Women’s Virtual Expo
News Tribune | La Salle, IL
*2021 Second Street Award – Best Event Sign-Up Winner
This year the News Tribune took their annual Women’s Expo and converted it into a virtual experience! Through the event sign-up, attendees could register for the event as well as request to be added to the event’s limited-series morning newsletter. Plus, all attendees could register for an emailed virtual goody bag with offers and coupons from the event sponsors. The businesses were thrilled with the ability to be included this way as it gave them a better chance at identifying potential customers. Because the event was virtual, the News Tribune‘s expenses were even lower than normal which lead to an even higher ROI than expected.
Teddy Bear Clinic
Fredericksburg Parent and Family | Fredericksburg, VA
When their annual summer camp was cancelled, their lead sponsor’s event was also in jeopardy. Mary Washington Healthcare wanted to promote their new pediatric practice and had planned on hosting a teddy bear clinic. The team switched over to a virtual event. The sponsor created a video for kids and one for parents about a teddy bear going to the doctor during COVID-19. People were able to sign-up to receive their bears and watch the videos through this event.
Be Well 2020 Campaign
St. Louis Magazine | St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Magazine had to get creative to adapt their annual in-person health and fitness event to allow readers to still get the full experience. The magazine switched their Be Well Boot Camp to a virtual experience with videos and virtual booths for the vendors and fitness classes. The reimagined event retained the $27,000 in revenue from the sponsor, Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
Back to School: Coping with Anxiety
KPRC-TV | Houston, TX
The team at KPRC dove head first into leveraging event sign-ups to help their viewers. As the new school year approached, they hosted three different virtual events with representatives from the Houston school district as well as pediatric medical professionals. This was such an uncertain time with information changing daily. Hosting these events allowed their viewers an opportunity to ask the questions and get the answers they needed.
Voters Choice Awards: Virtual Event
WRAL-TV | Raleigh, NC
WRAL’s Voters’ Choice Ballot is a highly-anticipated event for viewers in Raleigh, NC. Their winners’ event is normally a key element to the success of their ballot. This year, the team at the station pivoted to a virtual event to announce the Voters’ Choice winners. The show was set to air live and hosted by two of the stations on-air personalities. The digital event registration form included opt-ins for both WRAL newsletters and their event sponsor, Martin & Jones law firm. 72 people asked to get more information from the law firm and brought in nearly 700 opt-ins for the station’s newsletters.
With the uncertainty of 2020, it was great to see media companies leveraging event sign-ups to bring their communities together and show people the strength of being together – even if we’re all still in our own homes.
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Julie is the Senior Customer Success Manager at Second Street and a former client in local media. Her best advice for driving the most success with your revenue and audience engagement strategy is to include promotions in every business initiative.