Having a virtual event platform (VEP) in your company’s arsenal will be extremely beneficial in today’s ever-changing world of digital marketing. A VEP is a software utility that assists companies in creating and managing virtual events – activities that take place in person or online but are essentially digital experiences.
A company may use a VEP to hold a webinar, where they could provide educational content and engage with prospective customers. The software allows a brand to create and host various virtual events, allowing them to communicate with its audiences through multimedia content.
Why Should I Promote My Business Using a Virtual Event Platform?
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of virtual event platforms available to choose from, so the market is growing. Thus, if you’re looking to promote your business using a VEP, there’s a decent chance you’ll select one of the popular products in the space.
A VEP could be an invaluable tool in your company’s marketing arsenal. It allows you to create and manage various virtual events, and the software also tracks the events’ performance and analyzes the results.
The Best 5 Virtual Event Platforms To Promote Your Business
As a business owner or marketer, you always look for new ways to promote your company. Whether you’re seeking to grow your brand awareness or just want to engage with your audience through fun activities, events, or competitions, you can use virtual events to your advantage.
The great thing about these platforms is that you can host them on your own terms. You can run them virtually anywhere you see fit and modify the rules and structure of the competition, as needed, to fit your goals.
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Google Docs
One of the most popular and versatile virtual event platforms is Google Docs. This tool, which is available for free, allows you to collaborate with others while maintaining complete control over the content. This makes it a great option for creating presentations, writing papers, or moderating online conversations. Additionally, Google Docs allows for much flexibility when hosting your events, encouraging you to innovate and be creative.
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Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams, part of the Office 365 productivity suite, provides collaborative editing, instant communication features, and many apps to make your life easier. It’s no wonder why Microsoft decided to integrate this tool into their existing products, as it provides a streamlined experience for business users seeking to collaborate on important projects. What’s more, Microsoft Teams allows you to share your screen, so you can easily show the progress of your projects to your guests.
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Slack
While Teams and Docs focus on making your life easier, Slack, a communication platform that is also available for free, aims to make your work more efficient by creating a place where employees can engage with one another and their teams. As a result, you can expect to see a lot of brainstorming, task management, and idea sharing through Slack channels.
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Jira
While many business owners turn to Slack for project management needs, Jira, a project management tool also available for free, offers a more traditional experience. This makes it perfect for larger teams or businesses requiring a more procedural approach to project management. What’s more, with its customizable boards, you can organize your ideas and deadlines in a way that makes sense. Plus, Jira’s status update features allow you to keep track of the progress of your projects and provide your audience with a sense of what is going on.
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Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a video platform that provides various essential services for businesses and brands, including creating video content, curating social media, and performing competitive analysis. This tool is ideal for businesses seeking to create video content, making it extremely easy to find and engage with your audience through video. Moreover, Hootsuite allows for easy content curation, which can be applied to various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
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Vimeo
While Hootsuite offers a versatile toolset for businesses, Vimeo, a video platform that allows for easy content sharing and discovery, is perfect for those seeking to create a video series, pitch a commercial, or develop a longer-form video for online viewing.
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Wishpond
Like Hootsuite, Wishpond is a video platform for businesses that offers various essential services, including creating content, curating social media, and performing competitive analysis. However, instead of offering a basic video platform, this tool specializes in video marketing, allowing you to create and upload the perfect marketing video in no time. This makes it an excellent option for businesses seeking to gain a competitive advantage through video.
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Summit
Summit, a virtual event platform for business presentations, offers a range of features, including a speaker video platform, an audience video platform, and a screen-sharing feature. This tool’s speaker video platform allows for up to four participants to record short videos that can be shared through the platform.
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GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar, similar to Summit, offers a presentation video platform where you can show and engage with attendees through video content. This option’s speaker video platform allows for up to four participants to record short videos that can be shared through the platform.
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Edmunds
Lastly, we have Edmunds, a car comparison website that provides consumers detailed information about vehicle quality, performance, and reliability. This business used virtual events to launch its new website, Edmunds.com, and gain more engagement with its audience. To celebrate the launch of their new site, Edmunds held a contest where users could win a car of their choice. Moreover, the company used a virtual event to collect the email addresses of potential new subscribers so that they could engage with them through email.
With so many different options for hosting a virtual event, you’re sure to find the one that will help your business flourish.
How Do I Choose A Virtual Event Platform?
It’s important to take several things into consideration before making a purchase decision. First and most importantly, make sure that the tool you’re considering using is still available for purchase. This way, you can be confident that you’ll be able to get your money back if you don’t choose the product after all. In addition, check out the tool’s demo account to see how it functions and how easy it is to use. Finally, read reviews of the product and those who have already used it to get a sense of how others feel about the software and how easy it is to get started.
Once you’ve determined that the virtual event platform suits your needs, it’s time to move on to the next step: deciding which one to purchase. There are hundreds of options to choose from, so it can be difficult to know where to begin. If you’re truly an average business, chances are you’ll have to settle for one of the popular tools in the space. Despite this, as long as you research beforehand, you can be confident that you’ll select an adequate software solution.
The Final Takeaway
A virtual event platform can be extremely beneficial if your business relies on face-to-face interactions, either in person or via live video. Similar to a website, a virtual event platform allows you to create events that you can track and analyze. This, in turn, allows you to see exactly how a particular event performed and what you need to fix before your next session.
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop to provide all the services you need for online marketing, check out HubSpot, which provides all the tools you need to create and manage a complete digital marketing campaign. The platform makes it easy for businesses of all sizes to engage with customers through SEO, content marketing, and viral marketing, all from one place.
