Using video before, during, and following events helps event organizers, attendees, and sponsors get more return on their investment. Building energy, excitement, and inspiration around the event spurs attendees and sponsors to sign up and then return year after year as well as share their experiences with others. Video is critical to building a high level of energy and excitement around an event. The following event video marketing strategies will help you create fun, engaging after the event video content that will extend the reach of your event far beyond the time frame of the event itself.
Recaps and highlight videos
Whether or not you attended an event, it can be fun to watch recap or highlight videos afterward. People who did attend or who were involved in the event (i.e., speakers, volunteers) will enjoy reliving memorable moments viewing a well crafted video. You’ll also drive future sales for both previous attendees and new event goers who are afraid of missing out on the fun of future events.
“During the event” blog series
When you have a busy event, most likely you won’t be able to post all of the videos that you create while the event is happening. Having unpublished content lying around following the event allows you to release fresh content over the days or weeks following the event. You’ll keep people interested beyond the time frame of the event, making them feel as though they’re still a part of it. Think about packaging “during the event” videos in a series of blog posts that you release on a set schedule following the event.
Interviews
Did you interview participants, sponsors, or volunteers about their experiences during the event? Again, most likely you didn’t have time to sort through all of your interview content before the event ended. Hearing brief testimonials about what people liked about the event and what they got out of attending, sponsoring, or volunteering may entice new people to participate next year. While you can wait to interview people following the event, it’s easier to record interviews during the event and then publish them afterward.
Regardless of the type of post-event video material you create, stick to the following two best practices.
- Make at least a portion of the content available to the public. There is nothing wrong with monetizing part of your event video content. However, when all of the post-event video content is for pay, you’ll limit the reach of the content. Sharing a few post-event videos for free gives people who are interested in the event but haven’t attended before a taste so they can decide if they want to engage further.
- Create different types of video for different platforms. The type of video that works best on one platform is not necessarily the best type for another platform. Short content is ideal for social media channels while longer content is preferable for a website or blog.
As you put together your event, keep “after the event” video content in the back of your mind. If you wait until the event ends to begin crafting video content, it will take too long to release video in a timely fashion. Be aware of the post-event content you want to create so you can prepare accordingly.