It’s probably a pretty big understatement to say that online video consumption has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade and it’s definitely no surprise that there’s no sign of it slowing down. In fact, according to the 2016 Ericsson Mobility Report, video will account for 70% of all mobile traffic by 2021. And savvy event professionals have taken to the medium like fish to water, but as technologies change, you might start to wonder if it’s really worth it to try and keep up. After all, producing quality video requires some investment. Today we’re taking a look at how producing and using video can help add value to your event.
Ways to Use Video
Marketing is often the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to considering video for events. And why not? Video now plays a huge role in marketing now, for just about any product. In fact, according to statistics from Insivia (via Hubspot), research has shown that videos can have an amazing impact on conversion rates. For example, video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rate. And including video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80%.
Marketing using video can not only have a tremendous impact on your rate of registration it can also improve your attendee’s experience and kickstart their engagement before they’ve even set foot on site. Video formats like 360˚ video and live streaming give event organizers the opportunity to engage attendees before and during events through virtual tours or live Q&A sessions about the event itself.
The great thing about marketing with video is that you don’t have to worry about putting together expensive productions or long videos. In fact, 5% of viewers will stop watching a video after 1 minute and 60% stop watching after 2 minutes – so it behooves you to keep it brief. Consider the popularity of the, now defunct, social video site Vine. Where users were limited to creating videos that were only 6 seconds long. Or think of the videos created by “Now This” which are informative, entertaining, and most notably – short, usually under 1 minute. These types of videos can have a high impact and require less effort than your typical video advertisement.
Whether you choose to produce something short and sweet or long and more in-depth, using video as a part of your event’s marketing strategy can help to extend your reach to potential attendees and build hype for your event in a more entertaining way.
Education is another common use of video produced at events. Event organizers have found that the life of event content can be extended drastically when sessions and panels are recorded and made available to attendees or organizations as additional opportunities to earn CEUs. Especially in the case of association meetings and conferences, this can help to not only give those unable to attend in-person the chance to learn, it can also add tremendous value for your association members by providing on-demand access to conference content for review.
And speaking of those unable to attend in-person, why not consider using live video to produce a virtual or hybrid event? Both of these event variants are growing increasingly popular as event organizers are finding that virtual events are a good option when the budget is tight and a live-event may not be feasible or even ideal for the content being shared. And hybrid events are a fantastic way to leverage your investment in a live event and extend it to reach a broader audience. Some event organizers might feel intimidated by the prospect of producing a virtual or hybrid event but with the right vendor, it’s easier than you might expect. Check out these guides to producing a hybrid event from EventMobi and MeetingHand. Or, if you’re looking to offer virtual access to only a handful of sessions, you might look into using a web conferencing solution or even look into live streaming.
Some Helpful Resources
When it comes to creating video for your events, you don’t need to be intimidated and you don’t need to stress about breaking your budget. Depending on your goals, you can go as simple and inexpensive or as complex (and probably more pricey) as you like. Here are a few resources to help you out in the process.
If you’re just looking to capture some simple video from your event on a low budget, check out our recent post about a handful of apps and gadgets that can help you easily create decent quality videos using just your smartphone, a few accessories, and an app or two to edit.
If you’re interested in live streaming, there’s a wide variety of resources available. We’ve even written an extensive overview of live streaming and provided a few tips for getting started. But if you want to dive a little deeper into the whole process, be sure to visit Plan Your Meetings, to learn some Strategies and Considerations for Low-Cost Live Streaming; and etouches to learn about the 7 Ways to Use Live Streaming at Your Next Event. Want to understand a little more about live streaming and social video for events? Don’t miss this post from Brian Fanzo (a live streaming strategist who’s done over 1700 live streams in the past 2 years) where he discusses the importance of being able to offer event content year round and explains why social video (live streaming) is the offline digital event gamechanger.
And last but not least, if you’re going to be manning the camera yourself, be sure to watch these 10 extremely useful tips for shooting live events from a true master:
Video will undoubtedly play an ever increasing role in just about every aspect of events, don’t let your event fall behind!
Kaylynne Hatch
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