9 Tips For Event Marketers to Promote Their Hybrid Event

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, events around the world went through quite a makeover. Conferences went from taking place at venues to going off the grid, then coming back to life online, and then slowly shifting to a hybrid model. 

Hybrid events are in-person events that are broadcasted online as well. With them running on two different media, both on-site and online, there’s a lot more room for effective event marketing. 

So, how can you make the most of it?

Here are our top tips for event marketers to promote their events.

1. Market your event with an eye-catching landing page 

First, you’ll need a destination for your attendees. Where will they come to sign up for the event?

A landing page serves this purpose. It also offers a registration form for people to sign up for the event. But a registration form that offers little clue of what to expect won’t convert. 

What you need is a killer eye-catching landing page that hooks in the reader and makes them hit the register button instantly. 

Here’s how event marketers can do that:

1. Design a landing page with captivating visuals and even event pictures.
2. Provide event details, such as when the event is, who is it for, and what will it cover.
3. Add a short, easy-to-fill registration form. Ask only what’s necessary!
4. Use a persuasive call to action. 
5. Optimize for keywords that represent your event and its location, such as ‘Motor home trade show Austin’ to increase visibility in search.

2. Promote speakers on your event page

Nothing pulls audiences to events better than an influential speaker lineup. After all, most attendees show up for events for the speaker sessions. For this reason, showcasing your speakers is a great way to increase your event’s pull. Add clear pictures and credentials to provide context. 

As an added benefit, the photos also breathe life into your landing page, making it more immersive. 

3. Start posting on social media

Social media offers a personal and often two-way communication with your audience. Start capitalizing on this by ramping up your social media marketing to put your event front and center. 

Source: TribalWise LinkedIn

Post every few days to reveal more details about your event. Share the agenda, speaker details, testimonials from past attendees. Bring special focus on the benefits of attending, such as making connections, networking with industry experts, and even getting event swag!

4. Use hashtags

Create a unique and catchy event hashtag to pull the conversation together and make it easier for your prospects to learn more about you. It can be an abbreviated version of your event or just the name such as #RetailersConference2021. You can also add commonly used event hashtags such as #ChicagoConferences and #virtualevents so prospects at the top of the funnel can still find their way to you in case they’re looking for events to attend.

5. Make use of social media banners

Your social channels provide a great platform to advertise upcoming events. Design banners for all your socials (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to bring more attention to your hybrid event. Make sure that the banners are customized for each platform that you use. Here are the dimensions you need to follow.

• Facebook cover photo: 820 x 312 px for desktop, 640 by 360 pixels for mobile. Make sure that all the important information fits within 640 by 312 pixels.
• Twitter header image: 1500 x 500 px for desktop. However, keep in mind that the profile photo sticks to the bottom-left so make sure all the important elements fall in the safe zone.
  
  
• LinkedIn background: 1584 x 396 px for desktop. Again, be wary of the profile photo that appears over the bottom-left corner of this photo.

6. Create a series of teaser videos

Video content works really well to engage prospects. Build up anticipation with teaser videos about the event. These can be short videos that hint towards a big reveal at the very beginning of your marketing campaign. Then, gradually release more details, announce your event, and keep building anticipation with short videos for each stage. 

You can also interview speakers, asking them about the content of their sessions and offering insider information that reels in your viewers. Show snippets of the venue and videos of past events if any to help give new followers a feel of what to expect. 

7. Use pop-ups across your site

It’s also important to market to prospects that are landing on other pages on your website. Use pop-ups to make sure that new and returning visitors to your site learn about the event. You can also use a sticky bar at the top of your page with a CTA that takes users to the event landing page. 

You can also sign up your prospects directly from the sticky bar if you add a form field to it. This helps speed up the process and makes it easier for people to sign up in seconds. 

8. Write a press release

Another great way to get the word out is to create waves with a press release. Submit it to press release publications such as PRNewswire and wait for it to get picked up by hundreds of other publications, ultimately multiplying your reach.

9. Send out email updates

Email marketing is a gold mine for event marketers. Make use of email marketing for events and send out email blasts to your email list. These should provide details of the event and instructions for registering. You’ll also need to send reminders as you near the event so you can stay top of mind. 

Conclusion

Event marketing is fast evolving given how the event landscape has changed so much after the pandemic. This has put a lot of pressure on event marketers to stay updated with new marketing trends. But these nine tips will go a long way to attaining high attendance and ROI. Let us know what works for you and what doesn’t! Plus, click here to learn more about our hybrid event solution.