Event operations, through online and offline activities, stimulate short-term improvements in operational metrics. In the short term, they can rapidly boost one or more metrics to multiples of the normal level. Ideas for event operations often come from holidays, the product itself, anniversaries, or competitors. Event operations play a crucial role in user retention and engagement. How can you achieve satisfactory results with event operations?
Let's look at an example: a retrospective of the key factors behind the success of a voting event we organized with ten thousand participants. Which of these are universal event operation principles, and which can be borrowed?
Stage 1: Event Planning
Background of the Voting Event
1. The company aimed to hit revenue targets at year-end, hoping for a big bonus after a year of hard work.
2. The product's revenue came from paid insider reports by broadcasters, which were investment advice shared with stock investors, lasting over a month, priced around a thousand yuan on average, with updates over a month.
3. Levers to increase revenue:
Total website revenue = Sum of broadcasters' paid insider report income
In other words, broadcaster paid income is the lever. The more broadcasters participate, the more average subscriptions to insider reports, and the higher the final revenue.
Significance of the Event for Regular Users
Regular users could use this voting carnival to increase their chances of stock market success (through premium insider reports) and gain spiritual satisfaction: a sense of participation, achievement, and security.
1. Sense of Participation
With 365 days of broadcaster companionship, bonds form over time. Stock trading is a lonely endeavor, and broadcasters play the roles of mentor, friend, and playmate. Users can use their support to help their favorite broadcaster win the voting championship, and enjoy the sense of participation from rallying, voting, and interacting with other fans. In a reserved country like China, people value collectivism; individual strength is limited, so they unite in small groups to face the outside world together.
2. Sense of Achievement
Every vote can potentially raise the broadcaster's ranking. If the supported broadcaster climbs to a good position, users feel a sense of achievement: "See, my broadcaster is great!" The relationship between fans and stars is magnified a hundredfold.
3. Sense of Security
Participating in a grand event with others can dissolve inner loneliness, and collaboration provides a sense of security. Purchasing insider reports from broadcasters with more support also gives users financial security.
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, from low to high: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Users participating in this event gained safety needs (the security of collective voting), social needs (joining an activity to meet a broadcaster and a stock trading group), and esteem needs (the broadcaster's honor and reputation, and feeling that the broadcaster's success is their own).
With the background and significance clear, we set up a detailed plan for the event. Addressing these user needs, we made several arrangements:
- Set up voting: Users could vote for any favorite broadcaster, and voting records (amount, nickname) were public, with nicknames partially masked for privacy.
- Set up check-ins: Users could check in once daily during the event to receive coupons. Cumulative check-ins earned larger coupons.
- Set up a lucky draw: The draw had a threshold—users who voted more than 10 times could enter, and sharing added an extra chance. The threshold encouraged more paid votes, and sharing encouraged spreading the word for more chances.
Event Goals
The first issue in event planning is defining the goal. Without a goal, the event becomes chaotic. How do you set a reasonable goal?
Event goals should follow the SMART principle:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Applying this formula, the event goal:
From event start time ____ to end time ____, this event aims to increase revenue by ______ and achieve ______ participating users.
How many goals should you set? Ideally no more than three, with one primary goal and the rest secondary. The primary goal is the main focus. Often, achieving the primary goal also accomplishes the secondary ones, and sometimes brings unexpected benefits.
Ensure the event goals align with the company's strategic direction. Once confirmed, proceed to goal decomposition and path realization. Decompose the big goal into smaller sub-goals, ensuring the sum of sub-goals matches the big goal.
For path realization, connect the sub-goals in a logical structure. A common mistake is getting lost in sub-goals without seeing the bigger picture—these sub-goals can often be linked like branches of a tree.
Our goal was clear: increase paid revenue. The primary goal was to boost paid revenue; the secondary goal was to increase new user paid conversions. By discovering new broadcasters, we could drive external fans to become paying users.
The Path to the Goal Must Be Direct and Stimulating
We planned to use voting as the path. There was internal debate on the voting mechanism. Previously, votes were based on cash, which was later converted into insider report services. Data showed this wasn't ideal—from the user's perspective, there was a time lag between paying cash and receiving the service. Users are impatient; even if they wait, their enthusiasm drops from 100 to 50 degrees. So, I proposed that the amount spent on insider reports directly counted as votes. When discussing with the product manager and other operations colleagues, they worried about whether users would buy reports and if it raised the voting barrier. In practice, buying reports for votes proved far more stimulating than cash for votes.
