As event marketers, we are always looking for new ways to excite and engage our attendees. In 2014, we saw that video marketing was really starting to take off in the events space. Whether it is adding some sort of video marketing corner at events, event teaser videos, Google Hangouts or vlogs the industry is finally realizing the power of video. Additionally, the uptake in mobile usage this year has had an effect on the industry. With more people using their phones to answer emails and look at content, it is becoming important to optimize your website, emails and content; or at least make it more mobile friendly.
With video and mobile being two of the biggest drivers for content this year, it is important to find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. One way to do this is my monitoring the newest trends in tech, apps and the media. Two new apps which debuted this year, could have a great impact on your event marketing campaigns if used the right way.
Get a crash course in the apps Hyperlapse and Steller, and see how you can use them at your next event.
Hyperlapse
The latest brainchild from the creators of Instagram, Hyperlapse is an app for iOs users (sorry android friends) that takes videos and then transforms them into timelapses. No longer do you need some fancy $500+ camera to create the trendy super-fast videos; all you need is your iPhone, a steady hand and your Hyperlapse app. You don’t need to be a tech genius to use the app either. Simply download the app and when you open it you are immediately taken to the video feature. Shoot your video, and once completed you have the option to adjust the video’s speed from 1x to 12x the speed of the original. That’s it. Simple. Powerful.
Tons of brands have already taken advantage of the app that launched the last week of August. From Mercedes to Taco Bell to Disneyland everyone is trying to use the app to show their products and services in a new way. Budweiser recently used the app to showcase their festival event Made in America. Instead of posting a longer video showing some of the bands playing, they chose to create a 7 second video with Hyperlapse that captured the vibe of the show. The results? An upbeat video that kept the buzz going after the event was over.
What you can do:
Show a behind the scenes setup of your next event. Purchase a stand for your iPhone and place it in the center of all the action. Take a video when you are creating the room 
placement for your next awards event or dinner, show the building of a tradeshow booth, the hustle and bustle of busy tradeshow floor traffic, really anything you can think of.
Use this video as a teaser on social media. Send it out to your audience to give them a taste of what they can expect at your show. Or take a page from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week’s book and use it to keep your show going and alive once it is over!
Use it in everyday social media posts! Show your products in action – use it as a teaser for upcoming product launches, create a contest asking viewers to guess where you are. You can use this app for everything and anything, and I’m sure your fans/followers will appreciate a new approach to videos on social media!
Before you get started though, make sure you know what you are doing. The digital marketing agency Flightpath, gives you a great “do & don’t” post for creating your Hyperlapse videos.
Steller
Stellar was created with the notion that our phones can do more than just post to social media, they can become creative devices. The app, founded by former Google and Microsoft veterans, allows you to turn your photos and videos into stories. With storytelling being another big trend in content marketing and social media lately, this app is a great addition the market. Right now it is mainly used for personal use with users posting stories of their vacations, dinners, pets and more. That doesn’t mean brands and companies can’t start using the now social site to help with content marketing.
What you can do:
Use it to tell the story of your brand or company that will be exhibiting at an event. Include product photos, text describing what you do, and even include short video clips (hint: Hyperlapse works in here).
Create a wrap-up “story” to send out to your attendees post event. This is a great opportunity to take some of the best moments from your event. Create a quick synopsis for attendees and the people who didn’t get to come. Burton Snowboards did a great job of this with their 2014 Burton US Open story.
Show your newest product or service launches with the app. Create a story that includes customer submitted photos and video. Think of it as a creative, visual success story!
Set up a contest for your next event. If you are a tradeshow or meeting organizer this is a great tool to host an out-of-the-box contest. Do promotion ahead of time through social and on your website asking people to download the app (maybe even put a link to download in your event app). Once they download tell them to give you the best story they possibly can from attending your event. Maybe you can even use this story as promotion for your event the following year! As CMO of MRY David Berkowitz said in a recent article, “brands need to be story makers, not story tellers.”
There are endless possibilities with these two apps when it comes to a new way to think about content marketing. The more creative you can get the better, try and get ahead of your competitors on this one.
Reprinted. By Kristen Carvalho,
September 23, 2014
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