Marketing Junto - In Person vs. Virtual vs. Hybrid Events

In Person vs. Virtual vs. Hybrid Events

By Seth Goldstein – 27 Apr 2022 – View online →

As the pandemic morphs into an endemic and a nuisance above all else, events are starting to go back in-person.

Does this mean the end of the virtual event? Heck no! I see virtual events staying for the foreseeable future and even melding into hybrid events, where those who can attend in-person, do so and those who can't attend virtually.

The pandemic did something favorable to the events scene. It showed that you can have an event virtually and have it be a success. I think we're going to see a lot more events that want to attract a wider range of people/companies and different price points go virtual or hybrid, because there is less overhead for those attending virtually.

Recently, Brighton SEO, an bi-annual conference based in Brighton, UK, was held in person. All the talks were recorded and later in the month they held a two day online conference for free, for those who couldn't attend. They also had an upsell, which allowed you for a few hundred dollars have the recordings. This made the conference more accessible to more people, especially those who couldn't make the trek or afford to go. It was the best of both worlds. Those who could make the trek did and got to see everyone in person and those, myself included, got to enjoy the talks later.

In the end, I think all three methods are here to stay. What do you think? Mash that reply button and let me know.

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Why Snapchat’s Product Is Booming

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Guest Insights

Colin Jeffries is a fellow marketer and podcaster on the Marketing Podcast Network, with me. Here's another great insight from him.

Striving for Second Place

We hear constantly about brands who define their categories. Online retailer? Amazon. Laundry detergent? Tide. Electric vehicles? Tesla. To be sure, there is tremendous value and profit in serving your customers by owning a broad category. Many brands commit the cardinal sin of diversifying their way out of the top spot, only to struggle mightily later to regain lost ground. If your brand isn’t the category owner, if it’s not first to market, even if it isn’t the best, there is hope!

Hear me clearly on this: you don’t have to be the brand who owns your category. Pepsi, Goldstar, Powerade, Rivian and many other “second” brands live in the shadows of market owners. They may be “second,” but they aren’t the same. They don’t sell identical products to the category owners. They meet different customer needs, and they are very successful at it.

Pepsi isn’t Coke: it tastes better. Rivian isn’t Tesla: it focuses on adventure vehicles. Goldstar (for those of you in the Midwest that enjoy Greek chili) has a thicker formula than Skyline. This list is virtually endless of follower brands who have sprung up to own particular niches within broader categories.

Rivian doesn’t need to supplant Tesla and be the posterchild for electric vehicles. If they can cement themselves as the electric adventure vehicle company, they can dominate with drivers who fancy themselves outdoorsy and environmentally conscious—watch out, Subaru! It’s still a massive market, and one that Tesla will likely compete for whenever Cybertrucks actually start rolling off the assembly line.

Copying established brands rarely works. However, don’t fall for the conventional marketing lie that you’re either first or last. Being different in a category with a clear leader may still leave you enough room to serve an attractive audience who doesn’t identify with the number one brand.

Colin Jeffries is a healthcare marketing leader, podcaster, speaker, advisor, and content creator. You can connect with him via the Rethink Marketing Podcast or follow him on LinkedIn.

Podcast Of Note

The Fuel Podcast w/ Keith Smith album art

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