How to plan a professional online event?

Planning an event is not an easy task. It is essentially no different from planning the development and launch of an APP. Moreover, because the event cycle is short, the feedback is fast, the goals are simple, and the functions are pure, it is easier to expose problems in planning and design during the event. So how do you design an activity that your colleagues cannot find fault with and your leaders will praise?

1. Don’t rush to “ brainstorm ” and determine the core goals

Often when we receive an activity requirement, we start “brainstorming” and the purpose of the activity we finally achieve is off track.

Think for a while before you start, classify the goals of the activity according to "importance" and "difficulty of achievement" , and select the most core activity goals.

The description of problems in the "McKinsey Seven-Step Method" follows the SMART principle (S=Specific, M=Measurable, A=Attainable, R=Relevant, T=Time-bound) to describe the goals, making them specific, measurable, achievable, highly relevant, and time-bound. For example, “In the entire month of April, the number of people who purchased membership cards for the first time exceeded 10,000.”

2. Determining resources may be the key factor in the success of the event

You may be wondering: "Why do BAT 's activities always go viral?"

In addition to the team's own expertise, the resources they can mobilize are incomparable to yours. Long-term, cost-effective influencer agencies, the company’s media channels , company reputation, event budget, etc. are all key factors in determining the success of an event. But of course there are also ways to deal with limited resources. (Subsequent introduction: "How to run an event with almost 0 resources?")

1. Be thrifty and make every resource measurable.

The measurement method of each resource can be seen from the previous activity summary (the importance of activity summary), or it can be obtained through some industry data. For example, the reading rate of subscription fans is generally 5%-8%, and the better ones can reach 8%-15%.

Free tools to evaluate the authenticity of Weibo fans, such as "Second Hand Water Meter" ; *View relevant data of WeChat public accounts , such as "Qimai Data", "Weixiaobao Public Account Analysis Platform", etc.

2. With certain resources, how and where to use each resource to maximize its utilization.

• The company's service account can only receive 4 push notifications per person per month. Is it necessary to distinguish between the tweets of members and non-members, and users of different genders and regions?
• Text messages have a low reading rate, but the editing and pushing time of text messages also determines different conversion rates . For example, Didi pushes you coupon information for a private car after work on Friday before you get off work on Friday, suggesting that you think you’ve been tired for a week, so why not reward yourself with a private car? The conversion rate is thus improved.
• Official accounts, cooperating big accounts, media, etc. all need to plan content and push formats based on different channels and target users .

3. Pay attention to accumulating resources in daily life.

4. More diverse ways to discuss resources.

Many large companies often talk about agency fees of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, and when hiring small internet celebrities or KOLs, tens of thousands is considered the "market price". Of course, if you want to find a big account like " Mimeng " or "Papi Jiang", it would be difficult without hundreds of thousands of followers. But for many general big accounts, if the overlap of fans is low and the fans are precise and high-quality, the effect can be very good.

Of course, when communicating with them, it is best to understand their needs in advance. They also have needs to increase fans, give back to fans, improve their image, etc. If cooperation with you can bring about an increase in fame, or your product happens to be liked by her fans, and the value of the product is used to offset the cost of cooperation, it will help them increase fans, so why not? Naturally, the price can be negotiated.

Remember: Don't try to finalize the price right away, as it will not benefit either party.

3. The purpose of writing a proposal is to convince others and clarify ideas.

Writing a plan can help you sort out your thoughts, convince your leaders to agree to the activity plan, explain the input-output ratio, and at the same time convince supporting departments to recognize the significance of the activity investment. A good event plan is tailor-made , and the success of the event can be anticipated before the event begins.

1. A plan should include:

2. How to break down the goals into key parts?

(1) Find a model

Such as e-commerce sales conversion model:

Number of people following the activity * visit rate * conversion rate * average order value = activity sales

Even for one activity, the corresponding model conversion should be calculated for different channel promotions .

(2) The main content of the activity should be in non-textual form such as pictures and videos as much as possible: people are the ones who look at the plan, and the expression of words needs to be translated twice by the brain. If pictures are presented, it will be more vivid.

(3) Are the activity rules as simple as possible so that users can understand them without having to study them and can tell at a glance “what you will get if you do something”?

Are there any relevant case references?

There are only a few types of activities: subsidies, content topics, prizes, and interactive games .

It is almost impossible to come up with new ideas every time. We should focus more on existing cases, customize DIY for each activity, and explain that each step of DIY is helpful in achieving a small goal. Multiple small goals combined form the ultimate goal. It’s the same lottery, some people do the spinning wheel, some people do the lucky draw.

