Four Things That Virtual Events Teach You About Your Target Audience

2020 has ushered in the convergence of digital marketing and events in a way that the world has never experienced before. Adding virtual events to the realm of digital marketing tactics offers marketers the opportunity to gain insights about their prospects they never thought possible. Unlike other marketing tactics that disrupt a person’s daily routine, virtual events create a captive environment and, in turn, a captive audience. Virtual events allow you to go beyond learning a prospect’s name, job title, and email to understanding what inspires them to act.

With the help of an all-in-one event management platform, the following are just a few questions that virtual events can help you answer

How does my target audience prefer to receive information?

Recently, our team posted a poll on social media asking readers how they prefer to engage at virtual events (live streaming, exhibitor demos, 1:1 meetings, polling, etc.). The results were all across the board. The point is, every attendee is different. While some attendees prefer to learn from 1:1 meetings, others seek to be inspired by watching live sessions. Understanding how prospects engage at your event will teach you how they will engage with you through email and other channels. For example, someone who participates in a lot of session polls might be more likely to complete a survey than read a guide. In the future, when hybrid events become more common, using this year-over-year data will help you determine how many attendees will likely attend in-person versus online.

 

What is my target audience most interested in?

Often, determining a prospect’s interests feels like taking a shot in the dark. Events prove that you don’t have to conduct extensive research to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about your prospects. With the right event software, you can track which products or topics your attendees are most interested in and compare that data across multiple events. RainFocus’ Recommendations Bot allows events and marketing teams to go even further as to automate recommendations based on behaviors, preferences, and historical data.

Where is my most interested audience coming from?

Simple demographics captured through the registration process such as location help you determine the best way to tailor your content for your target audience. Unlike an email survey that you often have to incentivize, registration surveys perform exceptionally well. Virtual events are especially useful for gathering the demographic information of your audiences as they typically attract larger audiences from various positions all around the world.

 

Who does my target audience want to network with?

Knowing who your prospects want to communicate with is just as important as knowing how they communicate and what they are interested in. Whether they prefer to network with product owners, industry thought-leaders, CEOs, or others in their same position, virtual event analytics will help you determine who from your organization your prospects would most likely form a relationship with. Virtual events are unique because they allow attendees to connect through various mediums (chat, 1:1 meetings, social, etc.). Take advantage of your virtual events to ascertain how your target prospects prefer to communicate.

The virtual attendee data you gather now will become even more valuable as you compare it to physical data in the future. As you execute your events now don’t forget to think about the long-term experiences you want to provide your attendees. To learn how to improve the attendee experience with virtual data, click here.