Why you should use e-learning today to drive revenue tomorrow
We’re now six months into our new normal. But even though we’re recovering and businesses are approved to reopen, people are still wary of going places that do not allow for safe social distancing, and are continuing to entertain and teach their families at home. Virtual learning may continue for the rest of the year.
One of the hardest hit small industries in the shutdown were those that rely on events and festivals to bring visitors and drive revenue. Tourist attractions, historical sites, and local artisans have all been devastated by having to cancel festivals and close their attractions. They are left wondering where to go from here as they continue to lose touch with future customers, even as they reopen.
Even though we can’t visit in person, that doesn’t mean they have to lose touch. Most of these organizations have been doing a great job with organic social content. But how can they take it to the next level to find potential new visitors, stay top of mind as we go into 2021, and drive visitors and revenue next year?
The answer: Take the canceled event and revamp it into a virtual and educational series that will provide a library of content. Then use that to catch the attention of new potential visitors throughout the year, who will remember you when you’re ready to open.
Why is this a good strategy right now? Google searches for e-learning have been up since the pandemic started, with people looking to either change or grow their career, find learning material for their kids, or just to learn a new hobby or take interest in a topic. People are at home and hungry for content, especially those who are typically active families and looking for something for their kids to learn. This segment is also willing to take a road trip to sites, as long as they can safely social distance.
- Leverage this robust, new audience segment with targeted advertising that drives them to your content online.
- Have the new website visitors enter their email address to get more content, which you can use for future communications throughout the year.
- For those not converting, make sure to place a retargeting pixel on the website to reach out again and keep them coming back. Retargeted ads are 3x likely to convert, and they will because you’re offering educational information that they’re seeking.
The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society was faced with this very challenge when they had to cancel the Maryland Iron Festival that is held every May. They were not only worried about losing touch with potential visitors to their attraction but were also very worried about the artisans and entertainers who rely on events to sell their handmade wares and entertain visitors. They wanted a way to promote their attraction and local vendors, as well as have people remember them for next year’s festival. This promotion is crucial not just for their attraction, but also for others around Frederick County.
Instead of cancelling the event, they turned to Zoom which helped them facilitate an all-day free virtual event, filled with live music, archaeological conversations, educational videos, storytelling for kids, and art demonstrations. Registration was free, and visitors could join the Zoom anytime live, or watch the recordings later. After the Zoom event, segments were then separately uploaded to YouTube and categorized by interest.
They came to Enradius to help them drive online registrations to a new audience. So we ran ads targeting people who are interested in history and home arts, and who have been searching for online learning activities. We then had them place a retargeting pixel on the website, so that we could capture the traffic, whether they registered for the event, or just looked around.
In just 4 days, we drove over 1000 visitors to the website, and collected enough data for retargeting. Now after the event, we are going to continue to use this growing segment and their retargeting data to continue to drive traffic to the fully stocked educational content on their site in order to keep this new audience engaged throughout the year until they are ready to visit.
The Catoctin Historical Society has said since the event, they are getting multiple calls daily asking if they are open and if it’s safe to take the trip.
About the Author: Pamela Fasolo leads the digital strategy for Enradius in the Mid Atlantic Region. She specializes in automotive, real estate, education, non-profit, and retail verticals and can develop a results-driven campaign to reach your target audience within budget. You can click here to contact Pamela for a consultation.
