Professional networking events come in many shapes and sizes. They could take the form of a speed networking function, a roundtable discussion, or even a round of drinks during happy hours at a local bar.
All these events are, of course, excellent places to keep up with the latest trends and learn from peers. But there’s another major factor they all have in common—they require extensive promotion and marketing to see success.
In this article, we’ll outline some tips to increase your visibility across your online platforms so you can enjoy more attendees at your next networking event.
Navigating Social Media
It’s no surprise that social media is an excellent place to promote a get-together, especially since it’s an invention made for networking. But if it were so straightforward, we would all be influencers. Instead, several factors go into creating an effective social media promotion strategy. These include:
Choosing the Right Platform
Some apps may overlap but each platform boasts a very unique user base. Some, such as Instagram, can be a powerful B2C marketing tool, while others, like BeReal, don’t encourage promotional material at all.
The good news is it’s completely free to share engaging posts, details of your event, and its benefits across platforms. The only question now is which you should focus most of your time on.
To find the answer, study the demographics of social media, familiarize yourself with platform-specific quirks, and analyze the results of previous campaigns. This handy guide has 13 tips to get you started.
Design Engaging Content
On social media, consistency is key. Your event will only stay memorable for as long as you post engaging content and share frequent reminders and updates.
Creating engaging posts is a science in itself. Images must be of the highest quality, the copy must be free of error, and layouts should be designed to prioritize essential information. This is not the biggest concern, however, considering there’s so much content out there that you can be inspired by. Certain websites, for example, contain several business conference flyer templates that have been proven to work.
In addition to engaging posts, consider creating a unique hashtag that you can use every time you, one of your speakers, or a potential attendee shares anything about your event.
Pay for Ads
Paid advertising is another great tool for targeting specific audiences. This quality makes them effective at building conversions while being very cost-effective solutions.
Almost all platforms allow sponsored content and have tips for businesses and event promoters like you so you can make the most of them. Here’s Meta’s guide for example.
Always remember that the most effective paid ads are relevant, engaging, and credible.
Leverage Influencer Marketing
Sometimes, all a potential attendee needs to be swayed into buying a ticket is an assurance from someone they trust. This recommendation can come via a social media influencer.
To make the most of this kind of marketing, partner with influencers who don’t just command a large following, but speak to audiences within your niche. In return for their efforts, influencers can be given unrestricted access to certain areas of your event, incentivized with gift baskets, or simply paid a flat fee to promote your content.
A select group of your speakers could also double as micro-influencers since they’re likely to share your promotional material with their followers anyway.
Email Marketing
While social media has made it easier to market an event, it isn’t the only tool you can leverage to promote your conference. In fact, one of the most effective tactics of the year also happens to be one of the internet’s oldest features—email.
Estimates from 2024 suggest that emails have a return of investment (ROI) valued at $42 for every dollar spent. That’s a staggering statistic that goes a long way in explaining why 89% of marketers use email as their primary channel to generate leads.
To create a successful email campaign, you must first compile a list of potential attendees—with their permission of course. Then focus on creating an engaging email newsletter with an attractive headline, discounts and offers, and calls to action (CTAs) urging readers to book a slot.
Show Off Reviews and Testimonials
Often, the best promotional campaigns don’t come from the host. They come from user-generated reviews and testimonials.
This social proof assures potential attendees that they can gain something from attending your event and that they aren’t falling victim to misleading advertising.
The first step to leveraging these benefits involves urging past attendees, speakers, and colleagues to share their experiences at your event, or working with you. Then, highlight these testimonials across all platforms, including websites and social media profiles. Posters highlighting positive reviews can also be shared on ticketing sites.
Outsource Your Design Needs
As it turns out, promoting an event online can be tricky and rewarding.
To ensure you’re making the most of your campaign, invest time and resources into understanding specific social media platforms, the audience you want to attract, and learning how to increase conversions with direct emails and testimonials.
For all your design needs, use a resource like PosterMyWall.
This tool helps amateur marketers like you design high-quality posters, flyers, and email newsletters with ease. Its large library of customizable templates is updated every day, fulfilling a wide variety of needs and requirements.
