It takes a lot of time and effort to promote and host a branded event. Many marketers breathe a sign of relief once the event is over because they assume that their work is finally done. But, the truth is that a marketer’s work is just beginning once the event concludes. Marketers must continue to engage with the brand’s audience following an event to ensure this connection stays strong. Here’s how to continue the conversation once an event is over:

Post Photos and Videos From the Event

The easiest way to continue the conversation with your audience after the event is over is to post photos and videos of it. At the very least, share this content with your followers on social media so they can relive the event or see what they missed out on. It’s also a good idea to create a blog post or photo gallery on your website so you can share all of the photos and videos in one location.

Be sure to also look for photos and videos from the event that were posted by other users. If you used a unique hashtag to advertise the event, conduct a search using this hashtag to pull up relevant content. If you want to repost a photo or video taken by someone else, make sure that you get their permission first.

Film A Short Video to Say Thanks

Another way to engage with your audience after the event is over is by saying thank you with a short video. You don’t need to hire a crew of cameramen or invest thousands of dollars in creating this video. Instead, simply use your smartphone to create a short video. Send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the event and supported your brand. You should also tell them how to find photos and videos from the event and how to stay connected with your brand. It only takes a few minutes to film a thank you video, but it can keep the conversation going with your audience for days or weeks after the event is over.

Send A Short Summary of the Event

Some attendees may arrive at your event late or leave early, so they won’t get to see and experience everything that is on the agenda. For this reason, it’s best to send a short summary of the event to everyone who has subscribed to your e-mail list. The people who came to your event late or left early will finally get to find out what happened when they were not there, while the people who didn’t come at all will get to see what they missed out on by staying home.

Don’t forget to make the summary of the event more interesting by incorporating photos and videos into it. You should also include a call-to-action at the end of your summary. Invite your audience to attend your next event, follow you on social media, or visit your online store. Tell them how to take the next step in your brand-customer relationship instead of assuming that they’ll know what to do.

Offer Attendees Something of Value

Brands should consider offering event attendees something of value after the event is over to keep the lines of communication open. For example, give attendees the exclusive opportunity to download a free e-book on your website. You can also offer attendees discounts on products or services, free shipping, or branded promotional items. Giving your attendees a small gift will show them how thankful you are that they took the time to your event. It will also give them a reason to visit your website so you can interact with them once more.

Ask For Feedback

Even if the event was a huge success, it’s important to look for ways to improve so you know what to do differently next time. Asking event attendees for feedback is the perfect way to identify ways to improve and to keep the conversation going after the event is over.

Many brands ask attendees for feedback by sending them a short survey via email several days after the event. This is the preferred method of collecting feedback since it is easy to gather and analyze responses to an email survey. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to create an email survey using tools such as Survey Monkey.

Make sure the survey is short and sweet. Attendees will not want to spend a lot of time writing out responses to your questions, so use multiple choice or scale questions.

Many of the questions will focus on what happened at the actual event, but it’s important to also ask how the attendees heard about the event and whether or not they registered beforehand. These questions will help marketers identify the best channels to use to promote events in the future.

Host Q&A Sessions

It’s common for speakers and hosts to take questions from the audience at certain events. But, it’s possible that you may not have had enough time to answer all of the audience’s questions. If this happens, it’s wise to give the audience an opportunity to ask their questions after the event is over. Host a Q&A session on Facebook live so your followers can submit their questions and finally get the answers they’ve been waiting for. Not only does this keep the conversation going, it also shows your followers that you are truly interested in making sure they get the information they need.

Are you interested in increasing audience engagement at your next event? If so, contact Factory 360 today. Our team of skilled experiential marketing professionals focus on developing strategies that allow brands to engage with their audience before, during, and after the event. Let us help your brand continue the conversation long after the event is over!