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I've been researching the subject of hybrid (part physical, part virtual) events recently, because I'm compiling a workbook on the subject.*
My conclusion? Hybrid events are for real.
Business marketers think so, too.
According to research by Unisfair, 86 percent of them believe hybrids will represent half of all events within five years.
Why are hybrids so appealing?
Hybrids enlarge a marketer's social media footprint. Hybrid events add a thrilling new dimension to a brand's social media presence. Hybrids aren't just "one more outpost," but immersive, targeted, community-centric platforms.
Hybrids increase the value of physical events. Hybrids open physical events—no matter their location—to a worldwide audience, a big plus for exhibitors and sponsors. Experience also shows that, over time, hybrids boost the attendance of physical events. They transform them into pilgrimage sites.
Hybrids fill gaps. Budget pressures are driving a lot of corporate customers to skip physical events. They want to learn from them, but lack the means. The virtual complement restores the means.
Hybrids enable multitasking. Time-deprivation is often the reason people can't travel to a physical event. Hybrids allow them to participate and get their work done.
Hybrids do a big favor for small businesses. Small businesses are typically starved for both time and money, yet they're the largest group of employers and the engine driving innovation. Hybrid events help them compete effectively with their Fortune 1000 counterparts. Hybrids also appeal to green-minded folks.
Hybrids help preserve industry knowledge. Producing a virtual complement to a physical event automatically creates an archive of the content and conversations, many of which might otherwise have been lost.
Hybrids keep improving. The extension of real life into virtual life gets more compelling with advances in technology and producers' skills. It won't be long before the online experience they provide matches TV news and talk shows for quality.
* It's for the EastVirtual Event Workshop, May 18 in Washington, DC. Disclaimer: I'm co-producer of the event.
Here's a startling prediction: according to Gartner, by 2020, corporate buyers will manage 85 percent of their supplier relationships without once interacting with a salesperson.
Salespeople used to serve as the face of a company—a prospective buyer's first contact with the brand.
No more. As Jon Miller, CMO of marketing-automation provider Marketo, writes in his firm's blog, "Today, buyers create their own brand preference by conducting research online, particularly within their own social networks, before they even touch base with a sales rep."
What does the trend mean?
Companies have to change how they use both marketers and salespeople.
In a few years, online content will be the only way to reach nearly 9 out of 10 prospects. So marketers, for all purposes, will present the "face" of the company until the crucial moment of decision, when salespeople step forward (and, with luck, cinch the deal).
"Unless companies begin to sell the way their customers want to buy," Miller warns, "they might as well write a prescription for their own failure."
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said that, while he couldn't define pornography, "I know it when I see it."
Defining transparency in social media is equally difficult.
Writing for Social Media Today, Elissa Nauful tries to do so anyway in "What Does It Really Mean to Be Transparent?"
She defines transparency in social media five ways:
You gotta be "you." Transparency rules out any fudging or posturing. Being true to thine own self entices customers. "Your authenticity will translate as both honesty and integrity."
You gotta be tolerant. Transparency means you'll accept praise and criticism. That tolerance "will immediately build brand trust."
You gotta be generous. To be transparent means to share, openly and often. Not top secrets or tawdry details, but enough hard news to keep people interested.
You gotta be forthright. Transparency demands that you disclose commercial interests in anything you're plugging. (The Federal Trade Commission demands that too.)
You gotta be chatty. Transparent companies socialize. "They reply to comments, they retweet funny ideas, and they treat their customers like new friends."
How do you define transparency? Or do you only know it when you see it?
The term "authenticity" is a social media shibboleth.
After all, consistent promise-keeping is the real rule of the authentic organization (think Amazon).
But we can at least be approachable in our social media exchanges, according to online community consultant Richard Millington.
In his recent blog post "Interact With Your Community Like a Human Being," Millington sets out his codes of conduct:
- Write in the first person. Phrase questions as personal ones. "Has anyone had experience with ....?"
- Engage first, tell second. Lead with a question, not content. Only if others reply should you respond with information.
- Begin with a story. Why are you asking for others' opinions? What's your opinion?
- Speak with emotion. "Don't default to a customer-service tone for engaging members of your community," Millington advices.
Social Media Examiner has released its annual report on marketers' use of social media.
The key findings:
- 90 percent of marketers say social media is important for business.
- 88 percent say it drives brand awareness.
- 72 percent say it drives Website traffic.
- 62 percent say it drives search engine rankings.
- 58 percent spend 6+ hours a week on it.
- 34 percent spend 11+ hours a week.
- 77 percent plan to increase the use of video.
- 28 percent outsource at least part of their program.
According to the report, 2011's top four social media marketing tools are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs.
