The NBA and March Madness.
St. Patrick’s Day Parades and the Boston Marathon.
E3 2020 and Adobe Summit and even weddings.
All major events that we were used to seeing were canceled or postponed over the coronavirus outbreak. As large gatherings were prohibited and people sought solutions to deal with the financial impact, the events industry took a major hit. And while some researchers were suggesting to prepare for two weeks, later projections said to prepare for many months.
After nearly a year of event cancellations, social distancing, restrictions on gatherings, what can events professionals do to survive such a prolonged—and indefinite—dry spell?
In the internet age, “social distancing” doesn’t have to mean social disconnection.
Now is the time to strengthen your connection with your online audience—or establish it if you haven’t.
Internet willing, here are a few things you can do to keep your brand at the forefront of their minds until everyone can freely go outside and hug each other again:
Many people overlook viewing YouTube as a legitimate social media tool that can be used to engage directly with your audience. It’s not just a space to host videos and never visit them again.
You can start real conversations on YouTube. There is no better time to get your YouTube channel on brand and begin putting together content that is not only educational and entertaining but also introducing content that asks questions.
This is a huge positioning opportunity. Where will you fit in?
“Friend of Mine” is arguably the best place to be in your audience’s mind to strengthen lifetime connections. People will always remember who made them feel valued enough to be helped. How can you help your audience with your service(s) without selling them a thing?
Simple: teach them what you know. How-To videos and D.I.Y. Tutorials are great ways to engage with your audience and welcome them into your world.
Makeup artists and hairstylists are already trending heavily with video tutorials and can continue this trend.
Caterers limited by the pandemic can still get a favorite dish into their audience’s homes by sharing a recipe or making a how-to video. Sharing kid-friendly recipes is an excellent way to engage families during their time together.
During these times, establishing your brand as a helpful resource or even just providing easier ways for people to “get by” will heavily impact your survivability.
People still want connection. And after a couple of weeks of lockdown, they will yearn for it. Not only will hosting conversations with your audience on Facebook Live be a big move, but scheduling and hosting actual live stream events will be an excellent way to keep audiences engaged and entertained.
Musicians live streaming special concerts, DJs streaming mix parties, and churches streaming their services. Being limited to gatherings of less than 10 does not have to mean less than ten viewers; it could very well mean more than you would normally get in live attendance.
And who knows: it just may change how you work with events in the future.
What will you do to maintain and build interaction with your audience? The irony in all of this is that social distancing could very well bring you closer to your audience than ever before.
Connect with them now.
Are you struggling with ways to engage your audience during the pandemic? Schedule a call with Cater Verse today to Deliver Your Truth, Deliver More Food™ and keep your business growing… corona-willing or not.
