So, you’ve booked your speakers (they’re amazing), you’ve found your venue (it’s perfect) and decided on your menu (it’s delicious). You’re confident your event is going to be nothing short of fantastic, but there’s one rather large area you need to get spot on, or all of your hard work is going to go to waste. Marketing. Without getting word out to a large number of potential attendees it’s entirely possible no one will show up, which it goes without saying, would be a disaster.
The good news is there are lots of relatively simple things you can do to spread the word about your event and it doesn’t need to cost the earth.
It’s not exactly a new phenomenon but it’s still one of the most powerful, free marketing tools out there. That said, it needs to be done well, and lots of organisers haven’t mastered the art yet. Here are a few pointers:
– If you already have successful social media channels, you can just create a hashtag and use these platforms for communication concerning your event. Hopefully this will mean tapping into an already warmed up, relevant audience.
– If you’re starting from scratch, set up a Facebook and Twitter account specifically for your event and as above, create a hashtag. Make sure you actively push potential delegates to these platforms and post regularly with content that teases and engages your audience. (Early bird ticket offers, competitions and information about your speakers is a good place to start.)
– To begin gathering followers, visit some other pages you think your audience might interact with and start following individuals and companies who follow them. Keep a close eye on people who don’t follow you back and unfollow them so your community stays relevant and full of people genuinely interested in your event.
– LinkedIn Groups are a really powerful way to get conversations going on round your event. But remember, it’s other people who should be saying brilliant things about you, self-congratulatory posts rarely go down well.
Reach out to any relevant industry media outlets and tell them all about what you’re doing. To give them a ‘newsy’ angle you could use them to exclusively announce your keynote speaker, or you could offer their readers/users an exclusive discount on tickets.
Writing blogs is a great way to help your website with its organic search rankings which will in turn get new people onto your website. It also keeps your site looking fresh and will show your potential attendees you’ve got your finger on the pulse with the industry’s hot topics. Guest editors, like well-known industry figures or your speakers, might already have their own followings they can bring to your platform so consider approaching other people to write for you as well as your own team. Choose your subject matter carefully and think about topics your target market might type into Google to maximise your reach.
Sending free tickets to a handful of key influencers could have a huge impact on your pre-event coverage. Do some research on who might be worth contacting – what have you got to lose?
We host dozens of events, meetings, training seminars and conferences every year and our in-house management team is always on hand to offer help and advice with every aspect of your event. If you want to discuss your next project with the team, give them a call on +44 (0)20 3313 1606 or contact them.