8 Marketing Strategies to Build Buzz for Your Virtual Conference
After hosting two in-person annual conferences (and a slew of non-profit, volunteer events), I thought I had event marketing down. Then COVID-19 hit and I pivoted my 2020 Sheer Impact Conference to a virtual event.
I planned, promoted, and pulled off a virtual conference in less than 25 days! In that time, I learned what marketing works and what doesn’t through good, old fashioned trial and error.
Let me save you the learning curve, because I’m sharing the top marketing strategies I’ve used to successfully build a magnetic presence that creates buzz before and during a virtual conference.
Use your existing branding
If you’ve already built an audience and a brand for yourself or your business, build on it. Instead of reinventing the wheel, use your brand colors, fonts and imagery to create consistent images that scream “your event!”
It’ll help people associate what they already know, like, and trust about you or your business with your virtual conference. It’ll also save you time, money, and the headaches that come with creating totally new brand visuals.
Create a comprehensive landing page
Your event landing page is the hub for visitors to do it all. Make it easy for them to register with clear buttons and calls to action. Succinctly explain what the event is all about and who it’s for, then detail all the benefits of attending.
Highlight your keynote speakers prominently and include an elevator pitch of every single presentation and breakout session. And don’t forget your sponsors! Spotlight each one according to their sponsorship level for helping to make this happen.
Don’t want to start from scratch? Get our free virtual conference landing page checklist.
Use your existing marketing channels
Do you use Facebook for your business? Use it for your event. Do you email your list regularly? Use it for your event.
Post your virtual conference organically and consistently through your social media platforms and email newsletter to build awareness and encourage registrations. Begin marketing your virtual conference by using the channels you’re already using for yourself or your business.
Make it easy for others to promote it
One of the most effective forms of marketing is word of mouth, so make it easy for people to talk about your virtual conference. You’ll build up buzz and generate social proof (win win!).
Arm your speakers with a single hashtag to promote your virtual conference. Increase your social shares by providing a ‘click to post’ option for attendees to share after they’ve registered. Create email templates your sponsors can use to share with their audiences.
Think about how people might share your virtual conference with people, and provide them with the resources to make it easier. People will naturally share your event when it makes them look good.
Create an affiliate program
When you set up an event affiliate program for your virtual conference, you can increase registrations and referrals. The affiliate program pays registrants for bringing their friends who sign up.
You’ll be able to identify influencers and brand ambassadors in your audience by tracking how many ticket sales each affiliate member attracts and who shares your unique link to promote the event the most.
Offer sneak peaks of the event in snippets
It may feel counter-intuitive to reveal parts of the virtual conference for free, but it’s one of the most effective strategies for event marketing.
Host live chats in Facebook Live and Instagram Stories to feature your speakers before the event. Think of these as mini versions of their full presentation or even Q&A sessions on their subject of expertise. You can do the same with sponsors to highlight their contribution to the virtual conference along with the benefits of their product or service.
Create ultra shareable content for your speakers
In addition to creating shareable content that promotes your virtual conference, create unique content for each of your speakers.
You can do this by creating a series of promotional images for each speaker that both you and they can share on social media. Optimize those images to be used in email banners, featured blog images, and print flyers. Write social media captions for the primary marketing channels you’re using to make it easy for your speakers to tweak it to their voice and promote it.
Keep marketing during the virtual conference
Just because the event has started doesn’t mean the marketing has ended. Continue to brand your virtual conference and keep promoting throughout the event, especially if it’s held over a series of days.
Use a branded cover image to precede each speaker. Ask speakers to use your logo on their presentation slides (which are best optimized and viewed at 1920 x 1080 px). Schedule social media posts in advance to announce each speaker and their topic. Encourage your attendees to share images on social media with your virtual conference hashtag.
You just may find people sign up on the day of when they see how much value your attendees are getting out of their virtual conference experience. And all that social proof will make marketing your next virtual conference even easier!
We’ve simplified everything you need to know about planning and hosting a digital event. Download your copy of the Ultimate Guide to Planning a Virtual Conference and get started today!