There are many ways you can host an online event for your business. Since the pandemic, the concept of online business conferences or events has exploded. They represent much easier ways for companies to interact with larger audiences via live streams, video conferences, and so on. The only problem is encouraging people to attend online events – how do you ensure there’s a good digital crowd? We’ve got some ideas below, all of which will help you see the view count for your events rise…

Establish a USP

First of all, your online event needs to have a USP. There should be something here that encourages people to get involved; a thing that they may not find anywhere else. Yes, the topic and content of your event will be a key selling point to audiences – but there should be something else on top of this. 

For instance, you should promise the appearance of a guest speaker. Pay someone important to speak at your event; a legend in your industry, or a famous person that people will want to listen to. There are plenty of websites like Executive Speakers where you can hire people to talk at events these days. Find an individual that aligns with your event and what you wish to talk about, providing the audience with an expert opinion. 

Now, you have a massive USP that no other online event boasts. Advertise your event with this speaker at the forefront of all promotional material. As a bonus, you benefit from their own branding too. They will likely have an audience of fans who may be interested in seeing them in action, so you get more audience numbers from them too. 

Remember, you can choose anyone as your speaker, as long as they fit these parameters: 

• Must relate to your event/business in some way

• Must fit within your budget

• Must be an eye-catching name that people want to see

If they tick these boxes, you could invite anyone from industry professionals to influencers and reap the rewards. 

Provide a free gift

You’ve got the USP for your event, but now you need to go one step further to truly encourage people to attend. As a business owner, you should treat your event like another product or service. What’s one of the best ways to increase sales? Offering free gifts to customers. It’s an incentive that piques their interest and makes them more likely to pay for things. 

The same can be done for your online event – provide free gifts for anyone who attends. These can be discount codes, a free ebook, access to exclusive products, etc. Think about gifts people would be interested in receiving, and then hand them out at the end of the event. This makes individuals tune in the whole time because they’re eager to get the gift at the end. Of course, ensure the gift is worthwhile and interests people or nobody will bother showing up. 

Running online events can be extremely successful for modern businesses as they’re way more cost-effective than offline events. You also have the chance to reach a much wider audience – and these two ideas will get you off to the perfect start.