Do you make efforts to promote your event or conference 6-8 weeks out — only to let it lie fallow the rest of the year? Here are 4 simple ways to combine content with paid Facebook advertising to increase event attendance and vendor lead flow all year round.
Step 1. Create content
Create content that solves pain points for your audience and consistently publish it on your website.
Step 2. Optimize your blog posts so your readers convert
Ensure each blog post also includes links to a high-performing landing page to register for your event. Visitors who read blog content will convert to registrations at a much higher rate than those that just receive an ad.
CASE STUDY: our data shows that visitors reading your blog content may actually register for events 25% of the time – while potential attendees who just receive an ad may convert at a rate anywhere from 1%-10% (if at all).
Before
After
Step 3. Promote your content on Facebook, Instagram, and Google to increase event attendance
Well before your event, deliver paid in-feed “content units” on Facebook, Instagram, and mobile content units on Google PPC to your entire database of prospects, former attendees, and new event registrants each week. These are also known as “custom audiences.”
The more relevant, helpful content your event pre-registrants receive beforehand, the more likely they are to actually show up at your event, conference, or trade show.
This content is also delivered to additional targets like competing trade show audiences and “look-a-likes.” If you’re being careful/caring about what your audience wants to read, this traffic should all be highly qualified and ultimately increase event attendance.
818 TIP: continue to promote your content after your event and all year round to keep the traffic and leads flowing.
We’ll show you how to run effective content-to-conversion campaigns. Get in touch.
Step 4. Remarketing
Now that you’ve generated a good amount of qualified site traffic, you can begin your paid Facebook and Google remarketing campaigns.
Anytime someone visits your now thriving blog (by this time a highly qualified visitor), you “remarket” to them with a Facebook event registration ad — or even more content. It’s important to optimize each campaign only for conversions (i.e. a completed pre-registration) rather than ad impressions or views or “reach.”
THIS JUST IN: Facebook now enables you to retarget anyone who engages with your Facebook brand page – which spikes considerably when you run content or registration ads. And do be judicious with the types and quantity of ads you’re delivering.
Therefore, posts that become popular, especially those that include influencers/partners, can also lead to new customers and drive increases in attendance through qualified event registrations. When the audience for your content is very focused, it leads to more qualified shares on Facebook (i.e. mostly those we are seeking to attend the show).
Pro Tip: post and promote social video during your event.
This connects your attendees and buyers with your vendor base. It’s also a great way to increase awareness and attendance to on-site seminars and workshops. Using content and real-time digital marketing can ensure attendees get the absolute highest ROI they possibly can from your event – while they are there.
The Takeaway
Over time this all greatly reduces your overall cost-per-conversion and increases the efficiency with which you convert new prospects to register for your trade show, special event, or conference.
By Jed Wexler