RainFocus is a ‘unified occasions and advertising and marketing’ platform that permits firms to combine ‘occasions’ into their martech stack and their prospects’ journeys. I not too long ago spoke with the corporate’s CEO, JR Sherman, to debate his business, the affect of the pandemic and “navigating essentially the most vital development in experiential advertising and marketing for the reason that web was embraced within the late nineties.”
What are the important thing pillars of efficient occasion advertising and marketing?
Even earlier than Covid impacted the business, I’d say there are three pillars which can be key to efficient occasion advertising and marketing – realizing your viewers, information insights, and interesting content material. They usually’ve solely turn out to be extra vital now within the age of Covid.
It is very important know who your viewers is. As extra folks, unbarred by geographical or financial limitations, attend digital and hybrid occasions, there are extra of us in seats, digital or not. However who’re they? Gathering information like most considered content material and session attendance can assist organisations put together for post-event content material methods and the following iteration of the occasion.
Evaluation of this information is the second pillar for efficient occasion advertising and marketing. Information alone isn’t sufficient with out actionable perception by way of evaluation. By connecting the dots and understanding finish customers’ values, wants, and wishes, you’ll be capable to present a extra personalised expertise. Evaluation of a registrant listing might spotlight {that a} group of individuals want digital segments over attending an occasion in-person, or they like periods with buyer panelists and shorter vs. long-form content material.
It’s crucial that entrepreneurs and occasion organisers analyse all consumer information to think about the place to pivot or keep the course for future occasions – and can be unattainable with out efficient information evaluation.
Lastly, partaking content material is crucial to a profitable and memorable occasion, whether or not it’s shared earlier than an occasion or after. Content material can come in numerous kinds, nevertheless it should all the time have your targets and stakeholders’ expectations in thoughts. These could also be pre-event promotions giving registrants an early glimpse of what’s to come back and lift pleasure. Publish-event content material, like on-demand periods and follow-up communications, must be seamlessly shared and shortly made accessible after your occasion, matching all occasion branding for a cohesive expertise.
Content material is important – it’s vital that manufacturers nail shows to successfully market earlier than and after an occasion involves an finish.
Covid-19 has generated a growth in digital occasions. How do assume this may evolve long-term? (Will we be hybrid forever-more?)
The pandemic’s affect on the occasion business can be felt for years, nevertheless it has taught us to be ready for something. Even once we’re “on the opposite aspect” of the pandemic, the best way organisations plan and conduct occasions will endlessly be modified. From the early beginnings of the pandemic, when the business was confronted with worldwide occasion cancellations, to the previous 12 months or so the place we had a semblance of normalcy – holding in-person and hybrid occasions – entrepreneurs have confronted quite a few challenges and uncertainties.
Are in-person occasions a factor of the previous? No, however we’ll see most organisations proceed to supply digital and hybrid occasions following all the things they could have realized about their end-users all through the pandemic.
This transformation in how we perform has altered the business endlessly – nonetheless, I don’t assume we’re accomplished evolving. Like others, I consider in offering options that work for our prospects (and their customers). Whether or not which means hybrid, in-person or absolutely digital occasions, now we have the capabilities to help their targets and guarantee they’re partaking their goal audiences. Over the previous two years, the business has had plenty of studying (and failing) to do. One such studying – if we aren’t agile and ready to pivot at a second’s discover, we’re sure to fail.
How else has the previous two years impacted your organization? Any long-term classes?
Frankly, Covid has emboldened our organisation and validated our imaginative and prescient and mission. Our unwavering focus and dedication to constructing essentially the most safe, versatile, and scalable advertising and marketing SaaS platform not solely carried us by way of the storm, nevertheless it positioned us far forward of the business, offering the continued basis for our award-winning innovation.
Our platform allowed us and our purchasers to pivot seamlessly and meet the calls for of distant environments and on-line occasion ecosystems. Rising from two years of uncertainty because the business chief, now we have chosen to take a position considerably extra capital in increasing our expertise and our management. As well as, we determined in the course of the pandemic to sacrifice revenues, supply reduction to our purchasers’ commitments, and collaborate to navigate the adjustments that had been thrust upon us in 2020. That selection has fortified the belief and partnership we maintain with our purchasers. Even after the pandemic, we’ll all the time look to enhance our stage of service and speed up our innovation.
If any long-term lesson is obvious, it’s that we will belief one another and collaborate to beat any problem in enterprise or life. It’s no coincidence that this reality punctuates ‘the ability of a handshake.’ Rising from the pandemic, we actually stay dedicated to those beliefs and guiding rules.
What’s subsequent for RainFocus?
I’m excited that I get to be part of this business and watch as its evolution accelerates – and for RainFocus to play a pivotal position. We are going to proceed to allow our prospects to ship the final word occasion portfolio, to allow them to see the affect they’re making. It’s vital for firms to know that entrepreneurs have a collective and built-in platform to ship content material and obtain real-time engagement insights. This permits for various ‘occasions’ to play a task all through your entire buyer journey. It’s our job to information them and supply the expertise to take action.
How manufacturers are getting artistic with digital occasions & leisure experiences
