who are still interested, even if they can’t attend in that time frame, it’s in your best interest to set up the event as a must attend for the greatest benefit. Get a good PR writer to help out with this.
How would your client base respond if you notify them early regarding the live streaming option?
The question that is all too common: “If I/we tell them it’s live streamed, why would they show up in person?” Live streaming is more than rare, it’s surpassed uncommon, and is becoming more accessible each passing day. My answer: The people who know the value of the sidebar conversations, the connections made at breaks and lunches and dinners will come because they know there’s more than just the content of the presentations. Yes, some will opt to save money and travel, be it local or a long plane trip, but I’d suggest it will be a minority. What you do gain is an audience who, for a variety of real, valid reasons, can’t come to be in the room, but do want to see what you have. If you don’t live stream, any potential gain, be it revenue or new clients or community goodwill, you won’t get, period.
Do you have sponsors that would like to advertise within your event?
In most every live event I’ve attended, there are vendor tables, businesses, services and products are displayed in the programs/brochures, and plenty of other indications of collaboration. There are two top level benefits of connecting with sponsors:
They have a client/customer/prospect list, too. Ask for them to announce their participation in your event in their social media, their offices/stores/locations, etc. You’ve now just opened a possible floodgate of more interested people/organizations/prospects.
You can increase the asking price of the vendor access to advertising your event by offering them space in the live stream frame, with the additional incentive of leaving their information/commercials/contact info connected to all the follow on video on demand use of the content.
Who can you collaborate with?
Strategic alliances? You usually have some. Who are the people or businesses you know that you work with to add value to what you do? Consider incorporating other speakers, even if it’s limited on the schedule, you’ve brought them in, and, you’ve also most likely had the event shared to their base of contacts, because they are happy to work with you at that level.
What is a fair cost for a remote viewer?
I’d ask what level of interaction are you planning to incorporate into the programed presentations? If it’s very limited, for instance just a one way video frame delivery show, then the remote audience is far more limited than someone in the room to be able to interact with the speaker(s). Don’t ask that much, maybe half of the in the door pricing. If you can devote a connection capability via a live chat, or call in function, then the virtual attendees have an opportunity (while not a guarantee) to get to ask questions, so I’d submit you can charge more and get it.
In reality, drawing an audience for an event on a live stream is the same process you’ve successfully used before to sign up people to come and hear you talk. The difference is they won’t end up sitting in the room with you, but, depending on the complexity of the set up for the live stream, you can go all the way to pulling people on a webcam all the way into the live stream for all to see. The closer you get to this, the more highly regarded your events will be.
Takeaway: Marketing is still marketing. Use what you know to get people to see you, in this case, virtually.
