Meetings + Events

By Christine Wong

You always make sure there’s great, reliable AV at every single event you plan. But are you also using video to promote those events—and your business—online?

You should be, according to research cited by UK-based Hyperfine Media. It indicates video content can increase the click-through rate in an email by 200 to 300 per cent. In addition, it found 64 per cent of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.

“Video is the least expensive form of pay-per-click advertising out there,” says Jo Riding, co-owner of Karma Creative Solutions, an Otta­wa-based design, marketing and event planning firm. At a cost of just one to three cents per click, video delivers better value than a static image ad costing 40 to 60 cents per click, she says.

Videos don’t have to be fancy to have an im­pact. While organizing the Ottawa Pet Expo, Rid­ing simply put a tiny GoPro camera on her own pooch to capture a dog’s eye view as she walked through the venue. After Riding posted the clip online, ticket sales shot up 15 per cent.

Video still packs a punch even after your event ends. Make a sizzle reel of highlight clips to promote next year’s gathering, recommends Bradley Shende, CEO of M20, a video production and digital strategy agency in Vancouver.

“Having active content throughout the year attached to a blog post, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook will keep people engaged, grow the au­dience and set the table for next year,” he says.

You can DIY: Although Riding says hiring video pros will help avoid DIY disasters, she is a fan of user-friendly apps and sites like Prezi and Facebook Video Ads while Shende likes iMovies, YouTube and Animoto.

Put it up front: Don’t bury video content on your website; put it right on your home page. “It helps people stay on your site longer,” says Rid­ing. Stats compiled by Hyperfine show video can boost conversion rates on a website’s landing page by 80 per cent.

Include a CTA: Riding suggests putting a call to action at the end of every video, whether it’s encouraging viewers to buy event tickets or contact you for a consultation.

Keep it short: “Avoid going over two-and-a-half minutes,” Shende advises. You’ve also got to grab viewers right off the top. “You’ve got four seconds to catch them online or they’re gone,” adds Riding.

Post on YouTube: Since Google owns YouTube, uploading and tagging content on the video site improves your overall search visibility. “Any­thing indexed on YouTube is also indexed on Google,” says Shende.