Generate interest in your online communication

Until now, online media has been one of the most effective ways to comunícate to the target. However, the saturation of messages makes users less interested. We share with you some tips on how you to communicate effectively via online media to your target.

In the “Un café con…” section in our publication (in Spanish)eventos magazine no. 9 (www.eventosmag.com, the guru in new digital media, Paul Beelen explains that “the difficulty nowadays with getting a message across is the fact that people don’t pay attention because only a very small part of the messages they receive every day are actually relevant to them. In order to surprise a consumer, you will not only need a creative piece of advertising, but you will also need to deliver it in the right moment, and in the right place, to the right person, through the right channel”. Nowadays, consumers are saturated with publicity messages and are starting to see the online media as a tool used by companies to constantly bombard them with offers and promotions. The key is that media can change o reinvent themselves but the need of creativity and relevance is permanent.

In event marketing, online communication is a very effective way to inform and promote interaction among and with attendants. According to Paul Beelen, “online communication enhances the offline experience by enabling people to create networks and discover peers, before attending the real life event”. This allows the real life event to focus less on information delivery and more on networking and providing a ‘second part’ to the conversation that started online, says Beelen.

Following are some suggestions for a more effective online communication:

Make it interesting
When sending attendants information on your next event, for example, make it worth their time. Once you catch their attention, maintain the flow of communication which will be interesting for both parts. As a complement to basic information on the event, send them articles and other information they will benefit from reading.

Recipients in control
Because readers only care about what’s relevant to them, give them the option to choose what topics they want to receive and how frequently they want to receive them. Avoid bombarding people with messages: communicate with attendants frequently but not constantly and make messages as personalised as possible. Ask for feedback: give attendants the option to choose the topics related to the event that most interest them.

Spam
When sending information via email, it is important to say clearly who you are. This is important to ensure your email is CAN-SPAM compliant. Use a recognisable name and email address in the ‘From’ field. Otherwise, your message is likely to be perceived as spam. Messages with a recognizable sender doubles readers’ likelihood to open the message. Asking for confirmation of reception is a delicate matter as people may find it an invasion of their privacy, for its is sometimes better to ask for confirmation personalised in the same mail.

Decision Making Process
How long does it take recipients to decide on reading an email? It usually takes place in a second or two. To catch peopleÂ’s attention, your email should answer the following questions:
Who is this from?
Why should I read it? What’s in it for me?
Why am I getting this?
How can I respond?
How do I stop it?

For the event sector, new electronic media are very effective in many aspects. “Events can use new technologies to create their own communication channels, keeping attendees up to date between actual event dates. This constant stream of information would make sure that, once the physical event takes place, most attendees share a common knowledge, which could make the event more interesting”, says Paul Beelen.