Vimeo OTT: How to Stream Video In 8 Steps

Posted on by

Learning how to stream video online using Vimeo OTT is easy. Follow this guide to plan and execute a live video stream. By following these steps, you will run a video experience for your audience directly on your website. Running a live video stream from your website is powerful because you can offer an engaging experience free of social media distractions.

Why Use Vimeo for OTT?

Over the top (OTT) media is a popular way to share video content online without using a cable, satellite, and other traditional means. Many people know Vimeo as an online video platform. However, it is capable of much more than sharing videos. Vimeo OTT is an excellent choice for streaming because it is fully brandable and offers multiple monetization choices, including advertising and subscriptions. It is one of the best ways to add streaming video to your organization.

Online female vlogger creating podcast content with videoblog, recording live discussion to broadcast on social media channel. Happy lifestyle blogger using vlogging equipment.

1) Set Up Your Vimeo Account

Your starting point in streaming video with Vimeo is to create your account. Your first step is to choose a Vimeo OTT plan. The starter plan is suitable for organizations just getting started in live video streaming. The growth and enterprise plans are better suited to companies that need multiple streams and pay-per-view options.

2) Customize Vimeo OTT For Your Organization

Out of the box, Vimeo OTT has significant video streaming capabilities. That said, creating an immersive branded video experience requires some work on your part. Fortunately, customizing Vimeo for your organization is simple.

At a minimum, use the following tips to customize the Vimeo OTT platform.

  • Apply Your Branding To The Vimeo OTT Platform. Upload your branding to Vimeo OTT.
  • Create A Vimeo OTT Custom App. You can create a custom app for your video channel. Reach out to Vimeo to discuss this further.

3) Integrate Vimeo With Your Website

Your next step is to add a Vimeo OTT video to your website. Adding live streaming video to your website means you can create a more engaging video experience. For example, you might run a live stream video to promote a new product. When that video stream is displayed directly on your website, it is easier for customers to view and order products.

4) Plan Your Video Stream Content

With Vimeo OTT installed you are now ready to plan your video content. If you are already experienced in running online video events, skip ahead to the next step.

For organizations new to live stream video, take some time to brainstorm and plan your content. Fortunately, you don’t have to start from scratch. Instead, read our post: 9 Steps To Make Your Own Live Stream. You will learn about the audio and video equipment needed for an event.

5) Enhance Your Livestream With Live Chat

Creating a live stream video that grabs your audience’s attention is difficult. Your audience might get distracted by a notification, email, or text at any moment. There are two ways to solve the problem of maintaining high levels of engagement.

Reduce Distraction

Start by looking for ways to reduce distractions. Using Vimeo OTT, your video experience can be branded, and free of clutter found on other platforms. You can also encourage attendees to turn off other browsers and devices for the duration of the event.

Increase Engagement

Ultimately there is a limit to how far you can cut distractions – that’s why boosting engagement is critical. Adding live chat to your video event is one of the best ways to make your virtual event more engaging. For example, you can use Arena Live Chat to run quick polls during the event. Offering a poll is one of the fastest ways to gather feedback from your audience. In addition, you can take questions from the audience through live chat.

Live chat to encourage comments and questions transforms your live stream video into a social experience. People often feel uncomfortable abruptly leaving a social event. When attendees see your video event in social terms, they are more likely to stay engaged.

6) Staff Your Livestream Video Event

A successful live stream video experience is a team effort. At a minimum, we suggest having a team of two people: presenter and support. The presenter will be front and center on the screen, interviewing other people and delivering content. On the other hand, the support person can focus on the live chat session and help attendees with questions. In addition, the support person can share links and conversion cards to drive action. For more significant events with hundreds or thousands of participants, a larger team may be needed to maintain engagement with your audience.

Once you have your team, boost their confidence by equipping them with a live training session.

7) Complete a Vimeo OTT Video Trial Run

Learning to use new video technology can be difficult. If you are unfamiliar with Vimeo’s advanced features like pay-per-view, your team may feel overwhelmed. Plan a small-scale video streaming event with your team to build your team’s confidence. As the test event progresses, verify that the presenters and support staff can view the live chat.

8) Schedule and launch Your Vimeo OTT Event

You are now ready to launch your first live stream video event using Vimeo. To maximize attendance, schedule the event at least a week in the future and then promote it. Make sure you post about the event on social media and highlight the event on your website.

Tip: Plan to offer subscriptions to your live stream video event? Reach out to Vimeo for tips on how to set up your subscription options.

Launch Your First Vimeo Live Stream Today

Following these seven steps will guide you from start to finish in streaming video with Vimeo OTT. To enhance your streaming experience further, consider leveraging live chat to build a sense of community around your content.

Engaging with your audience in real-time using live chat not only boosts viewer interaction but also fosters a loyal community. Incorporating live chat into your Vimeo OTT streams can transform your video events into interactive experiences, keeping your audience engaged and coming back for more.

The Top 10 OTT Vimeo Streaming Services

Posted on by

The power of digital interaction cannot be overstated in today’s market landscape. Dive deep into the potential of Arena’s comprehensive Customer Data Platform (CDP) for eCommerce through an examination of the top OTT Vimeo streaming services.

Top Vimeo OTT Streaming Services: An Insightful Overview

1) Mary Fulton Fit

‍

  • Content: Health and fitness content
  • Supported Devices: Not listed
  • Pricing: $26.25/month or $262.63/year with a 14-day free trial.
  • Overview: With both pre-recorded videos and scheduled workout events, Mary Fulton Fit cleverly balances timely content such as morning sessions and on-demand videos, exemplifying adaptability.

2) MasterLectures

‍

‍

  • Content: Video lectures on Christian theology
  • Supported Devices: iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, and fireTV
  • Pricing: $19.99/month or $14.99/month with an annual subscription
  • Overview: Zondervan, a renowned Christian book publisher, has transitioned into the video streaming market. MasterLectures serves as an educational repository for those interested in in-depth Christian subjects.

3) ISC Sports Network

  • Content: Indiana sports events such as basketball, sports podcasts, and football
  • Supported Devices: iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, and Xbox
  • Pricing: $4.99/month or $49.99/year with pay-per-view options
  • Overview: ISC’s niche focus on Indiana sports highlights the potential of catering to specific demographic interests.

