Last week I posted a couple of articles about virtual parties, outlining best practices for this type of an event. Read them here and here. Now it’s important to note that everyone having success with this type of an event is finding that it’s a SUPPLEMENT to an in-home party strategy, and not a replacement. Typically your sales will not be as high, and sales events don’t typically produce recruits. However, virtual parties can be an excellent way to fill your calendar with in-home parties, because people who get a taste of your products virtually will often then decide to commit to the longer, in-home experience (and get the hostess rewards).
But one of the questions I got from several people last week was, “Where do I do the party?” People have tried it in various locations: Skype, Google Hangouts, Custom Software Platforms, Facebook Events, uStream, and so on. But what’s the BEST venue for a virtual party?
Right now, based on what’s available, I believe the answer is Facebook Events.
The live, 30-minute party happens directly within the Facebook Event. There are a few reasons why this seems to work best:
- Everyone is already on Facebook, and doesn’t have to leave and go elsewhere to participate.
- Facebook notifications help you keep guests in the loop and engaged.
- You can do lead-up to the virtual event in the same location as the actual party.
- There is no learning curve…people already know how to use Facebook.
- You can upload your videos and images directly into Facebook, creating a seamless experience for your guests.
The only thing that is challenging about the Facebook environment is the actual ordering. Yet we are finding that sending people to the consultant’s replicated website is overwhelming and often people don’t come back. So there are still kinks to be worked out, and different consultants have used different systems (from personal contact after the event, to custom Facebook photo albums of products, to comments within the event itself) with varying levels of success.
But overall, if you’re going to use a tool for a virtual event, right now it seems that your best option is Facebook Events.
Do you do virtual events? Where do you host them? How do you handle ordering? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.