(4) Activity preparation plan

Regarding Plan B for activity risks, there are probably several types of risk points:

• Technical aspects: delay in launch or bugs after launch
• In terms of promotion , resources were not in place on time
• On the user side, users do not buy into the main selling points of the event
• External environment, other hot spots burst out, overshadowing the hot spot you want to take advantage of this time
• In terms of law, there are illegal acts, such as pornography, consumer rights
• Cheating loopholes, users find loopholes in the rules, fake orders, flooding, etc.

(5) Activity support

Please summarize the requirements for relevant departments in "human language" and let them execute them like "fools". This is an important factor in measuring the planner's grasp of details and professionalism.

Please remember to let the customer service staff know the content in advance . Think about the situation when "the user calls the customer service to inquire about the details of the event, and the customer service knows nothing about it." This will inevitably reduce the professionalism of the product in the minds of users.

3. Add and subtract from your plan

3.1 Do subtraction

Subtract from the process . Taking the activity main page as an example, we tend to put all the important information and function entrances on the main page, making the page dazzling. But in fact, the space of WAP pages is limited, and it is often only suitable to highlight one BUTTON. If you want to highlight 2 to 3 information or BUTTON entrances on a page, it is likely to make users lost. At this time, you must know how to make choices.

Subtract from your plan . In order to achieve each decomposed goal, we often stack a series of activities (here you may say, isn’t it said to decompose the goal? Everything needs a balance). The more ordinary activities there are, the more resources will be dissipated, which may make the originally explosive activities ineffective. Keep the 2080 rule in mind here.

3.2 Addition

Go back to the source of event planning and think about how to add creativity to achieve core goals.

In the preface of the once popular book "Sense of Participation", Lei Jun said: "Behind the flying pigs, the sense of participation is the 'typhoon'."

Allowing users who participate in the activity to have fun means that users invest more time and enhance their perceived control and sense of presence. Just think about it: who doesn’t want to share fun things? Who doesn’t want to continue playing with something fun? I've already spent the time, wouldn't it be a waste of time if I don't play?

First, to enhance the sense of participation , the three “techniques” in the book are:

a. Open simple participating nodes

For example:

In the activity of encouraging users to evaluate, Ele.me can get corresponding points incentives for every order evaluation. But I have never reviewed it once. But I am a member of Ele.me. Why? I think there are mainly two reasons:

Reason 1: The value of points is not prominent enough

What can points be used for? I think many people are not aware of how many times you can get a red packet of a few yuan in exchange for a review.

Reason 2: At the time when I was guided to evaluate, I did not need points

After the order is completed, we can evaluate the order, but at this time I have already completed the order that requires a red envelope. If I am reminded to evaluate a few orders before placing an order, I can get a red envelope. I believe my evaluation rate will definitely increase.

I became a member before placing an order. I saw that I needed to become a member to get a bigger red envelope. I calculated the frequency of my ordering, the cost savings, and the number of products that are eligible for membership, and I decided to join immediately.

b. Design interactive methods that are easy to understand and operate

c. Spread word-of-mouth events

I won’t go into detail here, but interested users can read this book

Second, make the copy more interesting and resonate more.

The motivations for users to share content are:

a. The content shared is what the user wants to say , but it is said through a third party;

b. Find something to talk about. Everyone has some moments when they don’t want to be lonely;

c. Help others to satisfy yourself (Tencent's " One Yuan for Paintings" charity event, giving a friend a red envelope, video membership, etc.)

d. Shape your image, express your position, and find a sense of existence (“Test whether you are the xxx in a certain TV series”)

e. Social comparison , winning in some competition (the game "Jump Jump", you hope to be the best in your circle of friends )

4. Effective workshops - bringing overlooked details to the surface

Agree on a time and bring together the relevant department heads and decision makers to discuss and make decisions.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, introduce the background of this activity and the reasons and objectives of doing this activity.

2. Introduce the theme and form of the activity, as well as the small measures to achieve each small goal , so that every step of the plan is well-founded.

"In order to achieve the above xxx goal, we have pre-investigated user needs and planned an event with the theme of xxx, which will be carried out in the form of xxx. We need to note that xx users have xx feedback (demands) in xx, so in the event we have xxx, and the event is expected to achieve xxx goals. In order to achieve such goals, we also have plan B to deal with the shortfalls."

3. The key time nodes of the activity, and the content and time points that require cooperation from other departments . After the key points are determined in the meeting, there will be fewer unnecessary disputes in subsequent cooperation.

4. Ask for and confirm suggestions from other departments . This part is very important in the early stages of planning. For example, you need to consider how product development can help, but you may not know if there is a better way to implement it. You may think that a 5-day job may take them 10 days or even half a month.