4) Speed 51

‍

‍

  • Content: Car racing events across the US
  • Supported Devices: iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, and Samsung Smart TV
  • Pricing: $9.99/month or $79.99/year
  • Overview: A treasure trove for racing enthusiasts, offering both subscription and pay-per-view models, demonstrating versatility in monetization strategies.

5) GazeboTV

‍

‍

  • Content: Classic TV series from Sullivan Entertainment
  • Supported Devices: iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, and Roku
  • Pricing: No monthly fees with select content available for rent or purchase
  • Overview: Celebrating Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery’s works, GazeboTV showcases monetization outside standard subscription models.

6) PRO EDU

‍

‍

  • Content: Photography education
  • Supported Devices: Apple TV, Roku, FireTV, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad, Android, and web browser
  • Pricing: $499/year or individual video purchases
  • Overview: Catering to photographers, PRO EDU offers a blend of technical and business-focused content, signifying the breadth of professional development offerings.

7) Grammy Museum

‍

‍

  • Content: Music and associated material
  • Supported Devices: iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Roku, and FireTV
  • Pricing: $3.90/month
  • Overview: Beyond the annual awards, the Grammy Museum taps into its brand’s legacy, offering intimate performances and interviews.

8) Y7 Online

‍

‍

  • Content: Yoga classes and associated playlists
  • Supported Devices: Roku, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad, and website
  • Pricing: $16/month or $192/year with a seven-day free trial
  • Overview: Offering structured yoga sessions, Y7 provides variety and flexibility to its subscribers.

9) Park Avenue Synagogue

‍

‍

  • Content: Jewish content and associated materials
  • Supported Devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, FireTV, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad, and website
  • Pricing: Free to sign up
  • Overview: Serving as a digital conduit for religious content, it exemplifies the potential of religious institutions in the digital realm.

10) Full Moon Features

‍

‍

  • Content: Thriller and horror movies and related media
  • Supported Devices: Not listed
  • Pricing: $6.50/month or $65/year
  • Overview: A haven for horror enthusiasts, demonstrating that understanding and catering to niche interests can be profitable.

Maximizing Streaming Potential with Arena

Establishing a streaming service is just the beginning. Ensuring long-term engagement and retention requires foresight and strategic planning. Arena‘s integration with Vimeo OTT and its potent CDP for eCommerce can be your guiding light, ensuring you harness the full potential of your content, engage effectively with your audience, and ultimately, achieve your marketing objectives.

Enhance the E-learning Experience with Live Chat

Posted on by

All eyes are on e-learning right now. Don’t be just another platform: improve your customers’ experience using Live Chat. Find out how you can do it.

Technological expansions stimulate the market and companies to put out their products and services. But when it comes to education and e-learning platforms, is just enough technology to reach revenue and success?

We can tell you it is not! But to answer, you need to achieve relevance, improve your services, and make money. We will present to you how Live Chat is the best solution you need right now, especially during this global scenario.

E-learning market evolution

Convenience, feasibility, and self-management are the main reasons digital studies have grown in the past years. Stiff methodologies and schedules complicate this generation’s ability to bend and adapt.

Personal routines do not follow a 9 to 5 structure anymore. Your audience demands options to build their agenda and keep on improving their technical skills and crave for better opportunities.

And that is the combination to birth e-learning: cyberspace that mixes distance, education, and digital resources. Through it, there are no more physical or geographical borders. Anytime and anywhere, the e-learner can join a digital classroom to study.

A fundamental factor in keeping e-learning fresh and updated is human interaction. Here is how you can get it!

Humanize with Live Chat

Live Chat is an add-on to a web page that allows users to interact with each other. Since an e-learning environment requires tutors, teachers, and students, Live Chat can offer multiple resources to establish more excellent communication.

Through text, voice, and video messages, users can create an enriched learning space. They can also share different types of file formats on chat.

Before the pandemic, e-learners could apply their new abilities at workplaces, exchange information with coworkers, engage at workshops, or face-to-face classes. Now, those options are limited.

Having a Live Chat and all of its features and possibilities is your best opportunity to keep on providing relevant experience to the users.

Pandemic times leading to new solutions

But now, amongst every other particularity, a student has in life to choose a more flexible way to learn, there is also COVID-19 and its repercussions. A healthy social interaction is now a must-have aspect that people consider in this “new normal” scenario.

Learning environments have softly evolved over time. Even though there were a few alterations here and there, its structure has remained the same, like the classroom space, for example.

Due to the pandemic, education’s core has been forced to remodel its shape, and e-learning is the only thing able to lead that change successfully.

Two groups of people you should pay close attention to during this are:

  1. The first group is the current customers. E-learners, they are already studying and should not feel that the absence of social interaction can compromise their learning process. These can not wait too long for better solutions to arrive. They want –– and need! –– them right now.
  2. And the other group are possible new customers. There are multiple unexplored niches to work with, like those who already know e-learning platforms and got caught up by your unique services, and those who do not know e-learning yet but saw in your company a reliable, complete, and humanized platform to kick off.

‍

More than ever, there is no place for halfway, lack of quality, or uncertain results.

Companies need to create this empathic and respectful environment to show that they are aware of the new challenges. But beyond that, present the best solution to keep the highest service and customer satisfaction on top. That’s called Customer Experience.

Improving experience through technology

The economic crisis mostly leads to desperate measures for many. Understandably, companies must do whatever they can to stay in the game, but when business actions arise from desperation and zero strategy planning, the result might be a failure.

That kind of outline calls for proper assistance, and because of the variety of possibilities, technology becomes the most capable one. Properly used, this powerful resource can meet the needs within the context of not having personal interactions on e-learning spaces.

Live Chat, as we mentioned before, integrates human management, relevant engagement, and a high level of support for the students in a single place. 

Following the users through the learning processes creates better engagements. The platform can compensate for the lack of physical relations with guidance programs, such as making a tutor or teacher available simultaneous to studying time on the same web page.

Live Chat bringing real-time interaction

Having a Live Chat on your e-learning platform can promote a sense of community. With a professional content moderator, students can go through paths that will enhance their experience. If you like a good benchmarking, you should check out how Pecege Institute is leveraging Live Chat to enhance the digital learning experience.

As a result, your brand’s status of authority gets stronger, customers can have better experiences, and they may consider making other purchases. They may also put relevant referrals out there since your services amazed them throughout the entire process.

