The Enhanced Digital Content (EDC) program from A2Z Events by Personify can help your exhibitors extend their reach, generate leads, and gain customers. We offer a few different options for organizations to take advantage of EDC depending on their organization’s size, internal resources and needs.  

What is Enhanced Digital Content (EDC)?

EDC is a tool that enables exhibitors to create robust online profiles in the exhibitor console within the A2Z Events platform. This customizable profile allows exhibitors to add product information, show specials, press releases, video galleries and more. Think of the profile as an exhibitor’s content-rich digital booth that is available before, during and after the event.  

EDC enriches the event experience for both attendees and exhibitors:  

• Attendees can access exhibitor profiles before the event to plan out which booths they want to visit and connect with exhibitors before stepping onto the show floor. Additionally, the EDC tool benefits attendees unable to attend the event in person to interact with exhibitors digitally and recreate some of the in-person experience. 

• Exhibitors have increased visibility to attendees and potential customers at the event. They can elicit more show leads by promoting show specials, giveaways, etc. on their digital profile to increase the percent of folks that visit their booth in person. By creating a robust online profile, exhibitors can turn the conversations with attendees from “What do you offer?” to “I’m interested in this product I read about on your profile.” 

How Does Enhanced Digital Content Work?

There are a few different ways that an A2Z Events client can leverage EDC. Personify has an in-house Digital Engagement Team (DET) that will manage all aspects of the EDC program on behalf of clients. The DET works with you to make sure your exhibitors and attendees have a seamless user experience from program setup to marketing, post show reporting and analysis. They generate additional revenue to A2Z Events clients at no cost to them by offering online marketing opportunities to their show’s exhibitors through the Enhanced Digital Content Partnership Program (EDCP).  

Alternatively, an A2Z Events client can purchase the EDC functionality and manage it themselves if they have the resources and bandwidth. 

Why is Enhanced Digital Content Valuable to Exhibitors?

Nothing is worse than going to an event as an exhibitor, spending time, money, and resources to generate few or poor-quality leads. We find that exhibitors who add rich content to their online profiles typically generate 3X more profile visits, have more meaningful engagement, and gather a higher number of leads.  

The ability to showcase their company through enhanced content galleries gives organizations higher visibility over a longer period of time, as opposed to only a physical exhibitor booth.  

Exhibitors and attendees can also utilize the matchmaking feature in their profiles. By selecting what they are seeking to get out of the event, attendees will be matched with exhibitors that offer relevant products or solutions.  

Attendees will be able to prioritize the booths they visit, and Exhibitors in return will receive more engaged attendees. This allows for both attendees and exhibitors to maximize their time at the event and optimize their experience by finding their event match! 

How EDC Makes an Event Successful and Profitable

I’ve mentioned how EDC benefits exhibitors and attendees, but what about the event organizers? Well, having happy people who are able to meet their lead and revenue goals will keep coming back to your event year after year, improving your exhibitor retention rate and providing guaranteed revenue from their booth.  

Additionally, when you leverage our DET, you can save significant time and resources when planning and executing your event. 

 Utilizing the customized marketing our team provides, your event is elevated, from the website to email campaigns to event implementation. The DET team will also help adapt your strategy mid show if needed and at the end of your event you receive a post-show report with statistics and revenue breakdowns.  

Want to Learn More About Enhanced Digital Content?

If you’re interested in learning more about what A2Z Events can do for your next event through EDC, feel free to reach out to one of our team members. They’ll be able to answer any questions and build your strategy for digital success. 

The post Enhanced Digital Content: Increase Exhibitor Visibility and Grow Event Revenue appeared first on Personify.

This afternoon I found myself staring at a blank screen with no idea what I wanted to write.

I’d committed (with the best of intentions) to providing our Personify communications team with a post for the blog but didn’t specify what I would be writing about. Now the proverbial chickens had come home to roost. What did I have to work with? A deadline and surprisingly little in the way of ideas.

That’s a problem.

The dark corner of the bright spot

As the saying goes, content is king. Members and constituents of all stripes value the information provided by their organization across a growing number of channels. As a key strategy in supporting acquisition, driving engagement and keeping satisfaction (and retention) numbers high, a continuous flow of content that is both valuable and new has never been more important. While not a new idea, the momentum behind content marketing shows no signs of slowing down, with marketers turning to blogging, podcasting, vlogging, live video, and even Snapchat to share their organization’s message in a way that’s valuable, relevant and informative.

