The fear of missing out (or as some of my fellow Millennials refer to it, #FOMO!) is a legitimate psychological phenomenon based in loss-aversion. We’re more scared of losing something than gaining it, and leveraging that fear can be a powerful marketing strategy when used correctly.
Marketing experiences are one of the best ways to use FOMO to your advantage. Everyone is afraid of missing a sale, but that doesn’t even hold a candle to the fear of missing The Best Vacation Ever or The Best Conference Ever and knowing that if they missed it, there’s nothing they can do.
Video marketing is a strong choice for event promotion because it captures the excitement and action so well. In this post, we’re going to look at how you can create event videos that keep the FOMO alive, even after the event is over.
Break Your Campaign Down into Sections
To truly create that “I-need-to-be-there” feeling you want potential attendees to feel, your best bet is going to be to break down your overall event promotion video campaign into several distinct sections. This is how you’ll maximize event registration, attendance, awareness, and even make people more interested in coming back in the future.
Social Media Examiner always does an outstanding job using video marketing to promote their event Social Media Marketing World, so we’re going to use them as an example here.
The Preparation
The initial videos that you release should be announcing and discussing what the event will entail. Share video updates with a familiar face (maybe a CEO, head of marketing, or other spokesperson) to talk about new speakers who just signed up to host talks or special lunches or mini-events or activities that will be offered.
The idea here is to slowly release information as it comes in, getting people more and more excited by continually showing them “hey look, even more value is coming your way.”
In these videos, always include CTAs and share where users can go to register. If there are any early-bird prices, mention them.
The (Not-So) Calm Before the Storm
Does it take a few hours, or a few days to set up before a big event? Go behind the scenes and have a few videos showing potential attendees how hard you’re working to create something incredible for them. This can even be videos showing people setting up chairs or hanging posters, while you talk about how excited you are and how you’re just putting the final touches on everything so the event will be perfect.
These videos can be Lives, but they can also be pre-recorded and quickly assembled video clips showing what different team members are doing across the venue. We’ll discuss how to create these a little later on.
Again, mention prices and let people know that there are only so many spots left but that they can still purchase tickets. If there’s a cut-off date for when they can do so, mention it now.
The Event Itself
Make sure you’re sharing videos of the event as it’s actually happening. Typically live broadcasts will be a strong choice, because you can “authentically” capture the energy of what’s happening and drive instant FOMO.
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While you’re getting live video, also make sure that you’re recording video clips as they’re happening and save them for later, because it will take us into the next stage…
The Aftermath
Use the video clips you collected and create high-quality videos to share after the event is over. Videos can include:
- Snippets of what happens around the event, including getting attendees waving at the camera and a few clips of talks, activities, and networking events.
- Testimonial videos from attendees about the amazing time they had and what they took away from it.
- A beginning-to-end video, showing everything from the preparation to waving the final participants goodbye.
You should share these all on social media and embed them in your site or landing page if appropriate. Remember that you don’t want to just get people excited about attending, you want to keep them glad they did or disappointed that they didn’t so they’ll be ready to act as soon as you have another.
Showcase People
Making sure to really showcase people in your event marketing videos will be important, because it starts to make an emotional connection and really capture the excitement of what’s happening. Have your employees talk about what they’re doing to get ready, and get those video testimonials from excited participants. Show the speakers before, during, or after their talks, and aim for authenticity here.
Highlight Activities
Your events aren’t just a bunch of people getting together for no reason. You’ll likely have speakers, or workshops, or fun activities for people to participate in. That’s the whole point, right?
Showcase what’s actually going on and how it’s impacting your attendees. Show a great, soundbyte-worthy few seconds of one of your speakers, or an event attendee sampling wine from the tasting you’re holding. Show people actually networking, learning, and engaging. This is how you’ll prove that your event is everything you said and more, and really get that FOMO going.
Compile Clips For a Big-Picture View
When it comes to events, one of your best bets outside of the lives is going to be to create high-quality compilation videos showing everything that you have to offer. You can even use these to promote the next big event you have if it’s similar to the one you just hosted.
Slap together a few videos combining testimonials, a word from the event host, and some activity-shots with upbeat music and you’ll be golden.
If you don’t have video editing experience, that’s ok! You don’t need any. You can use video editing software like Shakr to quickly load video clips into pre-created templates, add some text, and pair it with upbeat, exciting music to capture the mood of your event. Shakr’s video templates have free-for-commercial-use music included, so you don’t have to worry about copyright issues. You can learn more about how to quickly create videos with Shakr in the video below.
Conclusion
Event marketing is a little like the whole “if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?” schtick. If you have a great event but there’s no video evidence, did people even actually get value from it? This is what other people will be asking, so create FOMO and excitement around your event at every stage of its marketing– even long after it’s over– and you’ll increase attendance not only now, but if you hold it in the future, too.