Real-time engagements create live environments, with a sense of fresh curation and professional domain. It means the content is updated continuously and new, systematically watched by the teachers, tutors, and the platform itself.

Have a Live Chat solution now For Free

A well-managed Live Chat solution for e-learning spaces can aggregate more value to your services. You can increase revenue by showing your customers how much they can earn by studying your platform, highlighting the teacher’s role, and adding better experiences during the course.

You can also capture new customer’s attention, letting them know how exclusive, personalized, and complete your products are. Not to mention all the great references made by satisfied users.

Arena can give you a Live Chat solution right now. It will be fully operating within minutes on your platform.

Employee Engagement with Live Streaming

Posted on by

A corporate live stream is an excellent way to engage your employees, minimize expenses, and create a more unified organization. With the technology available to companies, almost any in-person experience can be transitioned to virtual. This guide is for companies looking for creative ways to engage their employees using a corporate live stream. 

How to Engage Employees with Live Streaming

Consider the following ways to engage employees using a corporate live stream. 

Conferences

Conferences are a great way to learn valuable information about your industry, it’s consumers, and your competitors. However, you can’t send everyone in your organization to attend them. Therefore, most companies send a small handful of employees to attend. 

If the conference permits it, have the attendees from your company live stream important speakers and topics. This allows all of your employees to benefit from the conference without having to be there physically. If your company runs its own conference, make sure to set up a live stream so employees can watch and rewatch it online.

Check out these virtual conference platforms you and your team can use to stream awesome events.

Announcements

Create a corporate live stream for big company announcements. For example, a startup has scheduled an IPO and needs to announce it to its employees. Instead of sending a wordy email, the CEO can set up a corporate live stream that connects with employees in an exciting and personable way. Allow employees to view the live stream, ask questions, and engage with each other. 

Nubank went further: the bank hired award-winning singer Anita for its IPO live streaming event.

Training

A corporate live stream is one of the best ways to train employees. It eliminates the need to gather employees at one physical location, and it can save your company on training costs. Use live streaming for sales training, onboarding, compliance training, and more. 

During live stream training, let employees engage by asking and answering questions. Live stream training is especially useful for roleplays that require employees and trainers to interact with each other. If you have employees spread throughout the country, a live stream training allows them all to hop on from the convenience of their desktop or mobile device. 

By recording your training, you give employees the ability to rewatch training on-demand at their own pace. Once a training is recorded, there’s no need to spend time recreating it. If a clip needs to be updated, you can always go back and make the necessary changes.

Adding Live Chat is also a great way to enhance the e-learning experience.

Q&A Sessions

Question and answer (Q&A) sessions, also known as “ask me anything” sessions, give employees the chance to speak with someone higher up in the company. For example, you could host a virtual Q&A session with the company’s CEO. This gives employees the opportunity to ask important questions regarding where the company is headed, why he or she started the company, and more. 

To prepare for Q&A sessions in advance, you can create employee polls to collect votes on most important questions. Questions that get the most votes can be prioritized and answered first. Let employees watch the stream live, submit anonymous questions, give feedback, and watch Q&A recordings. 

Product Demos

If your company is constantly releasing innovative products, it can be hard for employees to keep up. By hosting a virtual product demo, you can engage your employees and share all the details of your new product. Allow them to ask questions, rewatch the demo, and see visual representations of the product in action. 

Town Halls

Virtual town halls are organization-wide meetings in which all employees attend and receive important updates, share ideas, and ask pressing questions. By hosting a town hall virtually, you can connect employees in several different branches, and you allow them to connect with colleagues that they don’t see on a regular basis. 

Town halls are typically conducted on a quarterly basis, and virtual ones cut expensive accommodation, travel, and venue costs. They also make employees feel more united and appreciated, and they can have tremendous benefits on company culture. 

Employee Parties

A great way to improve employee engagement and retention is by creating a culture that makes them feel appreciated. One way to do this is by hosting a virtual party. This can take the form of a virtual happy hour, employee recognition meeting, or team party. 

While most would prefer these to be in person, this isn’t always possible. Team members can be scattered around the country and have busy schedules. By hosting an employee party online, you can allow them to connect without needing to travel or take time off work. 

For example, your HR team could host a virtual happy hour in which employees in North America have the chance to meet employees in Europe. You can promote casual conversations, recognize employee achievements, and boost the overall morale of your employees. 

Interviews

The first way to engage employees is by live streaming interviews. You can interview customers, employees, suppliers, industry leaders, and partners. Ask them important questions on how they interact with your company and its products and services. This engages employees by allowing them to learn more about your company and its challenges from someone else’s point of view. 

When you live stream your interview, make sure to record it so people can rewatch it if they missed out. It also helps to generate a transcript so employees can highlight important points. By sharing video interviews, you’ll be able to help onboarding employees gain a better understanding of your company’s mission and strategies. 

Conclusion

Many people think of live streams as a way for companies to connect with their customers. However, this guide reveals that live streams are a great way to connect and engage with employees too. A corporate live stream can be used for interviews, conferences, announcements, training, Q&A sessions, product demos, town halls, and casual employee parties. 

How Arena Can Help

If you need a tool that lets you create group live chats, send instant messages, ask questions, and create polls, consider downloading Arena Live Chat. You can also share important written updates during your announcement with Arena Live Blog. If you enjoy using these tools, check out Arena Customer Data Platform (CDP) to help you understand your customers’ preferences and interests. 

Arena has been used by thousands of companies in over one hundred countries to improve their live events. Arena customer TV1;, a company focused on live experiences, began creating virtual business conferences as a way to keep attendees and employees engaged online. Arena has also been trusted by companies like Facebook and VTEX; to run live events. 

For help planning a virtual event, download our free eBook for creating highly engaging live event scripts. For more information on enhancing your live stream, click the link below to download our free eBook. 

Agency Reporting: all you need to know

Posted on by

It’s common for agencies to create reports to improve communication with their clients, help them identify and achieve their goals, and attract new business. By learning how to create effective agency reports, you can build a better relationship with your clients and scale your agency by attracting new prospects. This guide is designed to help you understand what agency reports are, why they are important, and what to include in an agency report.

What is an Agency Report?

