Results - Understanding how people consume content and attend events

(It's a shorter blog this week - you'll see why...)

As marketers and event planners, understanding how people consume content and attend events is critical to creating compelling messaging strategies and memorable events.

We conducted two polls recently, one exploring the types of content people engage with on LinkedIn and the other examining the primary reasons people attend events.

While only a small sampling, the results of our polls revealed a diverse array of preferences and motivations, and after following up with a number of those polled, we review what the results tell us about the content and events that resonate with our audiences.

Poll 1: What types of content do people engage with most on LinkedIn?

Our first poll asked participants to identify the types of content they engaged with most on LinkedIn.

The results were as follows: 55% said they would engage with any content as long as it was relevant, 25% said they preferred infographics, 10% said they liked video content, and 10% said they preferred long-form articles and blogs.

But what does that mean? It simply highlights the importance of creating relevant content that caters to the diverse preferences of your audience and that firing out long shot blog posts after blog posts, won't land with your entire audience.

While some people prefer visual content like infographics and videos, others prefer reading a more in-depth article or blog post - if you don't understand your audience base, are you missing them out entirely with irrelevant content? We'll dive into ICP (ideal customer profiles) in a future blog - stay tuned.

Poll 2: Why do people attend events?

Our second poll asked participants to identify their primary reason for attending events.

The results were quite telling - 31% said they attend events to learn and consume content, while 69% said they attend events primarily to network. While we could have added a dozen more questions or reasons to understand why people really attended events, these results highlight the importance of providing opportunities for both learning and networking within your events - it is not a one size fits all picture.

If we added a poll about what types of sessions people enjoyed attending, we'd probably paint a similar picture to the first poll above. In fact, that will be quite interesting to know... I've created that poll now - so go ahead and select your answer on LinkedIn here!

People attend events for a variety of reasons, and it's essential to create programming that caters to those diverse motivations.

What do these poll results tell us?

While our polls were not exhaustive, they provide insight into audiences' diverse preferences and motivations.

People consume content differently and attend events for different reasons. Simple.

So when you see "THIS IS HOW TO DO YOUR EVENT NOW" type of content and posts, take it with a pinch of salt. Whilst there are definitely trends to contend with, you know your audience better than anyone else and you know how to interact with them. Trust your plan. Understand your customer. Deliver excellent experiences.

To communicate effectively with audiences and create events that are both memorable and engaging, one must cater to those diverse preferences and motivations.