And the planner is not necessarily a jack of all trades. You need to listen to the more professional voices from various departments in the areas they are responsible for, listen - record - discuss - optimize, so that your plan is comprehensive.

For example: The product of the author's company is a membership subscription system. For a new customer acquisition activity, the conversion path planned in the early stage is to click on the activity link - landing page (rich product introduction and more attractive products + purchase card button) - decide whether to purchase a membership card, which seems very normal.

But after discussion, a more user-friendly path is to change the purchase button to receive the discount, click the link - receive the discount on the landing page - use the discount (purchase a card) or learn more, click to learn more - product homepage - use the discount to purchase a card.

The former is a promotional model, where whether a purchase is made happens in an instant. It is more suitable if the product is low-priced and has a high discount, or if the product is already widely known.

However, the latter method first gives users a discount and gives them more opportunities to think and discover more value of the product. If users do not use the coupons, there will be a loss cost. Even if they are not used at the time, subsequent reminders can increase more conversions.

It turns out that the conversion rate of the latter method is nearly twice that of the former. Shortening the conversion path also depends on the situation.

5. Follow up like a “mother”

"When you were a baby, your mother would check every day whether you were hungry, uncomfortable, had poop, slept enough, and whether you were growing normally..."

The successful launch of an activity requires multiple confirmations, which is very necessary, especially when you have not yet really figured out the working habits of other collaborators. List each confirmed plan before starting work each day and check them off every day.

After going online, monitoring data and feedback data are divided into real-time, daily and weekly. Before the activity starts, you should have psychological expectations for data fluctuations when breaking down goals and making plans. Some ups and downs are normal, otherwise it is abnormal. The abnormal reasons in this part also need to be anticipated in advance.

For example, in a sales promotion activity, a few days before the launch, you need to take into account channel distribution, attention, visit rate, conversion rate, average order value and other indicators several times a day; after a few normal days, you may only need to focus on the final sales every day.

feedback:

Pay close attention to user feedback on different channels, such as Weibo, Zhihu, Douban , event comments, customer service, etc.

The author once encountered a paid experience activity. Due to a user's misoperation, an experience opportunity was wasted. However, the problem could not be resolved even after contacting customer service. The user then went to Weibo @ us and said a bunch of untrue remarks. Because the user had too many fans, this caused a bad influence.

In the end, of course, we took the initiative to contact the users and added prominent instructions on the "experience method" on the activity page, and this situation basically did not happen again.

But the reflection we got was "Don't assume that the behavior you take for granted is what users will expect. Of course, we can't be comprehensive, but if we can get more timely information at an earlier time, such as from customer service's judgment of user emotions, there may be no subsequent impact."

Record interesting events just like "taking care of a baby". Record processes or experiences that can be optimized, record peaks and troughs in data, collect user feedback and discussions, and take interesting screenshots during activities.

6. To achieve your goal at 120%, you need a little more stimulation

Are you satisfied if 100% is achieved? An activity also follows the "life cycle" theory (as shown below)

How to achieve a “second spring” after the maturity period? Improve the conversion rate of the activity push group:

1. By opening up more limited activities such as:

2. “Event countdown reminder”

3. “Show real feedback from users who participated in the event to dispel their doubts”

4. "Provide professional answers to user questions arising from the event"

5. Targetedly give larger discounts to unconverted users (need toutou to do this) to expand the push audience:

When your event goals are no longer satisfied with the initial planning, you need to use more channels to push them.

NetEase once planned many screen-sweeping activities on WeChat Moments , such as "Sleeping Position Competition", "On the 55th day after joining NetEase, Julia realized the idea of ​​resigning", " NetEase Cloud Music : Music Review Train", and "Late at night, a male colleague asked me if I had slept..."

In addition to the professionalism of its team, it also lies in the process mechanism of the screen-sweeping activities it has created - after a small-scale test, it achieves high conversion in a small-scale mature stage, and quickly provides support through long-term cooperative Internet celebrities, big accounts, and the NetEase media matrix, and a screen-sweeping event is thus created.

7. Wrap up and summarize - make a project that has a beginning and an end

In the later stage of the activity, it is necessary to explain the rules for stopping the activity, such as if there is a lucky draw:

• All participating users need to be informed that the audience users to whom the activity results will be announced must be the same as the audience users when the activity is launched.
• Provide a channel for users to file complaints and inquire, and be open-minded when facing possible subsequent issues.

The activity summary (focusing on the "closed-loop thinking" of each activity) needs to include: activity background, activity content and form, goals and effects, analysis and experience summary, and follow-up plans.

Author: Operation Blind Detective, authorized to publish by Qinggua Media .

Source: Operational Blind Detective