Agency reports are detailed reports showing data that’s been collected from reporting and monitoring tools. This lets agencies see what’s working and what’s not working and take actionable steps to improve their business. A common purpose of creating agency reports is to show investors and clients how well an agency’s strategy is working. 

Why are Agency Reports Important?

A report conducted by HubSpot indicates that 23% of agencies fail to meet client expectations and goals. One way to solve this is through effective reporting. It’s important to create reports that use data to tell a story to communicate opportunities, strengths, and your agency’s value. It should give you an overview of what you’ve done over the past week, month, or year. 

Agency reports help you evaluate and optimize your own strategies, but they also help you sell your agency’s services. By achieving and demonstrating results through an agency report, you can show them off to scale your agency and attract new clients. It can also facilitate transparent communication with existing clients by showing them exactly what results you’re getting for them. 

What to Include in an Agency Report?

An agency report should include sections for goals, key metrics, and value added.

Goals

Start by working with your client to identify your shared goals. Set both short-term and long-term goals and be specific. Goals should be clear and achievable, and they should always include trackable metrics. In this section, you can also include which digital agency tools you’ll be using to achieve these goals. If you need more information on goals-based reporting, check out this helpful article. 

Key Metrics

‍

When adding key metrics to your agency report, consider which statistics your client values most. If your metrics aren’t important to your client, it’s unnecessary to include them. You should also add metrics that align with your set goals. For example, include statistics relevant to customer engagement if your goal is to get the client’s audience more involved. 

Examples of important metrics you can include are listed below. 

It can also help to include non-qualitative metrics like social media reviews and customer feedback. 

Value Added

In addition to key metrics, make sure to include the value provided for your client. This is your chance to demonstrate how you positively impacted your client, and you should include everything you think is relevant. Show how your actions led to the desired outcome and how you will continue getting results for clients going forward. 

For example, if you helped a client run a successful online virtual event, demonstrate how you helped them prepare, manage, and achieve their desired outcome. You could mention how you helped them prepare a virtual events script, advertise their event on social media, and convert viewers during the live event.

By sharing these details, your current clients will see the value you provide and will be more likely to continue working with you. It also allows you to scale your agency by attracting new clients once they see the impact you’re having on other clients. 

Additional Tips for Agency Reporting

Once you’ve included goals, key metrics, and value added on your report, consider the following tips for better agency reporting. 

Create Frequent Reports

If you only provide your clients with an agency report once or twice per year, you’re missing the point. By publishing weekly reports, you’ll keep your client informed with the most up-to-date information. This gives you the opportunity to collaborate more often as new challenges arise, and it can make each client meeting shorter and less stressful. 

Use Reporting Templates

If you have multiple clients to generate reports for, use agency reporting templates to make the process more streamlined. Templates can be customized for each client, but they eliminate the need to recreate reports from scratch. This lets you focus on the important aspects of reporting while saving time on tedious tasks. 

Create Multiple Reports

Trying to include all reporting metrics on one document can create a tangled mess. Instead of cramming all your data, create multiple reports that categorize data by channel. While this step isn’t mandatory, it can make complex reports more readable, and it can prevent your clients from becoming overwhelmed. 

Include Future Plans

By including a section for next steps, you can show your clients how you plan to improve results in the future. This section is important because it allows you to connect the dots between previous results and future outcomes. This is especially true if your previous results fall short and you want to demonstrate how you can turn them around going forward. 

How Arena Can Help Your Agency

Before you focus on generating reports for your clients, you need to make sure you can deliver them results. Arena has software tools that will allow you to satisfy your clients and scale your agency. 

Arena Live Chat can be added to a website or live stream to improve engagement through surveys, polls, Q&As, and instant messages. Agencies can personalize live chats with GIFs, reactions, and emojis and add conversion cards to sell products and services. 

To post quick updates as a live event unfolds, agencies can download Arena Live Blog. This tool can share images, videos, text, and social media to viewers, and it comes with more than 15 customization options. 

Finally, Arena Customer Data Platform (CDP) can be paired with the Live Chat and Live Blog tools to collect user data from multiple touchpoints. With it, you can build unique customer profiles to understand their brand preferences, purchase history, interests, and live events engagement activity. 

Conclusion

Agency reports are a great way to keep clients informed and to attract new business. If you need help creating one for your agency, consider implementing the steps covered in this guide. Always include goals, key metrics, and value added in your reports. 


It’s also important to build reports frequently, use reporting templates, break up reports, and include next steps. If you need help getting results for your clients, consider adding one of Arena’s software tools. To learn more about Arena, click the link below to speak with an expert. 

Book a demo session

Most common mistakes with Virtual Events

Posted on by

Hosting a virtual event presents its own unique challenges. Some apply to in-person ones, while some mistakes are specific to hosting an event online. This guide was created to show organizers the most common mistakes when hosting virtual events and how to avoid them. By avoiding these mistakes, you’ll be able to create a virtual event experience that’s purposeful, engaging, and effective. 

Virtual Event mistakes

The following are the five most common mistakes virtual events organizers make. 

Lacking structure

Developing and executing a structured plan is a virtual event key to success. Without this, your event can experience awkward pauses, overlapping speakers, miscommunication with attendees, and more.

To make sure your event is structured, start by creating a schedule. Add time slots for each speaker, segment, and meal break. It’s smart to include Q&A sessions throughout your event so attendees can have their questions answered, and you can also survey your audience with a live chat tool. 

The next step to improving your virtual event structure is to post your agenda before the event starts. By doing this, your audience will know exactly what to expect, and it eliminates the need to go over the agenda during the event introduction. 

Finally, incorporate some flexibility in your agenda and create backup plans in case things go wrong. Technical difficulties, speaker absences, and late entrances are common problems that can arise. By having a little flexibility and a solid “plan B”, you’ll be able to tackle these challenges with ease. 

Wasting time on irrelevant topics

Another one of the most common mistakes virtual events suffer from is time wasted on irrelevant topics. If the purpose of hosting the virtual event is to build relationships with attendees, it’s not a great idea to spend half of the event trying to sell products. By straying away from your goal, your event will lack a targeted direction. 

To avoid this mistake, create a clear goal for your event. Once you have a goal in mind, ask the following three questions. 

  • “What do I want my attendees to take away from this event?”
  • “What content can I share to help me achieve my goal?”
  • “What parts of my agenda do not serve the purpose of my virtual event?”