Sounds great, right? Constituents enjoy unparalleled access to information and opportunities for learning while organizations have endless chances to reinforce their value.

Good content comes from somewhere, a person gathering their thoughts, researching a topic and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) in order to share what they’ve discovered with a broader audience. That process is sparked by an idea, a question or perhaps a moment of inspiration.

What happens when that spark never happens? What happens when you need to feed a hungry content machine but you’re fresh out of snacks to share?

Some writers argue that “writer’s block” exists only as an excuse, designed to give permission to the inevitable human tendencies towards procrastination but as someone in the trenches I’m here to tell you the struggle is real. Perhaps you’re facing the pressure of deadlines, are afraid of introducing ideas that may be controversial or don’t want to publish anything less than perfect, so you don’t even bother starting.

When it comes to surmounting writer’s block, there’s no shortage of advice out there:

• Exercise to get the blood flowing
• Create a routine to help your mind find focus when it’s time to write
• Eliminate distractions and create a comfortable writing space
• Listen to music you love or try listening to music completely outside your comfort zone
• Read a book or inspirational quotes
• Spend time talking to a friend or loved one

The challenge is that writing is an art, not a science. There’s no magic formula that works for every person, every time. I’ve been confronted with writer’s blocks a handful of times over the course of my career and every victory looked different. More often than not, I’ve looked to author Charles Bukowski’s advice, “Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all.”

Breaking through

Being proactive in taking the first step is important but so too is the realization that as a nonprofit, you benefit from having a wealth of subjects at your disposal. Here are three I’d recommend to anyone looking for a place to start:

Crowdsource inspiration from your staff…and your members

Ask a question. Lurk in one of the forums in your online community. Talk to your staff and see what’s top of mind. By tapping into the perspective of others you can reinvigorate your content with ideas you may not have previously considered. As an added bonus, you know the content you’re pulling together already has appeal to your constituents and is aligned with their interests.

Newsjack

(Note: This is not the movie from the ‘90’s. That was “New Jack City.”)

Something newsworthy dominating talk around the water-cooler in your office? Try turning it into content. See how it impacts your organization, ask members via your social media channels for quick thoughts or spin up a poll to gauge their reaction on a timely topic.

See what the experts say

Do you have favorite blogs? Publications? They may relate to your organization’s mission or be more general, but the chances are good they may publish the latest in industry news and offer both opinionated and unique commentary on each subject. Does your organization’s point of view align? Differ? How can your constituents incorporate this information into their role, both as a member but with regards to their profession? What does this mean to them?

Whether you’re a content creation team of one or 100, you’re bound to hit a wall at some point and that’s OK but movement is critical. Put one foot in front of the other. Ask for help, from constituents, look for commonalities with what’s in the headlines, draw inspiration from other industry experts. Once you start heading in a direction – any direction – you’ll find it’s easy to pick up speed. Before you know it, you’ll be writing. You may have even found that you’ve written an entire blog post.

The post Feeding the Content Machine: 3 Strategies for Beating Writer’s Block appeared first on Personify.

A denim jacket. A perfect white t-shirt. A little black dress. Or maybe an Eames lounge chair, “The Godfather,” or a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra. While style is subjective, there are classics that seem timeless, appropriate no matter the season, occasion or date. Such is the case with the classic association email newsletter.

In our Personify Young Members 2.0 research, almost three-quarters of young members report receiving email from their membership organization often, either in the form of a newsletter (72%) or a more personalized message (73%) and both are effective in keeping young members informed and up-to-date.

When asked which marketing tactics young members wish associations used more frequently, email was near the top of the list, with more than one-third of survey respondents (36%) eager for the one-stop-shop convenience of a newsletter.

That’s right, the humble email newsletter.

Tried and true, popular with marketing staff and readers alike.  According to Content Marketing Institute, 83% of B2B marketers use email newsletters in their content marketing strategy. And email newsletters are getting read. Nielsen Norman Group reports that when asked which medium consumers would like to receive updates from, 90% preferred an email newsletter.

