Attracting attendees to your conference can be one of the most challenging aspects of event planning. You want your event to be memorable and impactful, just like the best conferences you’ve attended. Effective conference marketing is the key to achieving this. By using the right strategies, you can boost registrations and ensure your event stands out. Here are 12 effective conference marketing ideas that will drive registrations and make your event a success.
What Is Conference Marketing?
Before we dive into tips and ideas, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Conference marketing includes everything you do to encourage people to attend your event. It involves any advertising you purchase to promote the event, but there’s much more to it than just ads.
Marketing covers your social media campaigns, the design of your website and event app, and the research you do to identify who is most likely to attend your event and where you can find them to send invitations. All of this falls under conference marketing, making it a broad topic with plenty to unpack.
Don’t worry, we’ll cover all the essentials here.
Why Is Conference Marketing So Important for Your Event?
If you want people to attend your conference, they need to know about it. That’s the primary goal of conference marketing. There are various strategies to help with this, including different promotional techniques.
Effective marketing engages your audience directly, showing them what your conference is all about and what they stand to gain from attending.
Consider your own perspective. Would a plain ad for a conference catch your eye, or would a dynamic, engaging promotion showcasing event highlights be more enticing?
As you read through these marketing ideas and tips, remember that creating excitement and interest is key to effective outreach. Some tips focus on different aspects of marketing, but the goal is to craft a cohesive strategy that draws in your audience.
12 Conference Marketing Ideas
When you start your marketing campaign, what’s the best approach? How can you ensure you reach your target audience and get them to register?
There’s no single perfect answer, but creative solutions are available. The 12 ideas below all work, but they’re just the beginning. Use them directly or as inspiration to customize your own unique marketing ideas.
- Polls
Drive interest and engagement by asking your attendees what they want. Online polls about food options, conference events, and more can help you gauge what’s important to them. Show you’re listening and provide what they need, and you’ll generate buzz for your event.
- Interesting Venues
Choosing the right venue can drive interest by itself. Unique venues offer an experience of their own. Pair that with your interesting conference, and you’ll be the talk of the town before you even start.
Finding interesting venues can be challenging depending on your region, type of conference, budget, and more. Always think about how to score the most interesting venue possible before making early commitments.
- Sponsorships
Collaborating with sponsors gives you more resources and can help establish your credibility. Major brand names attached to your marketing will grab attention.
Reach out to sponsors relevant to your event to drive even more interest.
- Giveaways
Give people a chance to win things just by registering. Sweepstakes and door prizes motivate people to sign up sooner. As attendance increases, socializing effects kick in—people want what others like.
- Gamification
Take it a step further with gamification. Create contests with prizes, like photo contests, content creation, scavenger hunts, or trivia, leading up to your event.
Gamification gets people involved and excited early. Post leaderboards so everyone can see and gain inspiration.
- Live Streaming and Social Media
For direct marketing, video, live streams and social media are tops. Regular posts build hype over time. Announce new speakers, event updates, and more through posts.
Live streams can showcase the uniqueness of your event beforehand. Social media also creates two-way communication, giving you a better feel for your audience’s pulse.
- Scarcity
Use scarcity tactics to motivate people to sign up today instead of tomorrow. Offer early bird discounts, limit ticket sales to narrow windows, or have flash sales.
- Surveys
Some of your best marketing comes from your last event. After each event, send out surveys. Gather data on what people liked, disliked, and wished was there. Use this data to build hype for your next event.
- Diversification
Market through as many channels as you can. Use every social media platform. Outreach through email, physical mail, radio spots, influencers, and flyers. Diversify your media—posts, blogs, photos, videos, pay-per-click ads. Use everything.
- Testimonials
Your diverse marketing benefits from your own content. Use photos and videos from previous events and tap into testimonials from past attendees. Show the next crowd what makes your conferences special.
- Pre-Event Networking
Create exclusive networking spaces for attendees. Private Facebook groups or Discord channels help attendees plan meet-ups at your conference and offer valuable networking opportunities.
- Pop-Up Events
Pop-up advertising creates hype and content opportunities. Film your pop-up events, take photos, and gather testimonials to generate digital content for your marketing.
Conference Marketing Tips
While these ideas can stimulate creativity and help grow your audience, there are some general tips to build a solid foundation.
The most interesting marketing concept will fall flat if you don’t cover the basics. These six tips will help you build that foundation:
- Create Your Content Strategy
Start with a plan. Your strategy flows naturally from your conference concept. Identify your audience, consider your budget, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. Map your timeline, figure out who you’re trying to reach, and start developing your marketing content.
- Build a Strong Website and Event App
Your strategy hinges on your website, the hub designed to receive the traffic you generate. If your website or event app is dysfunctional, your efforts are wasted. Make sure they look great and function well. Test and debug them thoroughly.
- Make It Easy to Register
Focus on registration. It’s the end goal of your marketing. If your registration system is broken or complicated, you’re working against yourself. Test it extensively before going live. For effective registration solutions, check out MemberClicks Registration Tech.
- Choose the Right Social Channels
Who are your attendees? Where can you find them? Diversify your marketing but focus resources on the most valuable social channels for your target audience.
- Offer Incentives
Incentives like gamification, sweepstakes, networking, and limited offers give extra reasons to attend. They boost motivation and attendance.
- Analyze Data for Future Marketing
Use digital marketing tools to create metrics. Analyze data to see which methods work best and adjust accordingly. Use old data to start your next campaign.
Key Takeaways
Conference marketing offers many opportunities and methodologies. Start with the fundamentals for a solid strategy:
- Start with a strategy
- Build a strong website and event app
- Make registration easy
- Choose good social channels
- Offer incentives
- Analyze data
With these principles, use the 12 tips provided here as a springboard for your own creative ideas:
- Polling
- Interesting venues
- Sponsorships
- Contests and giveaways
- Gamification
- Live streaming and social media
- Scarcity
- Surveys
- Diversification
- Testimonials
- Pre-event networking
- Pop-up events
Conclusion
Transform your conference into a must-attend event with incredible attendance and excitement. While it takes effort, the right resources make it achievable. Reach out to MemberClicks today to unlock invaluable resources and expert guidance every step of the way!