By eliminating parts of your event that aren’t important, you’ll be able to create a more concise and engaging virtual event. Create a purposeful and engaging virtual events script, only add content that’s relevant to your goal, determine which metrics are most important to you, and focus on adding value to your attendees. 

Trying to mimic an in-person event

Virtual events aren’t meant to be structured like an in-person event. This is one of the biggest mistakes virtual events organizers make. At an in-person event, networking is more natural, attention spans are greater, and distractions are minimal. With an online event, people can’t meet each other face-to-face, leaving the event early is much easier, and distractions are unrestrained. 

Technology allowed events to seamlessly transition from in-person to online, but the strategy for running each is different. To create an effective live stream event, host one that has the excitement of an in-person event without trying to completely replicate an in-person event. 

Start by tightening your agenda. Because attention spans are shorter online, virtual events should typically be shorter than comparable in-person ones. Long content blocks and drawn out speeches don’t translate as well online as they do in-person. 

Next, provide guidance when it comes to attendee networking. Casual conversations are more natural in-person than they are online. Therefore, assign discussion topics when sending attendees into breakout rooms. This gives your audience a talking point and can prevent awkward conversations. 

Finally, make your virtual events as easy to access as possible. A huge advantage of virtual events is the ease of packaging and accessibility. When deciding between different software tools, choose those that let users access content in multiple ways and from different devices. You can also provide content libraries, summary posts, and quick video-clips to your attendees. 

Not having a moderator

Having an assigned moderator is a great way to improve your live event. Without a moderator, virtual events can lack direction and smooth transitions. A moderator is a great person to provide an introduction, introduce new speakers, and guide the event through its stages.

When deciding on a moderator, pick someone who is enthusiastic and who understands your audience. Your moderator is likely the first impression for your event, so choose someone who’s excited about it. By selecting someone who understands your audience, you’ll be able to build better relationships with them. 

Forgetting to practice

Not practicing before hosting your live stream event is an easily avoidable mistake. Your speakers, moderator, and behind-the-scenes crew should all be familiar with the agenda, the virtual event platform, and their individual duties when hosting an event. 

As with anything, practice makes perfect, and conducting just one practice run will allow your team to spot potential issues and overcome them. Speakers should have a rough set of notes and script for their speeches. The practice run allows them to see if they’re taking too long, finishing too early, or are right on time. 

Make sure everyone is comfortable with the virtual event software. Test internet connection, get everyone logged in, and double check their camera and microphone. Once these are set up, the practice run will ensure that everything is working properly. 

How Arena can help

Arena has powerful software tools that event organizers can use to improve their virtual events. To improve attendee engagement through instant messaging, group chat, polls, surveys, and Q&As, consider adding Arena Live Chat to your event. This tool can be paired with Arena Live Blog to share relevant updates as your event unfolds. 

To collect user data from different touchpoints, build customer profiles, and understand your audience’s interests, you can also add the Arena Personas (beta) for CDPs. This tool keeps track of attendee information, engagement history, brand preferences, purchase history, and more. 

Conclusion

When hosting an event, it’s critical to avoid these five common mistakes virtual events organizers make. Create a structured event, focus on the event goal, use online strategies for your event, assign an event moderator, and don’t forget to practice. By doing this, you’ll be able to create an event that gets results and provides a positive experience for your audience. 

One way to improve your event structure, stay on topic, and engage your audience is by creating an effective virtual events script. A script can be used by speakers to guide them through their speaking points, remind them of what to say next, and keep them organized and focused on the goal. To discover how you can create highly engaging scripts for live coverages and virtual events, download our free eBook by clicking the link below.

‍

What 5 Virtual Event Producers Learned in 2021

Posted on by

The outbreak of the recent pandemic forced event producers to transition from in-person events to virtual events. While there were many roadblocks, successful event organizers were able to overcome the obstacles and continue hosting events virtually. This guide covers what five companies learned about the transition from in-person to virtual events. 

What Event Producers Learned

Event organizers need to keep learning how to optimize their virtual and hybrid events. The quick shift to virtual forced organizers to learn how to adapt quickly. Below are the most important lessons that Arena customers learned from making the transition to virtual. 

Hybrid is a Strategy, not an Event Type

Grip published a webinar that positioned “hybrid” as a strategy instead of just an event type. Its research indicated that interest in hybrid events is declining, and that 63 percent of event producers lack a clear strategy for hybrid events. 

The company emphasizes that, “Hybrid is not an event type, it’s a strategy and the best hybrid strategy is omni-channel, where organizers use different channels to engage attendees in different ways.” It stresses the importance of completing an objective at every touchpoint instead of completing all objectives at every touchpoint. 

It suggests that instead of creating hybrid events, organizers should create a combination of in-person and virtual events. It suggests that on-site events should focus on creating and building relationships, while virtual events should be short and focused on building brand awareness and educating attendees. 

Virtual Events can Improve Employee and Customer Connections

TV1, a company focused on live experiences, engagement strategies, and brand activation, has adapted to hosting virtual events. It learned that virtual business conventions can be created in a way to keep employees and attendees connected and engaged. 


While in-person events bring people to a physical location and make networking seamless, virtual events can do this too when set up properly. While helping Bayer host its first virtual convention for its pharmaceutical unit, TV1 was able to keep attendees and organizers engaged online. 

It emphasized it was important that “the experience did not overlook the dynamism and connections that are so common in the presence and that it engaged employees so that everyone was ‘on the same page’.”

It did this by integrating with Zoom and using augmented reality to facilitate training and using interactivity features to keep attendees engaged. It also enhanced the virtual event by using television logic, gamification features, enhanced scenography, and content transmission strategies. 

Virtual Events are Great for Training Employees

WorkCast discovered virtual events can be used to effectively train employees. The company writes on its blog, “Gone are the days of full-day staff training, complete with awkward icebreakers and trust falls. Instead, more and more businesses are using webinars for training purposes.”

Webinars allow employees to take ownership of their own career development, they improve efficiency, and they give companies more flexibility. They can be used to onboard new employees, provide continuing education for teams and individuals, and provide external training. 

WorkCast identified that training webinars are more accessible than traditional training methods. Employees can customize their training and complete it at their own pace. Webinars also let employees use voice-to-text software for taking notes, download transcripts for recordkeeping, and add subtitles to eliminate language barriers. 

