The year is 2020 and the month is April, in the midst of the global lockdown affecting businesses and their customers across the globe. For some brands, particularly those with a solely brick-and-mortar presence, this period of quarantine makes it impossible to do business. Thankfully, though, for many of us, the wheels continue to spin – although they need a little rotation during these unprecedented circumstances.

At Six Circles, it’s our mission to bring brands and their communities together – and in times of physical isolation, digital contact is the solution. Whatever your sector, now’s the time to explore the potential of virtual events – and in today’s post, we’re breaking down the options available to you so you can touch base with your community and offer a healthy dose of added value in the process.

Practical workshops

Regardless of your industry, you’ll have sector-specific expertise you can share with your audience in order to show them how to take matters into their own hands – whatever those matters may be. Practical workshops are suitable for businesses of all shapes and sizes – from ecommerce retailers to B2B software providers and beyond.

To get started with these how-to virtual events, the first crucial step is to establish what informational value you have to offer your customers, and how you can impart this knowledge in a practical, hands-on format.

Market research sessions

We’re all about market research at Six Circles and never miss an opportunity to extol its virtues. It’s quite simply the most efficient, elegant solution to gathering unfiltered audience feedback, and, while distance may separate you from your customers right now, this shouldn’t have to stand in the way of gaining their valuable insights.

Get brainstorming with your team to compile a list of issues you’d love your community to input on and book in a virtual event dedicated to bouncing ideas around with the loyal customers whose feedback can and should help to shape the future of your business.

Influencer interviews

Interviewing a prominent figure in your industry works wonders when it comes to enhancing your authority within your sector as, if the figure in question is influential enough, their mere association with your brand reflects well on your company. The positive brand exposure up for grabs makes influencer interviews a no-brainer – but the benefits don’t end there.

On top of your own engaged community, influencer marketing means you’ll also have access to an industry influencer’s own audience (who won’t pass up an opportunity to see this VIP impart their virtual wisdom). With the combined power of these two audiences, your interview’s online reach will enjoy a very healthy boost.

Q&A sessions

While market research sessions provide a forum for customer feedback that’s still inherently led by you, question-and-answer sessions put the control firmly in the hands of your community – giving them the freedom to ask the difficult, daunting or outside-the-box questions in an open virtual environment.

If your brand prides itself on candid two-way communication, an online AQA (any question answered) session – be it via your dedicated company forum or in a webinar-style video chat setting – could be the key to increased trust, as a result of showing your customers you don’t dodge curveballs.

Product demonstrations

If your business sells a product, tangible or otherwise, a live or even pre-recorded demonstration of this product in use – covering its features, benefits and applications – could provide your customers with a highly useful piece of digital content you can share periodically.

With this product demonstration video in your digital content arsenal, you can minimise product troubleshooting in the long term while also gaining buy-in from prospective customers whose only hesitations around converting relate to product functionality. So, whether you’re unboxing, configuring and using a piece of consumer tech or navigating the interface of your brand’s bespoke B2B software platform, now’s the time to show your customers how it’s done.

Informational webinars

Unlike practical workshops, which are ideal for delivering live, hands-on video content, informational webinars provide the ultimate format for educating your users on the theory surrounding an aspect of your business.

For an accounting startup, such a webinar could explore various tax rules and how to efficiently adhere to them. If you run a fair trade clothing company, your informational webinar might focus on the ethical manufacturing processes your brand swears by. Software as a service (SaaS) providers, on the other hand, might release a new informational webinar every time a new feature becomes available. The options are endless – whatever it is you’re selling, you can always go one step further with added value.

Maintaining contact is crucial to sustaining your relationship with your brand’s community – and the good news is there are innumerable ways to use virtual events to keep these lines of communication open.

The state-of-the-art Six Circles platform is the missing piece of the puzzle for any business looking to nurture its customer base into an engaged community – with event planning and market research functionality built in to help you stay in touch from your self-isolation station to theirs. Get in touch today to request a free demo of our platform before you take the next step.