Industry conferences present an unparalleled opportunity for B2B businesses to make a lasting impact. The concentrated gathering of industry professionals, decision-makers, and potential clients offers a unique environment ripe for strategic marketing. At Well-Oiled Marketing, we’ve honed a comprehensive approach we call “conference surround sound” to maximize your brand’s presence and engagement before, during, and after these pivotal events.
What is Conference Surround Sound?
Conference surround sound is an integrated marketing strategy that leverages multiple digital channels to create a cohesive and immersive brand experience. This approach includes:
- Organic Social Media: Engaging your audience with compelling content before, during, and after the event.
- Geotargeted Social and Display Ads: Reaching attendees with tailored messages while they are at the conference.
- Email Marketing: Utilizing event email lists to connect with attendees at various stages of the event lifecycle.
- Innovative Tactics: Experimenting with new channels like Uber ads to capture the attention of attendees traveling to and from the event.
The Impact of Geotargeted Social and Display Ads
One of the most effective components of our conference surround sound strategy is geotargeted social and display ads. This approach involves targeting ads specifically to the location of the conference, ensuring that your brand’s messages reach attendees when they are most engaged and receptive.
What Are Geotargeted Ads?
Geotargeted ads leverage location-based technology to deliver advertisements to users based on their geographic location. For industry conferences, this means serving ads to attendees’ devices while they are in and around the event venue. This precise targeting ensures that your ads reach a highly relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of engagement. Geotargeted Ads work well based on the following:
- Contextual Relevance: During a conference, attendees are in a professional mindset, actively seeking information, networking opportunities, and industry insights. Geotargeted ads capitalize on this heightened state of engagement by delivering timely and relevant messages.
- Increased Engagement: By reaching attendees in the vicinity of the conference, geotargeted ads achieve significantly higher engagement rates. Our clients have experienced, on average, a 200% higher engagement rate from these targeted audiences. This can be attributed to the ads’ relevance and the attendees’ readiness to engage with industry-related content.
- Enhanced Visibility: Geotargeted ads ensure your brand remains visible throughout the event. Whether attendees are browsing social media between sessions, navigating the conference app, or exploring the local area, your ads keep your brand top-of-mind.
To illustrate the effectiveness of geotargeted ads, consider one of our clients who recently participated in a major industry conference. By deploying a strategic geotargeted ad campaign, we were able to achieve the following results:
- 200% Increase in Engagement: The client saw a 200% increase in engagement rates compared to their standard digital advertising campaigns.
- Boosted Booth Traffic: The ads successfully drove a significant number of attendees to the client’s booth, resulting in valuable face-to-face interactions and lead generation.
- Enhanced Brand Recognition: The continuous presence of the ads throughout the conference helped solidify the client’s brand recognition among key industry professionals.
The Role of Organic Social Media
Organic social media plays a crucial role in maintaining a consistent presence and engaging with your existing audience. Here’s how to leverage it effectively across different stages of the conference:
Pre-Event Engagement: Before the conference begins, organic social media can be used to build anticipation and highlight your participation. Share posts about:
- Event Announcements: Let your followers know which conferences you’ll be attending, and highlight key details such as dates, locations, and your booth number.
- Sneak Peeks: Offer glimpses of what you’ll be showcasing at the event, whether it’s a new product launch, a special presentation, or a unique interactive experience.
- Countdowns and Teasers: Create a sense of urgency and excitement with countdown posts and teasers about special announcements or giveaways that will happen during the conference.
Live Updates During the Event: Once the conference is underway, live updates are essential for keeping your brand top-of-mind and engaging with both attendees and your broader audience. Consider the following tactics:
- Real-Time Content: Post live updates from the event floor, including photos, videos, and stories. Highlight key moments, such as guest speakers, panel discussions, and interactions at your booth.
- Engagement Opportunities: Use social media to engage with attendees in real-time. Encourage them to visit your booth, attend your sessions, or participate in any on-site activities. Interactive content, like live polls or Q&A sessions, can drive engagement.
- Event Hashtags: Utilize the event’s official hashtags as well as your own branded hashtags to increase visibility and join the broader conversation happening online.
Post-Event Follow-Up: After the conference, organic social media helps to extend the conversation and reinforce key messages shared during the event. Post-event content can include:
- Highlights and Recaps: Share highlights from the conference, including key takeaways from sessions you attended or hosted. This can be in the form of blog posts, videos, or infographics.
- Follow-Up Conversations: Continue engaging with the connections you made at the conference. Respond to comments, share user-generated content from attendees, and address any questions or feedback received during the event.
- Next Steps: Encourage your audience to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for a webinar, downloading a resource, or scheduling a meeting. This helps transition the engagement from the conference to ongoing business opportunities.
By strategically using organic social media before, during, and after the conference, you can create a cohesive narrative that not only maximizes your brand’s visibility but also strengthens your relationship with your audience.
Email Marketing: Staying Connected
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for engaging with conference attendees. By leveraging the event’s email list, you can send personalized messages at key stages before, during, and after the conference, ensuring your brand stays connected and top-of-mind. Here’s how to maximize the impact of your email marketing efforts:
- Pre-Event Teasers: Before the conference begins, email marketing can be used to build anticipation and generate excitement. Pre-event emails should aim to announce your participation, offer sneak peeks, or provide practical information.
- Live Updates During the Event: During the conference, timely and relevant email updates can keep your audience engaged and encourage real-time interactions. Consider the following tactics: daily highlights, event reminders, or interactive content.
- Post-Event Follow-Ups: After the conference, email marketing helps to extend the conversation and nurture the relationships established during the event. Post-event emails should focus on thank you messages, recaps and resources, or next steps.
To maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing, personalization and segmentation are crucial. Ad always, tailor your messages based on attendees’ interests, behaviors, and interactions at the conference. Segment your email list to deliver more targeted content, ensuring each recipient receives information that is most relevant to them.
By leveraging the power of email marketing throughout the conference journey, you can create a continuous and meaningful dialogue with your audience, enhancing your brand’s visibility and engagement long after the event concludes.
Testing New Waters: Uber Ads
As we continually seek innovative ways to enhance our conference surround sound strategy, we’re excited to test Uber ads for an upcoming client conference. With many attendees traveling from out of town and using rideshare services, Uber ads present a unique opportunity to capture their attention during transit. This experiment aims to further extend our reach and engagement, ensuring our clients’ brands remain visible throughout the attendee journey.
Plan Your Fall Conference Presence Now
As you plan your fall conference presence, now is the perfect time to integrate the conference surround sound strategy into your marketing efforts. By leveraging a mix of organic social media, geotargeted ads, email marketing, and innovative tactics like Uber ads, you can create a compelling and cohesive brand experience that resonates with your audience.
Reach out to our team at Well-Oiled Marketing to find out how we can help you make the most of your conference presence. Our tailored approach ensures your brand stands out, engages effectively, and achieves measurable results. Let’s turn your next industry conference into a powerful platform for growth and success.
