How to Make Your Corporate Event Go Viral

Overview

“Can we make our event go viral?” This is probably a question many marketers and event organisers ask their teams – and one with no clear answer. The truth is, viral marketing is more an art than an exact science. Whether an event or a campaign goes viral depends on many factors, from the timeliness of your topic to your guest list, social media strategy and more.

Set out irresistible hooks

What makes people – delegates and guests alike – want to sit up and pay attention? This is what event organisers need to address at the start of the planning stage.

Consider newsworthy angles such as having big-name or credible speakers, organising a record-breaking attempt, making a headline-grabbing announcement or commissioning a study that will impact how the public at large perceives a current issue.   

Also, while this may be an expensive exercise, interesting door gifts can be a way to get attendees to share about your event with their network. At the 2018 Facebook F8 Conference, an annual event for Facebook developers, event organisers gave out a yet-to-be-released Oculus Go VR headset to guests, which needless to say created quite a buzz.

Send the word out

After you’ve got a great event planned, it’s time to tell the world what to expect. You will need to ensure your content is readily available and searchable through paid media (online search and advertising platforms), owned media (your own website and social media pages) and earned media (coverage on news websites). 

These days, a creative video is also expected for every major campaign – be sure to keep the narration clear and concise and provide captions since a majority of social media users watch their videos with the sound off. Popular concepts that have made strong impressions include video invitations, time lapses of behind-the-scenes work and interviews with high-profile speakers.

Invite the right guests

In the age of digital influencers, you can consider inviting relevant personalities with active and highly followed social media profiles. At the same time, consider partnering organisations with a broad social media footprint to leverage their platforms to share about your event. While at it, look into providing attractive photo opportunities (beyond the branded photo walls that are too common and passive) that your visitors would want to snap a picture with and share on their own platforms.

Make your content available

Extend the buzz of your event by making selected content available to the public for free. TED Talks is a shining example – it has gained 12 million followers on YouTube for allowing the public free access to presentations put up by some of the world’s most respected thought leaders. You may also wish to stream the most exciting parts of your corporate event live so thst associates who are unable to attend can still participate or catch-up virtually at a later date. Many social media platforms allow live-streaming of content which can also be shared for even greater reach.