Virtual training can be completed faster because it doesn’t require traveling to a physical location. It’s more cost effective than hosting an in-person training. It can also use Q&As, surveys, and polls to increase engagement. 

Cloud Engagement Platforms Enable Much More than Virtual Events

Cloud Conventions recognizes the scope of cloud engagement platforms (CEPs). CEPs don’t simply enable virtual events; they combine state-of-the-art digital marketing technology with collaboration features that encourage networking and interaction between attendees. 

Cloud Conventions used a report by Wainhouse Research to break down CEPs into three primary use cases. The report titles them “Webcasts”, “Interactive Events”, and “Virtual Hubs”. Webcasts require the least amount of technological complexity and costs, while virtual hubs require the most. 

Webcasts are used as an “online megaphone” to broadcast content. They offer limited attendee engagement options, maximum presenter control, and they’re best used for product launches and lead-generation webinars. 

Interactive events are used to combine collaboration and content streams. They’re typically one to two hours in duration, they enable sponsor promotion on-screen, and they’re used to increase attendee engagement and networking. 

Virtual hubs are online destinations that let attendees engage in multiple ways. They serve as the gateway for hybrid events, and they offer distinct online communities and can be used for online conferences. 

Virtual Events can Enhance Live Sporting Events

Sotic has learned that digital channels and virtual events are great ways to engage live sporting event attendees. Sotic has a video solution that lets brands tell their story, link to specific athletes and events, integrate with their video provider, and monetize their content. 

The company recently partnered with a rowing website to enhance the experience of their audience. It introduced its “Live Boat Tracker” to let fans follow live rowing races from the website. It also let viewers track insightful data like distance from leader, stroke rate, and speed. 

How Arena can Enhance Virtual Events

Arena’s software is trusted by thousands of companies including Swoogo, Grip, TV1, WorkCast, Cloud Conventions, and Sotic to improve their virtual events. Consider adding one of Arena’s tools for enhancing your own virtual event. 

Arena Live Chat

Live chat is a tool that lets attendees respond to polls, ask questions, and interact with your brand and other attendees during virtual events. By adding Arena Live Chat, brands can seamlessly integrate live chat capabilities with their virtual events. The feature lets online attendees provide feedback and share ideas virtually instead of needing to be physically present.

Arena Live Blog

Live blogs let virtual event organizers share quick updates like images, text, video, live scores, maps, and more as an event unfolds. Live blogs can provide important event updates, share ideas, present interviews, and keep attendees informed about speakers. Organizers can use Arena Live Blog to quickly improve their virtual event experience. 

Arena Customer Data Platform

Arena Customer Data Platform (CDP) can be integrated with Arena Live Chat and Live Blog to understand customer behavior and interests. Companies are finding it harder to understand their customers because of the heightened restrictions on cookies and data privacy. A CDP can solve this problem by building customer profiles and collecting data from different touchpoints. 

Other Resources

For those who want to learn how to create a superior virtual event experience, check out our guide. 

For more information on what to say during a live event, we have an eBook with live event scripts. 

If you want a comprehensive guide on how to get the best results using live ecommerce, check out our free eBook. 

Conclusion

The recent shift from on-site to online events has caused event producers to adapt quickly. Grip learned that “hybrid” is a strategy not an event type. TV1 learned that virtual events can improve both employee and customer engagement. WorkCast capitalized on the benefits of training employees virtually. 

Cloud Conventions recognized the several benefits of CEPs, and Sotic used virtual live streams to assist in the sports niche. For assistance with your virtual events, consider adding Arena Live Chat, Live Blog, or CDP. If you want to learn more about virtual event trends in the upcoming year, click the link below. 

12 Ways Companies Are Using Live Chat For Growth

Posted on by

Live chat is a great way to bring people together, increase engagement and get leads. Yet, you might be wondering what a successful live chat experience looks like in practice. To inspire your next live chat experience, check out these creative approaches to live chat.

These 12 companies are Using Live Chat – and doing it right

1) Boost Engagement In Virtual Events Like Grip Events

Grip Events organizes live chat experiences to enrich its virtual events. Instead of sitting back and passively watching content, they can ask questions and interact with other attendees. That’s not all. Event organizers can also use Live Chat for lead generation. No more scrambling to ask virtual event attendees for contact details so you can follow up.

2) Keep Fans Engaged Like Van’s Channel 66

Marketers spend a lot of time and energy attracting customers to their websites and digital experiences. Keeping your audience engaged is a different challenge. Vans, the shoe, and apparel company, uses Live Chat to enrich its online “Channel 66” experience.

Available in video streaming or audio-only formats, Channel 66 lets music fans come together to chat about their favorite songs. In addition to music, Channel 66 also features live commentary on bands, DJs, and other music topics.

3) Reinventing the IPO Like Nubank

For decades, initial public offering (IPO) events were formal events. Executives and investors would celebrate a company’s success on the stock exchange. There might be a ceremony, a party, and news coverage. 

Nubank, a bank from Brazil, decided to do something different in their 2021 IPO event. Anitta, a Brazilian superstar, sits on the bank’s board of directors. She also performed at the company’s IPO event. This event also included a chat experience for fans to connect. The lesson from Nubank – you can add fun to formal corporate events! 

4) Give Multiple Interaction Options Like Reuters’ Strategic Marketing Virtual Event

Reuters held the Strategic Marketing 2021 event in October 2021. The event stressed interactivity in several essential ways. First,  Reuters offered live chat, including polls and Q&A sessions, which was vital for the event’s value. Second, Reuters offered a networking “match-making” option. That platform allowed attendees to interact directly with speakers and other attendees. Third, the event included discussion boards for longer-form discussions.,

5) Keep Discussions On Your Website Like The Daily Telegraph

Sometimes we want to talk to someone about what’s happening in the world at that very moment. Most of the time, we run to our social media and start posting, whether that’s Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

But, with Live Chat embedded in your website or blog, there’s no need to go anywhere else to post and discuss the news. People can talk right there and then what’s on their minds!

And that’s exactly what the Daily Telegraph is doing on their portal.

6) Reinvent Church Services With Live Chat Like City Gates

Since the pandemic started, many churches decided to go online for their services. For this experience to be more involving and personal, many of them also chose to use a Live Chat. During the church service, church members can talk about it, share their thoughts and pray together virtually.

