How To Use Video Marketing To Build Hype For Your Events

When it comes to events marketing, nothing gets the message across like video.

Just ask the experts. Eventbrite reports that almost 70% of viewers are more likely to buy a ticket after watching a live video.

In this expert guide, we’re going to show you exactly how you can harness the power of event videos. By the end of this post, you’ll know how to drive sign-ups, improve event attendance, and build a lasting legacy for your event.

As video software specialists, it is Viddyoze’s mission to help event planners harness the power of video. Using our online platform, you’ll be able to create epic event content in no time.

Here’s what you need to know to promote your event.

Marketing an event is all about excitement. Without that initial hype, you’ll struggle to charm those prospective attendees, and the whole thing could fall flat.

Luckily, when it comes to building a buzz, nothing works as well as video. Why? Because people just take more notice when video is involved (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn all report higher rates of engagement when video is used, SocialMediaToday).

The following event promotion video ideas will allow you to create a buzz for your big day.

Speaker Announcement Videos

A nice easy one to start with. Short announcement event videos let your audience know who will be speaking at your event.

You can release each speaker week by week, building up more excitement the closer you get to the event.

These videos can be anything from an animated short to a mini-interview (where the speaker announces themselves) depending on your event marketing strategy.

Highlights From Previous Years

If you’ve hosted before, use footage from last year’s conference to create fresh hype and promote your event.

You’ll want to include all the best bits into your video production, such as key speakers, audience reactions, cool venue shots, action shots of guests networking.

The aim here is to make an event promo video that people want to watch; one that looks fun and lets people know what they can expect. So, keep it short, upbeat, and light.

Need some inspiration? Here are a couple of great events marketing videos we like:

Event Highlights Examples

Startup Grind

Startup Grind shows us exactly how to market an event using a highlights video. The pace is fast, the music is upbeat, and it shows tons of people engaged, interested, and, most important of all, having fun. It’s classic event marketing done right.

Wired

Given the serious subject matter (the future of business), Wired strikes a much more serious note without dropping the intensity. The tense electronic music and slick digital animated logo set the tone, while interviews and live footage let the user know what to expect for the upcoming event.

Personalized Video Invitations

At its core, good event marketing is all about making a connection. And nothing makes a meaningful connection like personalization.

It’s key to winning business, in fact – 84% of consumers told Salesforce that being treated like a person, and not just another number, made them more likely to buy.

The same goes for video events.

Take your invites to the next level with a personalized video invitation marketing campaign. Not only is this a cool way to get people excited, but you can also include all the key RSVP info (dates, location, etc.) here too.

Behind The Scenes Footage

Engaging behind-the-scenes footage helps forge an emotional connection with your viewer.

Use short, documentary-style videos to show viewers how much work goes into putting on an event. This could be anything from the stage being set up, to backstage preparation with your speakers.

By adding a human touch, you’ll bring the event to life. Remember, the best event marketing videos are emotive.

Tickets Or VIP Experience Giveaways

Video contests and giveaways are a proven way to build hype, increase reach, and improve brand awareness.

That’s why almost 90% of industries use video competition content to promote their products and services (Wishpond). In short, people love free stuff.

For event marketing, it’s an easy win to give away a selection of free tickets, with a VIP event experience as your top prize.

Testimonials

Build trust and credibility for your event with a series of professional video testimonials.

Essentially, it’s old-school word-of-mouth marketing with a modern, highly effective twist. These interview videos are so successful, in fact, that two-thirds of people said they made a purchase after watching one, according to Wyzowl.

For an events video, speak to past attendees from last year’s event and industry-specific influencers to give your event video marketing a human face.

Event Promo (Trailer)

An event promo video (or event teaser video) is a big-budget content piece that goes all-out to sell your event. Think blockbuster movie trailers – all action, drama, and excitement.

Promo videos are one of the most common types of marketing video and should play a key part in your event marketing timeline. If done right, they tend to work, with 83% of marketers reporting a good ROI (Wyzowl).

So, how do you make one for an event? To give you some ideas, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites, here:

Event Promo Video Examples

SXSW

Upbeat and alternative, SXSW delivers an on-brand marketing video that stays true to the event’s values of creativity, innovation, and inclusivity. A driving beat, slick animated transitions, and vivid, playful colors tell the viewer everything they need to know about this conference.

Web Summit

This trailer kicks off like a classic promo, with a cool stage shot, crowd scenes, and pumping action-moviesque music. Then it hits rewind, literally. Enter dramatic voice-over and lofty dialogue. The viewer is hooked immediately. Ten out of ten event marketing from WebSummit.

Tickets On Sale Announcement

A simple marketing campaign trick, this type of corporate events video is a great way to drive initial ticket sales or sign-ups.

Short, animated marketing videos work well here. Just ensure they are dynamic, engaging, and contain all the relevant information (price, date, location, etc) regarding your event promotion.

