A virtual conference is a great way to get as many people as possible to attend your event. This way, you also avoid having to deal with the hassle and expense of organization and logistics. However, the virtual event industry is quite active, and there are numerous vendors and platforms. The first thing you need to do is figure out the right medium and send out invites after getting started on event creation.
Once you have these specifics mapped out, you can move on to event promotion. As your virtual event is linked to a business or industry, LinkedIn is an excellent social media platform for you. It’s not just for looking up potential employees, but has some great marketing potential as well. Here are a few ways you can use LinkedIn to promote your virtual conference.
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Create custom online meeting invites
The first thing you should do is create custom invites. You can do this using the online meeting invitation templates on PosterMyWall. These templates will offer you options according to the aspect ratios on LinkedIn, so you won’t have to change much except the text and other minor details.
These invitations should include all the relevant details like date, time, and meeting links. Then, you can share these on your LinkedIn feed, and also send them out as direct messages to potential attendees and speakers. Have people share posts on social media when they accept these invitations to really get the most leverage out of them.
Make a LinkedIn Events page
There is a tool called LinkedIn Events which lets you make an event page, and share posts and details accordingly. Your speakers and attendees can also share posts on this page to announce that they are attending the event or give positive comments about it.
This is where you can make announcements, share countdown posts, give event teasers and much more. A LinkedIn Events page will give your virtual conference its own online real estate on LinkedIn to make its mark on the audience.
Post short speaker promotion videos
When you get speakers on board, you can ask them to create short videos urging people to sign up for the event. They can then share these videos within their own networks, and you can share them within your network and on your industry pages as well.
These videos will serve as teasers and let your attendees know what to expect. You can also get endorsements from prominent attendees who are big voices in your industry to make a big impact on potential visitors.
Get your partners to share the event in their networks
A virtual conference often has partners and sponsors on board. Get these partners to share information and announcements about the event on their LinkedIn networks. This way, you can generate considerable noise around your conference, and get voices of authority on board as well.
This will also help you reach a much wider audience than possible with just your network, so do create posts which your partners and sponsors can share. In return, you can post something related to their businesses in your network.
Put up regular posts on your LinkedIn feed
You can’t slack off when you’re promoting a virtual event on LinkedIn. You need to post regularly so that the event remains visible on your audience’s feeds. Create event countdown posts, event preparation videos, teasers, and invite posts so that you have ample content at hand.
Then, share posts on a daily basis so that your event doesn’t get lost among the noise on LinkedIn. Posting regularly will help you immensely with LinkedIn promotion, so do focus on it.
Share the event in the relevant groups
LinkedIn has various industry-specific and interest-specific groups. Find the ones relevant to you, and then share your event posts within that group. Make sure you follow any group guidelines that might be there, and also make sure you have the relevant event registration links shared in these groups as well.
This will help you capture a specific audience which shows interest in your industry, so they’ll be more likely to attend your event.
Interact with your audience via messages & polls
Often, simply engaging with your audience can be extremely helpful. So, you should interact with potential attendees via LinkedIn polls. Ask people what they would like to see at your event, or have them make guesses. Offer prizes for correct guesses, so that people are incentivized to participate.
In addition, you can message people directly as well. This is especially useful if you have a list of confirmed attendees. You can message them event reminders, let them know about sessions they may be interested in, and more. So, interact with your audience, so that they feel like your event is worth attending.
In conclusion, LinkedIn is a great marketing tool for your virtual event. You just have to know the right strategies to optimize your event attendance.