City Gates is one of the churches following this tactic. They perform services on Sundays, and the chat is available during this period. 

7) Empower Students To Get Answers: The Bridgend College Story

This UK college found a way to help students through the internet. Due to the pandemic, virtual education has become a necessity. Using a Live Chat, the student asks their question and someone responsible for this service will answer them right away. They can get their questions answered about various subjects, from financial aid to work placement assistance.

8) Make NBA Coverage More Engaging Like Fox Sports

Fox Sports became a reference for Live Chat usage during the NBA games. They created an online community for basketball lovers; that is just amazing. Any sports and games can have a discussion page where fans can talk about their favorite moments.

For some games and sports news, chats are only open for a limited time. You can see what was discussed during the live session when closed. When closed

In addition, they also used Live Chat for a live Q&A in an interview with Tom Morris. It was a huge hit, fans loved it, and the sports company will probably use it more times!

‍

9) Appeal to Disc Golf Fans

Still on the sports subject, this is a website to watch disc golf games, follow news about the sport, find information about athletes, and a calendar to see the upcoming games. 

The Live Chat here is available when a match is happening, making a big difference for spectators. They can talk about the game, comment on their favorite moments, and share their overall thoughts on the match.

10) Encourage Virtual Business Network Like Dynamics Con

This was an event about business-related subjects. It had several lectures on technology, finances, etc., where participants could watch live and discuss with the speakers through the Live Chat tool.

Webinars are pretty popular nowadays, and the Live Chat can help spectators to get their questions answered, just like it happened during this event.

11) Boost Public Health Awareness Like Toronto’s CityNews

This news website from Toronto used Live Chat to engage its readers during a public health Q&A about coronavirus. The topic was fresh, and people were interested in it. You can still read some answers on the website page and check all the saved questions on the chat.

12) Start The Diversity Discussion Like Diversity Live

Diversity Live was an event that happened during the pandemic in 2020, with many lectures on various themes related to diversity like diversity in sports, marketing, and diversity on social media. Like other online events, the Live Chat helped transform the whole experience for the spectators and speakers alike.

While spectators talked and contributed their thoughts, speakers could hear some questions and lead their speeches accordingly.

The Next Step To Add Live Chat Takes Just 10 Minutes

Planning a virtual event takes significant time and effort. You might think that adding a live chat capability to your event is too challenging to try. That’s why Arena Live Chat is designed for a fast setup. Most users can set up and install Live Chat in less than 10 minutes. Don’t believe us? You can try our Live Chat for free. Sounds great, right?

Scale Your Digital Agency Following this Guide| Arena

Posted on by

Building a business that’s predictable, sustainable, and scalable without negatively impacting output is a primary goal of most agencies. A scalable agency is one that adds revenue at a much faster rate than costs. If you’re looking to scale your agency, this guide is for you. It covers different strategies, ideas, and tools you need to create a scalable agency. 

How to Scale Your Agency

The inability to scale is one of the biggest challenges facing agencies. To overcome these hurdles, use the following tips on how to scale your agency. 

Build Scalable Lead-Generation Systems

To scale your agency, it’s important to have a continuous inflow of new leads. Avoid relying only on one-time campaigns or word-of-mouth referrals. You need to create lead-generation systems that can grow with your agency. An all-in-one system is the best way to do this. 

Whether you use organic search, email marketing, social media advertising, or referrals, you can combine them to achieve optimal results. Instead of looking at your marketing strategies as individual channels, understand how each of them work together to get results. It’s also important to have a marketing strategy that integrates with your sales strategy.

Dominate Your Niche

Some agencies have trouble scaling because their niche is too broad. They try to serve too many different audiences, and they never become the leader in their niche. That’s why it’s so important to pick a specific niche and focus only on serving clients in that pool. 

Let’s look at a simple business example. Someone who needs a software tool to help them build a high-rise skyscraper has two options. The first option is to use a software that serves the construction industry. The second option is to use a software tool that specializes in helping people build high-rise skyscrapers. Construction managers are far more likely to choose the software that specializes in their specific skyscraper project. 

By niching down, you can become the “go-to” leader in that area. This makes it easier to scale because you’ll understand more about your specific customers’ needs, and prospects are more likely to hire you due to your specialized expertise. 

Try Result-Based Pricing

Another way to scale your agency is by switching up your pricing structure. Many agencies either bid on projects or offer fixed-priced packages. To attract more customers, offer them results-based pricing. By doing this, you take the risk burden off your customer because they only pay for the results you generate. 

Before trying this, make sure you’re confident that your agency can deliver results for the customer. This pricing plan puts the risk on your agency, but customers appreciate it and are more likely to sign up. It’s smart to have enough overhead to cover any losses if you fail to succeed. 

Understand Your Client Journey

The client journey refers to every touchpoint between your agency and your client. The journey starts when a client enters the pipeline, and it lasts through final post-delivery communication. By standardizing this process, you can more easily scale your agency. 

To create a standardized process, you must first map out the customer journey. A simple example is by categorizing new clients into referrals and outbound sales. If these two types of clients are onboarded differently, include boxes and arrows on your customer journey map that correspond to the proper onboarding strategy. Referrals may be onboarded using process one, and outbound sales leads may be onboarded using process two. 

By creating a visual chart of this process, you’ll be able to streamline onboarding operations, connect sales and project management processes, and more easily scale your agency. 

Enhance Your Analytics

Improving your data analytics allows you to gain better insights into your customers, scale your agency, and show off ROI to prospects and clients. To enhance your analytics, invest in a software tool or hire an analytics specialist who specializes in areas relevant to your agency. These can help you improve the common types of analytics listed below. 

Descriptive Analytics

Descriptive analytics is done by taking content or data and determining what happened. It uses both historical and current data to reveal relationships and trends. You can use descriptive analytics to see how many customers downloaded an eBook, how many likes your social media post got, or how many people viewed your video. 

Diagnostic Analytics

Diagnostic analytics uses data to determine what causes certain correlations and trends between variables. Diagnostic analytics can be done manually, with statistical software, or by using an algorithm. An example of diagnostic analytics is testing the color scheme of a landing page and seeing which generates the best results. 

