Let's Solve It: Engagement

You're not alone.

According to the The 2021 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, lack of engagement is the primary reason cited for member churn. Markletic also reports that audience engagement is the largest challenge when it comes to virtual events. At the same time, 49% of marketers state that audience engagement is the most significant contributing factor to having a successful event!

But did you know that there are signs that an appetite for engaging online is on the rise? According to MGI's same report, 71% of associations are saying member engagement is up, and 83% of associations said webinar participation is up over 53% the year prior.

It's clear audiences are ready to engage digitally. But are you paying attention to their needs and, more importantly, are you delivering with the right tools and content?

“The best event organizer focuses on where the needs of their community are.” - Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO for UFI

2. Make sure both in-person and hybrid audiences are connecting to each other with awesome event tools. Do you have 1:1 chat & video capabilities, breakout functionality, emojis, live chat, polling, Q&A, discussion forums, and groups for real-time connection and peer-to-peer learning? 68% of marketers report that 1:1 meetings at virtual events help to improve audience satisfaction, and 81.8% of virtual event organizers use event polling and 59% recur to gamification strategies to boost engagement (Markletic). It's easier than you think to offer all of that with a Single Destination Platform.

3. Meet them where they are on their second screen with an event app. 83% of other event organizers are using one (eventbrite).

4. Zoom fatigue? Consider modern consumer behaviors when designing schedules for virtual (and in-person!) audiences. 55% of respondents feel that virtual events should last 30 minutes or less (Martech), and 45% of event organizers plan shorter multi-day events to account for waning attention spans (Markletic).

5. Leverage the power of social media. 89% of event planners use social media to boost event pre-engagement and create momentum (EventMB). Pro Tip: Did you know you can have your own social feeds during your events? Your virtual and in-person audiences can sound off and engage in the same place as your streaming and content. Learn more.

With the Millennial workforce shifting into decision-maker positions in a digital-first world, understanding your audience's needs has never been more important.

And what do Millennials and all your members want more than anything? To connect.

“Connection and community remain the heart of most associations, so be sure to communicate your support for your members and continue providing those connection opportunities—even if small or simple.” - Catie Duhon, President, International Meeting Managers, BizBash

WHAT'S YOUR ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?

Here are 5 things you can do right now to confront the elephant and start engaging your online audiences:

1. Watch our webinar with a subject matter expert! The elephant in the room is no one knows the exact answer, so let's solve it together! Join engagement strategist Tonya Almond, now with newly founded TAG Agency as she guides us through the top tactics in her arsenal to solve this riddle.

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