After a long few long years, in-person events are finally making a comeback. This opens up many new opportunities for content marketers to provide unique customer experiences and reach new audiences.
In-Person Events: The Power of Face-to-Face
Why Marketers Should Take Notice
In-person events were right at the top of the list of content types used in the last 12 months, with 49% of respondents in the 13th Annual Insights for 2023 report revealing that they used in-person events to get in front of their audiences.
This is a huge increase from only 19% the previous year when the Covid-19 pandemic forced many organizations to move events online.
The Benefits of In-Person Events
Out of all B2B content assets listed, content marketers reported that in-person events produced the best results in the last 12 months. This was closely followed by virtual events, webinars, online courses, and research reports.
Furthermore, 52% of content marketers expect their organization’s investment in in-person events to increase in 2023 compared with their 2022 budget.
Below are some reasons why adding in-person events to your content strategy can be so successful.
Unique Experiences
Online events are typically lacking in new stimuli and, therefore, quickly forgotten about. On the other hand, in-person events are memorable, unique experiences that attendees are more likely to remember after they are over.
They Produce the Best Results
According to the 13th Annual Insights for 2023 report, 48% of content marketers reported that in-person events produced the best results for their organization’s content marketing strategy in the last 12 months.
More Networking Opportunities
In-person events make it easier to approach people and strike up informal conversations. This gives attendees a more effective way to network and create new connections that can benefit their careers.
Develop Stronger, Deeper Connections With Other Attendees
Online events hosted on Zoom tend to spotlight the event host and offer few opportunities for attendees to develop connections with one another.
Conversations in breakout rooms can often feel forced and unnatural. In-person events offer more opportunities for natural conversation to occur, which helps foster stronger, deeper, and more memorable connections.
Swag and Giveaways Increase Brand Awareness
In-person events are a great place to give out free branded swag to attendees. This can be a great way to appease your attendees by giving them useful products, which ultimately helps to increase your brand awareness.
Hybrid Events: The Benefits of Combining Virtual and In-Person Events
A hybrid event is an event that uses a tailored combination of in-person and digital elements. It is designed to attract both in-person and virtual attendees, which is a great strategy if you’re trying to scale your content marketing.
It is important to note that a hybrid event is not simply a live-streamed in-person event. Rather, each part of the event is specifically tailored to drive action and exploration from each part of the audience.
23% of content marketers reported that their organizations would increase their investment in hybrid events in 2023 compared with 2022.
Here are some of the benefits of combining virtual and in-person events:
Reach a Broader Audience
Targeting both in-person and online attendees allows you to increase your reach and target a larger audience.
Attract Attendees Concerned About Travel Costs
Attending an in-person event is a significant commitment. Running a hybrid event makes your event more inclusive and means that you’re more likely to attract more people from diverse backgrounds who would otherwise be unable to attend due to distance or high travel costs.
Easier to Measure Engagement for Virtual Attendees
Measuring engagement for in-person attendees can be difficult. You will likely need to employ people to cover this role, which can be expensive. Even if you have the funds to hire someone, knowing what to track or how to track it can be difficult.
Measuring engagement for virtual attendees is typically easier. For instance, you can measure social media engagement, poll responses, Q&A numbers, in-event messaging, and email campaign metrics. There is also lots of software available to help you do this.
Repurpose Videos on Social or as Other Content
You can repurpose the videos you have created for your hybrid events across other platforms.
For instance, you can share them across other platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to increase your reach or use them on your website to increase your authority in your industry.
Combine Virtual and In-Person Experiences to Create an Ultimate Event Recap
Creating virtual and in-person experiences that complement each other can help you to create the ultimate event recap for your audience. This creates lasting memories for people who have attended your event and provides value for future customers.
Embrace the Value of In-Person Events
After years of having no other option except to attend events online, it’s clear that many people are jumping at the chance to attend in-person events again.
This trend shows no signs of slowing down and provides many new opportunities for content marketers to take notice and change their strategy to captivate a larger audience.
FAQ About In-Person Events
Why are in-person events important for business?
We are wired to seek human connection and interaction. In-person events foster this by allowing attendees to build lasting and memorable connections and expand their professional networks.
Why’s marketing an important consideration in event planning?
Marketing is key when it comes to making a good impression on your audience. The quality of your marketing strategy plays a key role in how many people attend your events. Perhaps even more importantly, it helps you reach your target audience and ensure that the right people attend your events.
What’s the role of content marketing in event promotion?
Content marketing is important for building brand awareness and creating connections with your audience over time. This can help you to establish credibility within your niche, which can help other organizations and potential attendees to understand the value of attending your event.
About the author
Aimee Pearcy is a tech journalist and a B2B SaaS copywriter with over five years of experience. Check out her writer profile to learn how her experience can help level up your content strategy: Aimee Pearcy.
