Breathe New Life into Your Event Marketing

 

As event marketers, we seek new ways to excite and engage our attendees. In 2014, we saw that video marketing was starting to take off in the events space. Whether it is adding some video marketing corner at events, event teaser videos, Google Hangouts or vlogs, the industry is finally realizing the power of video. Additionally, the uptake in mobile usage this year has affected the industry. With more people using their phones to answer emails and look at content, optimizing your website, emails, and content is essential, or at least making it more mobile-friendly.

With video and mobile being two of the biggest drivers for content this year, it is essential to find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. One way to do this is by monitoring the newest trends in tech, apps, and the media. Two new apps that debuted this year could significantly impact your event marketing campaigns if used correctly.

Get a crash course in the apps Hyperlapse and Steller and learn how to use them at your next event.

Hyperlapse

The latest brainchild from the creators of Instagram, Hyperlapse is an app for iOS users (sorry, android friends) that takes videos and transforms them into time-lapses. You no longer need some fancy $500+ camera to create trendy, super-fast videos; you only need your iPhone, a steady hand, and a Hyperlapse app. You don’t need to be a tech genius to use the app. Download the app, and when you open it, you are immediately taken to the video feature. Shoot your video, and once completed, you can adjust the video’s speed from 1x to 12x the original speed. That’s it. Simple. Powerful.

Tons of brands have already taken advantage of the app that launched the last week of August. From Mercedes to Taco Bell to Disneyland, everyone is trying to use the app to show their products and services in a new way. Budweiser recently used the app to showcase their festival event, Made in America. Instead of posting a longer video showing some bands playing, they created a 7-second video with Hyperlapse that captured the show’s vibe. The results? It was an upbeat video that kept the buzz going after the event.

What you can do:

  • Show a behind-the-scenes setup of your next event. Purchase a stand for your iPhone and place it in the center of all the action. Take a video when you are creating the room Hyperlapse-Placement for your next awards event or dinner, show the building of a tradeshow booth, the hustle and bustle of busy tradeshow floor traffic, really anything you can think of.
  • Use this video as a teaser on social media. Please send it to your audience so they can taste what to expect at your show. Or take a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s book and use it to keep your show alive once it is over!
  • Use it in everyday social media posts! Show your products in action – use it as a teaser for upcoming product launches, and create a contest asking viewers to guess where you are. You can use this app for everything and anything, and I’m sure your fans/followers will appreciate a new approach to videos on social media!

Before you start, though, could you know what you are doing? The digital marketing agency Flightpath gives you a great “do & don’t” post for creating your Hyperlapse videos.

Steller

Stellar was created with the notion that our phones can do more than post to social media; they can become creative devices. The app, founded by former Google and Microsoft veterans, allows you to turn your photos and videos into stories. With storytelling being another big trend in content marketing and social media lately, this app is an excellent addition to the market. Right now, it is mainly used for personal use, with users posting stories of their vacations, dinners, pets and more.  That doesn’t mean brands and companies can’t start using the new social site to help with content marketing.

What you can do:

  • Use it to tell the story of your brand or company exhibiting at an event. Include product photos, text describing what you do, and even include short video clips 
  • Create a wrap-up “story” for your attendees after the event. This is a great opportunity to capture some of the best moments from your event. Create a quick synopsis for attendees and the people who didn’t get to come. Burton Snowboards did a great job of this with their 2014 Burton US Open story.
  • Show your newest product or service launches with the app. Create a story that includes photos and videos submitted by customers. Think of it as a creative, visual success story!
  • Set up a contest for your next event. If you are a tradeshow or meeting organizer, this is an excellent tool for hosting an out-of-the-box contest. Do promotion ahead of time through social and on your website, asking people to download the app (maybe even put a link to download it in your event app). Once they download it, tell them to tell you the best story they can from attending your event. Maybe you can use this story to promote your event the following year! As CMO of MRY David Berkowitz said in a recent article, “Brands need to be story makers, not storytellers.”

These two apps offer endless possibilities for a new way of thinking about content marketing. The more creative you can be, the better; try to get ahead of your competitors.

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