While you might think that it is impossible to host a virtual event with a low budget, selecting the right virtual event platform can do wonders and help you host a budget online event. Follow the tips or ways mentioned in this article to host a budget-friendly virtual event. 

Identify the Problems of Your Target Customer Segment

Identifying the needs and preferences of the customer segment you are planning to target, will help you determine the features and functionalities that are needed in your virtual event platform. This will further help you choose the virtual event platform and keep your event expenses under control. Moreover, knowing and catering to the needs of your audience further helps you provide them with an immersive and realistic event experience. 

Conduct Pre-event Polls

As discussed in the above point, identifying the needs of your target audience will help you manage your expenses and also provide them with a holistic experience. Conducting pre-event polls on social media platforms is the best method for determining the needs of your target audience. The poll questions must be such that talks about the problems faced by the audience and what kind of solutions they expect. You can run pre-event polls for free on various social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. 

Determine Your Budget 

When planning to host a virtual event with a very small budget, making a budget estimate is necessary to keep your expenditure in check. This will help you explore the various options available and select the most cost-effective event hosting platform. Having a budget estimate will provide you with the time and opportunity to arrange funds before executing the event. 

Develop Event Agenda

Once you have identified your goals and estimated your budget, the next step is to develop an event agenda. The event’s agenda must include the name of the sessions and activities that you want to include in your virtual event. Making a list of all the topics, segments and activities you want to cover in your online event will further help you identify the features and elements essential to make it successful. The event agenda you develop should be sent to the attendees before the event. This will help get them excited about it and also help them know about the benefits of attending. Moreover, the agenda will consist of the date, time and other details of the event thereby, helping you provide a more immersive experience to the attendees. 

Opt for Virtual Events

Virtual is the new mode of hosting events. Both large scale, as well as small scale events, can be held through the virtual model. When you are on a low budget, going virtual is the best option as it is less costly in comparison to physical events. All the activities from voting, conducting quizzes, networking and engagement should be moved online. Online events can save a significant amount as it eliminates the cost of travelling, catering, logistics and accommodation. Therefore, hosting virtual events is one of the most economical ways to organize an event. 

Select a DIY Virtual Event Platform

A DIY platform provides you with the autonomy to create, build, manage and execute your event. It allows you to build your event by yourself and add the elements which you deem fit. Moreover, DIY platforms are cheaper as they provide you with the technology, and the rest of the work is done by you. While you might think that creating the event by yourself is difficult, selecting an easy-to-use virtual event platform can make it simple. Furthermore, a DIY virtual event platform also lets you customize every aspect of your event. 

Look for the Pay-Per-Use Feature

While some virtual event platforms provide completely tailor-made event packages, others let you select the features you want to include in your event. With these types of platforms, you only have to pay for the features you select, resulting in significant cost savings. Hosting a great event with a low budget requires careful planning, adequate research judicious use of resources. Therefore, the pay-per-use feature should be your priority while selecting the virtual event platform. 

Use Social Media for Event Promotion

Advertising and promotion of your event also form a major part of the cost of the event. Companies have to shell out huge amounts to run advertisements. You can use an alternative method and generate organic reach using social media platforms. You can post images, videos, gifs and presentations on the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Your posts can be based on previous event statistics as to how many engaged and how many found the event helpful in solving their problems.

Moreover, social media posts can help you increase your audience reach. Another way to promote your event free of cost is to create an innovative landing page. It must consist of the details like time, date, speakers of the event. You can also rely on email marketing as it is one of the most effective ways for event promotion. A catchy email consisting of valuable information can help attract more people to the event. 

Use Compelling Content

If you are planning to host a virtual event and are short on budget, creating compelling content can help you improve your event ROI by increasing attendance. If you create valuable and compelling content, you can save yourself from the costs involved in running advertisements. The content should address the problems of your target audience and provide solutions to them. Solving their problems will help attract them to attend the event. Don’t forget to direct the readers to the event registration link. 

Run Technical Checks

Make sure you run technical checks before the actual event to ensure that everything is in place and all the equipment and devices are configured and working well. Any occurrence of a technical error can make your attendees frustrated and lead them to exit the event. This can adversely impact the overall event experience. Running a technical check will help you save on additional costs and boost the ROI of your virtual event. 

Final Words

The above article must have helped you understand how you can host a virtual event with a low budget. Make sure you keep the above points in mind while planning your next low budget virtual event.