- First, broadcasters could create paid insider reports with various features, such as extended validity, VIP exclusivity, discounts, etc., allowing broadcasters to customize their products and interact with users.
- Second, votes from purchased reports were immediately reflected in the total, and users received tangible services, providing a direct sense of security.
- Finally, a broadcaster's studio could adjust report update times, prices, and frequency to catch up with other studios' votes.
When planning, simulate your path. If achieving the goal requires too many steps, simplify by removing intermediate steps. The internet is about eliminating middlemen; remove redundant steps, and if the remaining logic is sound and stimulating, keep it.
For goal decomposition, we broke down the revenue target into per-studio targets based on historical sales data, estimating revenue and participant numbers. This approach shifts the responsibility for achieving goals from one person to many, as each studio works toward its own interests.
You need a good model to mobilize resources, where everyone benefits. Only then can your goal become everyone's goal. This requires a systematic, structured way of thinking.
Novice event operators might just copy a competitor's activity and write rules. A good event operator integrates product, users, and activity model organically, leveraging the product's features. For example, Alipay's AR red envelope game, though not perfectly smooth, encouraged people to use Alipay and enjoy social interaction.
In general, any activity type—likes, draws, flash sales, floor grabbing, comments, quizzes—can be implemented anywhere. If it's just superficial, users won't remember the product. These must be organically combined with your own product.
Once the path is clear, write the event rules: participation rules, prize claiming rules, and disclaimers. Especially include a statement that the event is not affiliated with Apple. The rules should be logical, complete, and clear.
Remember: your brain is no worse than a dozen others combined. When communicating the event plan externally, be confident.
Stage 2: Communication and Execution
Once you believe the event plan is perfect, from logic to creativity, communicate with relevant departments: execution, support, and awareness. A common mistake is approaching others with an incomplete or flawed plan, which invites disdain and accusations of wasting time. Check every detail and fix any issues.
At minimum, use the following documents during event operations:
- Event plan document
- Event product document
- Event prototype
- Event project schedule
- Event task assignment sheet
- Event prize budget sheet
- User feedback log
Consolidate these into one spreadsheet for easy reference and quick sharing with team members.
Communication is the Core of Event Operations
Continuously communicate and follow up to ensure every team member supports, understands, and can execute immediately. The most effective communication is organizing meetings. Some colleagues talk endlessly to prove their abilities, but meetings are the best time to absorb others' suggestions. Listen openly and incorporate feedback to improve the event.
During execution, track real-time data—participant numbers, revenue—and share it with users and colleagues. Real-time sharing stimulates participation. Data fluctuations can stir emotions; the ups and downs stimulate nerves. Taobao's Singles' Day data is a great example, with nationwide participation. Box office data is also frequently published. Data itself may not connect with us, but fluctuations create excitement and anticipation of a climax.
Show Your Data, Let It Speak
We crave exciting things, even in the most mundane times, hoping for something to stir us. We published data within an hour of launch, unprecedented, igniting enthusiasm. Within days, we nearly hit half the goal. With momentum, we ultimately achieved 150% of the target.
The event lasted a month, and there was bound to be a slump. How to handle it? We added a sub-activity: guessing the champion's vote count. This idea came from a group chat—sometimes creativity sparks from casual conversation. This sub-activity revitalized the main event. For longer events, add sub-activities to boost atmosphere, maintain momentum, and re-engage users.
Collect Every User Feedback and Improve Promptly
Treat every user feedback sincerely, even if it's from a tiny fraction of participants. Listen to how they think and what the event means to them. Users may participate in only part of the event. If their experience is good in every detail, they'll think highly of the event; but if one aspect is poor, that feeling is magnified tenfold. So, polish details and communicate promptly to adjust and improve the event.
Stage 3: Data Summary and Analysis
Reviewing the event's strengths and weaknesses is invaluable for future events. If a different employee executes next time, the templates can be reused and optimized. Collect feedback from all parties involved: project progress, event flow smoothness, user experience, communication issues, and design feedback. Summarize these into a document and share with relevant colleagues.
Event operations require systematic, structured thinking, efficient communication, and flawless execution. Only with these key factors can an event succeed. Success is relative—what's successful for you might be a failure for others. Views differ, but you can control how you improve your operational skills with each event.