Why do newsletters perform so well? Convenience tops the list. Email newsletters offer a convenient, one-stop-shop for all the important updates and information during the week or month. Yet most organizations fail to take full advantage of this useful communication tool, leaving it in the back of their closet forgotten or relegated to being a catch all for a seemingly random pieces of information.

The good news is with a couple of updates, your email newsletter can take center stage once again.

Curating content for your email newsletter

Creating quality content can be difficult and creating a lot of quality content is even harder. But there’s good news, according to Jakob Neilson Research, “…the average time allocated to a newsletter after opening it was only 51 seconds. “Reading” is not even the right word, since participants fully read only 19% of newsletters. The predominant user behavior was scanning. Often, users didn’t even scan the entire newsletter: 35% of the time, participants only skimmed a small part of the newsletter or glanced at the content.”

When it comes to email newsletters, think quality over quantity. It’s OK to minimize the amount of content as long as it is:

• Germane– Directly related to the reader’s interest and topics they care about. When you’re developing, collecting and publishing content for your email newsletter put yourself in your constituent’s shoes. What would you want to see?
• Compelling– Your email newsletter shouldn’t be a duplicate of your association’s website. Think of it more as a flyer designed to get members excited. Think of your copy as teasers, short sound bites that direct the reader to a post on your blog or event information on your website. This ensures your content is scannable but also encourages your members to take action. Use your content as a way to get them to engage with your association!
• Beneficial– Does your content leave your reader knowing more about a topic than before they engaged with your email newsletter? What are their interests and how can you use your email newsletter to reinforce the value you’re delivering to each constituent?

In addition to standard news, updates, blog posts and podcasts there are a multitude of ways to introduce new content into your email newsletters. Share an update from your organization’s CEO or President to make readers feel like they’re in the know. Include relevant statistics and data points in your newsletters as a surefire way to reassure you customers and prove your success. Learn more about your constituents by including a poll or survey (and publish results in the next newsletter). Include a fun Top 10 list for entertaining content your constituents will love. Inspire readers with stories that show impact and how your organization is making a positive change.

The burden for content creation doesn’t have to be carried by your staff alone. Recruit members and donors to share their stories for powerful user-generated material. Highlight the best photos shared on social media. Ask constituents to share their stories, or have experts answer questions submitted to a “Dear Abby”-style advice column. The possibilities are endless!

Creating (additional) connection

Whether in a footer, a header or some other strategic place within your email newsletter, your organization should always include links to social profile pages. Think of your email newsletter as a hub, with the spokes being your other marketing channels. Leverage your email newsletter to direct readers to other areas digital engagement channels like your website, blog or social media sites.

Remember, your email newsletter is not the place for long, thorough content.

Instead, provide a quick summary and then link to your blog for the full-read. Or, include brief summaries and then send readers to your website for more details. This introduces constituents to more of your channels and supports driving deeper engagement with your organization.

Capturing clicks for your email newsletter

You never get a second chance to make a first impression so don’t skimp on your subject line. Why are subject lines so important for email newsletters? Without an effective subject line, the content within your organization’s email newsletter has little chance of being consumed. Here are some tips and tricks for highly effective subject lines:

• Introduce a numerical list of tips and tricks, e.g. 3 Ways to Boost Email Newsletter Performance!
• Use the power of your database to personalize subject lines, such as The latest APA news for Amanda. People are up to 50% more likely to open an email when the subject line is personalized with one of their individualized attributes.
• Pose a question to pique a reader’s interests. Some examples: How many young members are opening your email? Or Do you know where PersoniFest is going in 2020?

Ensure you’re hitting send the right day of the week and the right time of day. Every organization is different – look at what’s working best for you! – but many industries follow the rule that Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be optimal send days, followed by Mondays and Wednesdays.

Email send time is also a critical engagement determiner, with the top four send times being 10 am, 8 pm, 2 pm and 6 am. Confirming that – for better or worse – people go to bed as well as wake up with their inboxes!

A little updating, some accessorizing and your email newsletter will be poised to conquer a whole new audience. Remember to focus on your content, using your email newsletter to drive additional connection and using the right subject line and send time to capture their attention and it will continue to serve you for years to come!

The post 4 Tips for Refreshing your Email Newsletter appeared first on Personify.