Promos From Key Speakers

Your speakers are likely to be the main draw for your event. So, it makes sense to use them in your event marketing.

A simple promo video from each speaker should do the trick. Just remember to keep it short: two-minute marketing videos get the most engagement, according to Wistia.

The event is up and running – but that doesn’t mean the event marketing videos stop.

If anything, now’s the time to ramp up your output, using live content to keep your audience’s attention via social media. P.s. Half of all event marketers already do this (EventMB).

The event itself is also a gold mine for content creation. With so much going on (speeches, round-tables, debates, etc), you could capture a whole year’s worth of content in just a few days.

Here are a couple of event promo video examples you should be posting throughout your event.

Live Social Media Polls

Keep your attendees engaged with a live social media poll.

You can run these throughout the event, asking your attendees about their favorite speakers, round-tables, and booths. It’s also a good idea to prepare some questions in advance. Take some time before the event to make a series of thought-provoking topics for your polls.

Live Stream Speeches/Performances

People love live video. In fact, LiveStream reports that 82% of consumers prefer live video to social posts.

Events are practically made for live streaming. Think about it. Your show is already happening, why not double your content output with live streams? This way you can control the narrative on social media and in person, at the same time.

This is also a great way to get people involved who couldn’t attend in person. Plus, it’s easy to do: most major social media platforms (for example, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn) allow you to stream live with relative ease.

Daily Agenda Videos

All good events provide a detailed itinerary and running order for each day – why not take that information and make it into an event promo video?

That might seem like a pretty dry topic for a video, but hear us out.

With dynamic animations, engaging text, and an upbeat soundtrack, you can quickly turn a practical piece of content into an entertaining video.

The point is, it’s different. It will make you stand out, and it gives people something to look forward to next year.

Interviews With Attendees

Interviewing your attendees for video testimonials is a great idea.

They’re already at the event, invested in your product, so why not ask them what they think? Testimonials are such a powerful tool when it comes to winning new customers, so the more people you can interview, the better.

Moz is a great example of this. Ahead of MozCon, the company interviews a selection of marketing professionals about previous events. They sing its praises. Moz shares. Everyone is happy.

Floorplan Walkthroughs

The real estate industry is already hot on this idea. It allows home-buyers to assess whether it’s really right for them before they take the time out to view it.

And the same principle works for expos or large conferences with stalls or booths.

We’ve all been to enormous events, staring blankly as a confusing paper map. Videos help people visualize things better.

Just like the video itinerary idea, it’s different, and it stands out.

Finally, the event’s over. Time for a well-deserved break…

Well, not quite yet.

Now’s the time to keep the momentum going. Remind attendees why they came, and make a little FOMO for those that didn’t.

Here are the types of events video marketing you should be creating post-event.

Turn Your Speeches/Performances Into A Product

Every speech, talk, or panel discussion from your event is a potential product waiting to be packaged up and sold.

But to make this work, you’ll need to film a lot (if not all) of your event. If filming everything isn’t possible, be sure to at least capture your high-profile speakers and discussions.

Once the curtain closes on your event, you can edit the best bits and sell them as stand-alone content through your website. Then, in the build-up to next year’s event, you can release those same interviews for free as a marketing tool.

Event Round Up Highlights (Outro Promo)

Another great way to create some FOMO for those that didn’t attend your event.

Just like a highlight video from last year is a great bit of pre-event marketing, a round-up of the best bits is an effective way to bookend things, post event.

At this point, it’s all about pushing your brand exposure as far as it will go; more people talking about your event now means more people will remember it next year when tickets go on sale again.

This type of video also works as a lead-in for the type of “pay-for” content we mentioned above.

Personalized Thank You Videos

Like we said earlier, personalization is one of the best ways for businesses to connect with their audience.

A short “thank you” video after the event is a nice touch – one your attendees will definitely remember when tickets go on sale for your next event.

Clearly, if your event hosted hundreds of people, a personalized video for each one isn’t going to be feasible. So, we recommend making a generic “thank you” which you can send out in a personalized email.

One of the biggest challenges when hosting an event is promoting it.

Not only do you need to generate awareness so that people know it’s taking place, you then also need to convince those people that attending is worth their while.

That’s no mean feat but it can be done!

With Viddyoze, you can kickstart a video marketing strategy which will drive ticket sales for your event.

Thanks to our studio-grade video templates, you’ll be able to create effective videos which:

• Makes people want to attend
• Generates impressions and raises awareness
• Keeps people informed about the event

Stop wasting time, start selling tickets. Create videos your target audience wants to see with Viddyoze.

The most successful events create content for every phase. That means sending out the right marketing material before, during, and after the event.

It takes a lot of time, thought, and creativity. To achieve the best results, consistency and high quality are vital, too. For planners without any video marketing, this can be a daunting experience. At the end of the day, good marketing can make or break an event.

Viddyoze makes the process so much easier for events planners. Our tools allow you to create engaging videos without any prior experience. Get started creating your event promo videos here.