How to Market a Conference

Event marketing is an invaluable tool for event organizers, whether they’re hosting an industry conference or fundraising for a non-profit. Not only does it attract new clients and boost ticket sales, but it can also attract sponsors.

Before you begin marketing your upcoming conference, be sure to clearly define its objectives and then make sure they are achievable.

Social Media

If you want to boost the visibility of your conference, social media is a great tool. Make sure your posts are engaging, informative and pertinent to the audience.

Begin your event planning with a strategic plan that incorporates research and target audience analysis. This will enable you to identify who should attend your conference, as well as how best to promote it.

When creating your marketing strategy, you’ll need to determine which platforms are most efficient. Depending on who your target customers are, you may want to prioritize using Snapchat or Instagram over Twitter for a social media campaign.

Make use of hashtags to differentiate your content across platforms, so other users can easily search and discover it. Doing this will increase awareness about your event and motivate attendees to register.

Once you’ve decided which platforms you’ll be using, begin creating content for each one. Create a schedule that breaks down postings by day so that you know what needs to be posted when.

Start by including various types of content, such as photos, videos and quotes from talks, throughout the first month or two of your campaign. Doing this will enable you to identify which posts perform best and how you can refine your strategy moving forward.

When scheduling social media posts, timing is especially important if you’re hosting live-tweeting sessions. Don’t post too much at once if your attendees have a busy schedule.

It is wise to designate a team member for each social media channel. For instance, someone could handle live tweet sessions or hire a photographer for photo-sharing platforms like Instagram.

Email Marketing

Email is an effective tool for event marketing. It can increase open and click-through rates, drive traffic to your event website, and allow attendees to register. Furthermore, email allows you to follow up with registrants afterwards in order to guarantee that your event was a success.

Utilize a unique subject line and call-to-action (CTA) to capture the attention of potential attendees. Make sure they have all of the essential details about your conference, such as when and where it will take place. In this way, you can motivate them to register for your event by providing an exciting schedule that excites their interest.

Another effective way to engage your email list is through video. Create videos that showcase speakers or other conference features and use them as motivation for delegates to attend your event. These videos can be uploaded onto YouTube or shared on social media and used as part of an email campaign.

Video marketing is an effective way to increase engagement and strengthen your brand. Producing video content can range from sending out testimonials from past conferences or asking speakers to share their insights with the rest of the audience.

You can use videos to build a community of your delegates by using hashtags and sharing the videos on social media platforms. Doing so will increase awareness about your conference and incentivize delegates to spread the news of it among their networks.

You can also utilize an automated email system to distribute messages to attendees about your upcoming event or series of events. Doing so ensures everyone on your contact list receives pertinent information promptly, saving both you and the sender time and energy.

Print Advertising

Print advertising is an ideal choice for conference promotion. Not only does it reach your target audience effectively without breaking your budget, but it can also build brand awareness and encourage more attendees at your event.

Print ads in newspapers, magazines and brochures can be an effective way to reach your desired audience on a large scale. Furthermore, you may create printed content that’s sent directly to prospects via direct mail.

Nowadays, most business owners rely on social media and email for marketing their businesses. However, some still find value in print advertisements due to the unique experience it provides readers and its ability to build a more intimate connection with their brand than online marketing does.

Another reason print ads remain an effective form of marketing is their high open and response rate. This ensures your ad will be seen by potential clients, potentially leading to increased sales or phone calls as a result.

When launching your print advertising campaign, the most essential thing to remember is using only top-notch copy, design, and material. Furthermore, guarantee that your message is concise yet compelling.

In addition to newspapers and magazines, you can use pull banners, building wraps, billboards, and more for conference promotion. These cost-effective options offer an effective way to reach your audience and build brand loyalty while amplifying other marketing initiatives. These materials can be tailored with your logo and messaging for various events such as trade shows or corporate conferences.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is an age-old form of marketing that many companies still employ today. Although it may appear slow and outmoded, direct mail can be an effective tool for reaching your desired audience.

Meeting planners often enlist direct mail to promote their events and draw in new attendees. This method also allows them to collect contact information from those who stop by their display area, making it simpler to stay in touch with those individuals later on.

Before beginning a direct mail campaign, it’s essential to have clear objectives and an outline for how you plan to achieve them. Doing this will enable you to develop an efficient customer model that allows you to target your mailing list, offer, and creative effectively.

Your list should consist of customers, clients and B2B contacts that are already using your products or services. If you don’t already have a database of current contacts, consider creating one with an opt-in form on your website or collecting names and addresses from other internal marketing initiatives.

Utilizing this data allows you to customize your marketing message and keep it fresh in the minds of customers and prospects. Furthermore, it saves money by eliminating needless contact with random individuals and wastage.

When crafting direct mail campaigns, messaging is paramount. Appeal to your readership’s individual needs by clearly outlining the purpose of the mailer and making sure it ties in with all other marketing initiatives.

The next step is to build your mailing list, which should contain names and addresses of customers, clients, and B2B contacts who are interested in your product or service. Your list should then be verified to make sure it’s accurate and not a duplicate of another list.