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics uses historical data, machine learning, and statistical algorithms to make future predictions. Predictive analytics can be used to optimize your marketing strategy by revealing what type of campaigns are most likely to work best, which customers are most likely to generate the largest revenue, and the best time to reach out to customers. 

Prescriptive Analytics

Prescriptive analytics takes the data collected from predictive, diagnostic, and descriptive analytics to make a recommendation on how to optimize your agency going forward. It uses algorithms, artificial intelligence, business rules, and machine learning to make a recommendation. Prescriptive analytics can reduce human error, create a long-term business plan, and save time for agencies. 

Tools for Collecting Data and Improving Engagement

One tool you can use to collect data from your users is through a customer data platform (CDP). Arena CDP can help by collecting and analyzing data from multiple touchpoints to form unique customer profiles. 

By integrating the CDP with Arena Live Chat, you can analyze what the user says online and use it to understand their interests and preferences. A live chat tool is also great for enhancing user engagement.

They can be paired with live virtual events to add instant messaging, group live chat, Q&As, polls, and other engagement features. Another tool for improving engagement, creating a superior live stream event, and collecting user data is through Arena Live Blog. 

This tool’s analytics dashboard lets agencies analyze audience behavior and monitor performance. It can also be used to provide quick, interactive updates during live stream events. 

For information on enhancing your live stream through engaging virtual event scripts, check out our free eBook.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to scale your agency, try some of the five strategies covered in this guide. Create lead-generation systems that are comprehensive and scalable. Pick a specific niche and dominate it. Try results-based pricing instead of a fixed pricing structure. Map out and understand each type of client’s journey. 

It’s also helpful to ramp up your descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. You can also use Arena’s CDP, Live Chat, and Live Blog tools to collect customer data, enhance engagement, and improve a live event experience.

Metaverse: virtual world experiences using CDP

Posted on by

The next phase of the Internet – the Metaverse – is coming. There’s a lot of hype and uncertainty around how to make the most of the Metaverse. The technology underpinning metaverse experiences are still evolving. For a quick introduction to the Metaverse and what it means for marketing, check out our post “4 reasons the metaverse matters to marketers and what to do now.”

In addition to technology, two factors will drive metaverse success: good content built on a foundation of customer insights.

Why The Metaverse Is Like Fire

Fire was one of the most potent forces in early history. Used effectively, fire helped us thrive in hostile environments, prepare food, and more. Yet, fire can also hurt people and destroy buildings if used poorly. The difference between fire creating warmth and value and disaster lies in planning and skills. Finding success in the Metaverse is no different.

What does this have to do with the Metaverse and marketing, you ask?

Without the right plan, a poorly executed Metaverse virtual world may hurt your brand. Launching an irrelevant metaverse experience that does not speak to your audience’s interests will consume your team’s time without creating much value.

The Twin Pillars of a Successful Virtual World Experience

As a newer technology, it will take experimentation and patience to succeed in the Metaverse. However, random trial and error efforts take far too long. That’s why you need to think

Content

You might object to focusing on content first in the metaverse experience. Indeed, there is excellent value in emphasizing community and connection among your audience. That said, we need to give your audience why they should join your metaverse experience instead of doing something else with their time. Engaging content, therefore, forms a vital pillar of an engaging virtual world experience.

The type of content you create for a virtual world will vary depending on the technologies and scope of your plans. Use the following list as a starting point to create your content experiences.

  • Event scripts. You may feature presentations, speeches, and talks in your virtual world. Taking the time to create an engaging script and visual aids will make your event more enticing. 
  • Worldbuilding content. To create an immersive experience, every facet of the world must be planned. Do you want to create a virtual town experience? Or scale down to a virtual booth at a conference?
  • Narrative experiences. Take inspiration from the successful video games experiences that feature virtual worlds. Users have the experience to act out stories and interact with other characters. This storytelling approach is another way to use content in your company
  • Gamification ideas. Gamification means using video game mechanics (e.g., experience points, in-game rewards, leaderboards, etc.) to drive engagement. Your virtual world may use these types of mechanisms to encourage people to spend time in the virtual world.

Customer insight

The other pillar of a thriving virtual world is customer insight. Without this insight, you might create an entertaining world that fails to speak to the needs of your audience. A customer data platform is a virtual resource to inform the creation of virtual world experiences. Assuming you have collected data for at least a few months, you will be able to validate your virtual world content ideas.

Here are some helpful questions to sort through which virtual event experience ideas are worth pursuing.

  • What is your customer profile?

Ideally, you want to have quantitative (e.g. age, gender, location) and qualitative insights (e.g. what ideas and concepts get them excited).

  • What questions do customers ask most often?

Check your; live chat platform and staff to see what questions come up most often. For example, you may notice that a large percentage of your customer base asks technical support questions. In that case, your virtual world experience should start with a high degree of technical support.

  • What digital content has driven the highest engagement and conversions?

When possible, look for content linked to conversions (e.g., purchases or lead generation). If this information is not available, look for content that has driven the highest engagement in user time, likes, and similar metrics.

If you lack robust customer insights, get started today with the Arena customer data platform.

Using your customer data platform in the Metaverse

There are several ways to use your customer data platform to create and optimize virtual world experiences.

Plan and create a virtual world

A customer data platform can give you valuable insights about the kinds of content your users have enjoyed the most in the past. Based on this information, you can plan more successful metaverse experiences. For example, if your customers like virtual events that emphasize networking, then you can plan a virtual event with a focus on virtual events

Run a virtual world

A customer data platform can support running a virtual world. For example, you may use tracking links and discount codes to track purchases back to metaverse experiences. Tracking customer behavior is especially important when you offer large virtual worlds with many different experiences. Without tracking, you will not know which experiences and content resonate most with customers.

Optimize a virtual world experience

Once a customer leaves a metaverse experience, they will continue interacting with your brand. They might share feedback about what they liked and disliked in response to a survey or mention it during a live chat session. With a customer data platform, you can keep all of these forms of feedback organized.

Get Started The With Arena Customer Data Platform

Before investing time and effort in a virtual world, you need to understand your customers first. To keep your staff organized, install the Arena customer data platform. Once you have the application installed, you will have a single place to view customer activity. You can see the entire customer journey – website chat sessions, interactions with the sales team, and purchases – in one place. Get started today by learning more about the; Arena customer data platform.