7 Types of Content That’ll Make Your Event Marketing Even Better | Marketing Insider Group

While digital marketing is becoming increasingly important, there’s no doubt that live events still offer some of the best engagement and conversion opportunities you could hope for. However, you need proper planning, management, and effective event marketing to maximize your ROI.

Over 40% of event creators said they planned to spend more on marketing in 2018 than the previous year. Most of this budget is spent on content spread across email and social media. These two channels are the most effective for many event marketers (78% say email is the most effective and 96% use social media contests) but that doesn’t mean you should overlook other forms of content marketing.

The following are just a few examples of ways you can use content to promote your conference, trade show, or seminar. Consider integrating them into your marketing strategy for your next event.

Quick Takeaways

• Content is highly effective for event marketing and can help to boost your attendance and ROI.
• Don’t just stick to email and social media – consider other channels for content marketing too.

1. Email

Email marketing can be incredibly effective for promoting your event. It’s also the best way to stay in touch with your attendees both prior to and after the event.

Remember, these people are on your list because they’re interested in what you have to say, so the chances of them also being interested in your event are much higher than with people who find your site via search engines or see an ad on social media.

You can use email to announce your event (building a bit of excitement and intrigue by hinting that you’ve got something big coming up prior to the announcement usually works well), inform your audience of the schedule and guest speakers, send out reminders in the week running up to the event, and ask for feedback after the event.

If you send out a regular email, don’t forget to mention your event there too, even if you’re sending out separate emails to promote it.

2. Blog Posts

Writing about your event on your own blog is one of the simplest and easiest forms of content marketing you can do, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective.

You can blog about your event to flesh out details of the schedule, introduce your guest speakers, and write articles on themes that you’ll be presenting at your event.

Blogging about your event is a good SEO boost and it gives you something other than your event landing page to link to from social media. If your posts offer value to your audience then they will also share them, which helps to increase your exposure, making it easier to reach a wider audience.

Guest posting on other blogs can also be an effective strategy. Come up with a list of other blogs in your industry and think about topics you can write about that will be of interest to your audience. You can work in a mention of your event rather than writing solely about your event. Those interested can click through to find out more.

3. Social Media Posts

Social media is a great way of building buzz in the run-up to your event, as many users check in daily to see what’s on their newsfeed.

You can do a countdown to your event with a short post each day, link to your blog posts relating to your event, and provide a convenient platform for your audience to ask any questions they may have.

Paid posts on social media can help to get more exposure for your event. They are an effective way of reaching an audience that’s highly targeted but doesn’t follow you already.

Make sure to keep posting to your social media account during the event with pictures and videos. You may even want to consider a live stream of talks and presentations.

Don’t forget to choose a hashtag for your event, and encourage attendees to use it when they post on social media too.

4. Video

Video can capture the essence of your event in a way that written media can’t. It’s particularly effective if you’re running a series of events as you can release clips of talks and presentations from previous guest speakers to give future attendees a taste of what they can expect.

You can also use video to introduce your guest speakers, show off your venue, and even give a behind-the-scenes peek at your event organization. Social Media Examiner published a weekly reality documentary – The Journey – exploring the work that went into setting up the Social Media Marketing World conference. The video series was not only an interesting insight into event planning and marketing, but it also worked as an effective promotional tool in its own right.

5. Interactive Content (Surveys)

Surveys are, of course, a great way to gather feedback from your attendees after the event, but you can also use them before your event to find out more about your audience and their motivations.

This enables you to tailor your presentations to the audience on the day and make sure you have a balanced program of talks, workshops, and other live presentations that will suit everyone.

6. Podcasts

Podcasts are highly engaging in the same way that videos are, but you’ll want to use podcasts in a slightly different way to market your event.

You don’t have to create a new podcast just for your event, although this is one strategy you could consider.

If you already produce a regular podcast, base one episode around the event with clips of live talks, interviews with guest speakers, snippets from attendees, and other interesting audio. This can be a great way to promote future events if you intend to run them regularly.

Appearing on other podcasts is also a great way to get the word out. Podcasts are always looking for guests to interview, and this is a fantastic opportunity to reach a wider audience and build excitement for your event.

7. Ebooks and Free Resources

Offering something extra to your event attendees as a way of thanking them for coming to your event gives extra value to your audience and is also a way to stay connected and engaged with them after the event.

You can send out resources that expand on topics covered in live talks or workshops or give out free electronic copies of books by guest speakers.

Everyone loves a freebie, but don’t be limited by the physical pens and tote bags that are commonly given out at trade shows. Think about what you can offer that will really provide value for your target audience, while also continuing to market your event and brand.

If you are ready to get more traffic to your site with quality content that’s consistently published, check out our Content Builder Service. Set up a quick consultation, and I’ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today and generate more traffic and leads for your business.