How do you sell out a conference? Your strategies might differ from those employed by other types of events. In this post, SocialLadder will provide you with some tips and tricks for conference promotion that will have you on your way to selling out your event!
- Start Early: Everything should start early: planning, organizing, and promoting. If you have your marketing materials in place ahead of time, you can start offering early bird tickets; it gets people thinking and talking about your event, and also gives the event-goers who already know that they would like to attend the chance to get purchasing tickets off of their to-do list.
- Offer Cheap Ticket Options: Conferences tend to fall on the more expensive side, so promoting discounted or cheap tickets is a good way to call attention to the event and get tickets sold. As mentioned above, early bird tickets are a great way to get interested parties to your event who would otherwise not be able to afford it; you might also offer discounted tickets for a single day of your event, or even just the keynote timeslot. Consider running an ambassador program to give interested attendees a chance to earn free tickets in return for promoting your event and selling tickets!
- Have A Ticket Giveaway Contest: Along the same lines as offering cheap tickets, you can use a ticket giveaway contest as an opportunity to promote the conference. Whereas other types of events might run a lottery here, conferences might consider running a fun or challenging competition aligned with the theme of the conference.
- Don’t Neglect Social Media: Social media is a powerful tool when it comes to promotion, but many conferences do only the bare minimum. It’s not enough these days to simply have a Facebook page and a corresponding event; a good game plan puts your brand on platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn as well, with content going out year-round and ramping up in advance of your event.
- Use Your Panelists: Your event has a built-in word-of-mouth promotion team, whether you’re using it or not. Your panelists and presenters should be reaching out to their entire network to get their fans, friends and family to see them speak. Consider using a brand ambassador solution like SocialLadder to catalyze this natural process and organize it into a true sales machine!
- The Fear Of Missing Out: FOMO is quite real, and moreso in 2018 than ever! Exclusivity and necessity are the name of the game here. Can you offer your attendees the feeling that they’ve got the inside edge from attending your conference? Make sure that your event is well-photographed and recorded; a good “afterglow” being spread around on social media is key to fomenting some FOMO around your next event!
Of course, the backbone of your event will be your presentations, panels, and activities, but solid promotional strategy is the key to growth. Selling out is an ambitious goal – but if you’re just entering the live event arena, you should be shooting for the stars anyway! Good luck!
Click here to read more about the benefits of having an ambassador program!
