The virtual developments on the virtual platform are moving fast. The experts seem to agree on a few things.
It is not a replacement for your website
Not yet I just sometimes think but now your website is actually the platform that is always available to people who are looking for information themselves. It is of course important that you ensure that you are found in the online search modules such as Google or Bing.
Your virtual environment takes you further. You can participate in an online event. And there you will find visitors who come to that event. They know that it is where companies display their products or services that they are looking for. At the moment it is the only alternative to a live trade fair.
You are more likely to find a potential customer there than in the jungle of Google and Bing. On these platforms those companies win that have the best SEO for each other or have a large “ad budget”. That is why you went to a fair as an exhibitor when you could. This is where all the targeted searching “leads” come and you can secretly see what the competitors are doing.
24/7/365
But with a virtual environment, you can also initiate a lot of other activities yourself 24/7/365. Think of a webinar. You select a target group from your CRM, which you specifically invite. Or a product launch.
And then you decide whether you want to do this with a personal online presentation or with product videos and downloadable information.
It is not a substitute for a live event or trade fair
There are too many differences for that. You can get close to make a good impression with an online platform, but confidence comes from a good conversation from person to person. And although you can have excellent conversations online, it is still a different story.
The “come walk with me”, “I can show you there”, “would you like a cup of coffee”; will bring you very different conversations. It is easier to create a first click, a basis for trust.
Even if you have a conversation with several people, it is not really like in person online. You often get speeches to which people listen and agree or not. If that happens live, a third sometimes breaks in with a comment. This means that as an exhibitor you have to try to keep control so that the conversation does not go too far. But that liveliness makes such a group discussion more interesting than the static online conversations.
And for many people, it is secretly nice to spend a day strolling around a fair in search of products or services that you might not find (online) otherwise.
But…… There are also many advantages to a virtual event that have already been discussed in previous articles. So a future without physical and virtual events is unthinkable. An excellent marketing tool is added to reach your target group even better.
Interact with your visitor during a virtual event
A very interesting webinar was given by CES. The largest tech show in the USA. Perhaps worldwide. Experiences from the recent past were discussed.
Of course, issues such as disappointment about participating in previous virtual events were discussed. Hardly any visitors to the “virtual exhibition stand”, hardly any response, little experience, few possibilities, minimal information from the organization,… .., ……
It was then once again among the visitors what they thought of it. It often emerged that the opportunity to interact was missed. That in itself is a special one. You would almost think that a visitor to an online event would display behavior that looks like website visits. In first instance, this is gathering information anonymously.
The online visitor to a virtual event does, of course, as well but would also like to have a conversation. That was missing in many virtual exhibition stands (i.e. events). Sometimes because it could not be offered by the organization (lack of time, organizationally impossible, too complicated,… ..) but often also because the exhibitor did not take the option if it was offered.
The virtual online visitor is of course also the person who normally stands in front of you during a live event. It’s not all of a sudden a completely different person.
Stand crew standby!
So if you participate in a virtual fair, make sure you have a “virtual stand crew” standby during the event. So that they can talk to a visitor when someone comes along. You have the option to do this via chat, but it is much better of course to also offer a video call option. The more personal the contact, the better. The visitor also wants to see who he or she is dealing with. A chat function seems too sparse. But better than nothing.
One thing that was also discussed was the lack of mutual networking. It is technically possible. Suppose you offer a virtual space on your booth where people see each other and participate in a conversation.
Today’s virtual visitor is often the live visitor from the days it was possible to visit live events. He/she will soon become the live visitor again when the situation allows us again to meet at trade fairs. Until then, virtual events are the alternative. After that, a hybrid form will remain active, it is expected.
A trade fair is top sport
If you want to win, you have to prepare for battle and deliver 100% in the competition!
In any case, do it well, because the same applies as for a live fair. A good start is …………
Can we help you with this? Then leave your details below. We create individual custom virtual exhibition stands and environments! That means a one-time investment in a multifunctional high-end marketing tool!
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